Hebrews 2:1 "Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip."
Anytime we see the word, "therefore," we should stop to look at
previous verses to see why it's there for. The books of the Bible were
written as letters. Later, chapter and verse numbers were added for our
convenience. I am thankful the divisions were added, but sometimes we lose the
connection of what was written just previously.
So for today's verse and today's "therefore", let us look back at the
last verse of chapter one. "Are they not all ministering spirits,
sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?" (Hebrews
1:14) This verse is speaking of angels as being ministering spirits, or
servants of the Lord. What do you think of when you vision an angel? If you are
like most of us, we think of angelic beings robed in white with wings and they
spend all their time just flying around or laying on clouds. But, let's
think in a different direction for a moment. Have you ever heard someone
say to another who did a kind deed, "You're just an angel"? In
the book of Revelation, the pastors of the churches are called angels.
"Ministering spirits" can take on many forms. No doubt, there
are cherubims and seraphims described in the Bible. They have one purpose:
glorify and praise the most high God.
Angels bring the message of God and they do it in many forms. I would
like to think the message of God's grace and mercy through the shed blood of
Jesus Christ would be an angelic message to one who is burdened with sin in his
life. Someone who makes a phone call to check on another could be
considered a "ministering spirit" to a lonely soul. Sometimes,
the ministering spirit comes in a smile and a genuine, "How are you
doing?" Sometimes, it is the soft whisper to the heart, "I am
with you always."
The writer of Hebrews tells us in today's verse of Scripture, "give
heed" to those messages that are sent from God. Pay attention to the
things that God places in our lives that minister to us. Today's thoughts
are in general form. From this point forward in the book of Hebrews, we will
see the great messages that have been given to us that bring peace and joy to
our hearts. We will be looking for the things "spoken unto us by his Son,
whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the
worlds." We hope to give earnest heed to the things we hear in order
to find peace and joy in our hearts. We do not want to let them slip past
us. This book is going to minister to our souls in a very wonderful way.