Day One Hundred Eighty-Eight “Lists”
Come on along and sing Santa’s familiar tune with me: ‘She’s making a list, checking it twice; cause her ole’ memory is no longer precise; She relies on lists every day!‘ That pretty much sums it up for me. Sadly, the older I get, the more I find myself dependent on lists. As we age, all of our body systems gradually decline, including the brain. This normal aging process can make committing new information to memory-difficult, recalling facts-stressful, and multi-tasking-just plain tasking. As a result, I have found that list-making solves a number of issues, so I compile lists for groceries, upcoming birthdays, important dates, chores that need completed, and random lists to remind me to look at my lists! My refrigerator door has become a post-it note haven of rest!
Throughout the Book of Hebrews, the writer compiles for us an interesting list, a list of Let us instructions from our Father. The Let us phrase infers that you and I should accomplish something, together. A verb always follows, creating an imperative action that is not optional; it NEEDS to be completed. “Let us…fear,” that we, due to our doubting, may fall short of God’s perfect rest, therefore “Let us labour…to enter into that rest.” Those are stern warnings plucked from the history of the Hebrews themselves; they fell short of God’s best for them because they were not confident in God’s love and provision for them. Instead of savoring what He had done for them in the past and anticipating what He had in store for them in the future, they refused to trust Him and enter into their Promised Land. “Let us hold fast that profession;” let’s be so firmly rooted in the completed work of Christ and His provision in our lives that we trust Him fully, regardless of our circumstances.
Once we are resting in the finished work of Christ, “Let us…come boldly unto the throne of grace” and “Let us go on to perfection,” drawing all of our strength we need from communication with the Source of our salvation, allowing Him to perfect us, sanctify our lives, and grow us. Inevitably, the road will get rough at times, and as Satan attacks and trials discourage; we will need divine help to hold on tighter, so “Let us draw near” in undeterred faith, and “Let us hold fast…without wavering.”
But we have a new family now, new responsibilities, so “Let us consider one another,” caring for and exhorting our brothers and sisters in the faith. Our individual success comes from pursuing God together as a family of believers, helping each other along the way. The race will be difficult, exhausting at times, so we are encouraged to shed distractions that could hold us back, “Let us lay aside every weight” and “Let us run with patience” that marathon race set before us. Don’t quit! Keep your eye on the prize! “Let us have grace whereby we may serve God,” for it is only through His grace that our service becomes fruitful. And even when persecution arises, “Let us go forth…bearing His reproach.”
Finally, in humility, gratitude, and absolute wonder, “Let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually,” non-stop, unending thanks and praise to the One Who sacrificed all for us. That’s thirteen admonitions from our Father, giving us a glimpse into His priorities and burden for us. So, make a list: let’s fear, hold fast (twice!), come unto, go on to, draw near, consider, lay aside, run, have grace to serve, go forth, and offer praise! Whew, now there’s a list worth keeping!
Hebrews 13:15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
Bonus challenge: take the weekend and search out the Let us commands in Hebrews, making a mental list of these important challenges.
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