Here I come – Here I AM

¹⁹ Having therefore, brothers, boldness to enter into the holy place by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by the way which he dedicated for us, a new and living way, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh, ²¹ and having a great priest over God’s house, ²² let’s draw near with a true heart in fullness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and having our body washed with pure water, ²³ let’s hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering; for he who promised is faithful.

Spending time with your children & grandchildren is truly one of the most special moments in life. This past week we were blessed with a few days with all our children and grandchildren. We all live in separate states / countries, so it is very rare for us to all be together. 1 day we took our granddaughters to a local park to enjoy the playground. The 5-year-old loved climbing the big tube slide, but she could not see the bottom. Every time she was ready to slide down, she would yell “here I come” and I would yell back “here I am”. I sat at the bottom of the slide ready to catch her. She was excited to slide but wanted some assurances she would be safe.

    The book of Hebrews gives us phenomenal depictions of the differences in the Old Testament Law and sacrificial system versus the one sacrifice of Jesus Christ that removed and replaced the Old. Hebrews 10 is an incredible chapter to read and meditate upon – would highly encourage us to do so. In the Old system people would need to continually offer sacrifices for their sin over and over and over and over again. BUT a perfect Christ paid the ultimate price with His sacrificial death on the cross so we would not need to repeatedly offer sacrifices. (Hebrews 10:10) In the Old people were not allowed into the Holy of Holies and it was separated by a veil/curtain because the earthly sacrifices they offered for their sins were not enough – they were a temporary example but did not provide everlasting atonement. It was only after Jesus sacrificed Himself (flesh) that we were allowed access to the Holy of Holies. Nothing that we do grants us that access – only what Jesus did for us on the cross.

   Hebrews 10:19-23 is stocked full of important truths. Let me go back to the slide with my granddaughter. For a 5-year-old, a dark slide with no sight of the bottom can be daunting. It takes some courage to let go and “fly” down a steep precipice. She demonstrated faith. My granddaughter had me in her corner – she trusted my voice and knew that I would never let her fall. She could boldly enter the slide without wavering because I had always been faithful to keep her safe. In the same way, “we can boldly enter the holy place …for he who promised is faithful.” What a promise!!! When life is scary and we are looking down a deep dark hole, trust His voice, His Words, remember that He is Faithful. We don’t have to be perfect because He is. He will never let us fall. Let’s boldly yell “here I come” because we know that He says “here I AM”

Dave R

 ’69 / ’83  Quarryville PA