You have never heard (the Father’s) voice nor seen His form, nor does His word dwell in you, for you do not believe the One He sent. You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about Me…yet you refuse to come to Me to have life. John 5:37-40.

Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Psalm 62:8 NKJV.

(Jesus) said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 2 Corinthians 12:9.

Our chapter, Hebrews 12, is a beautiful chapter showing us why our need for Jesus the Son is so great. Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; for those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives.” It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed. Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears. For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them. For they could not bear the command, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it will be stoned.” And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, “I am full of fear and trembling.” But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel. See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven. And His voice shook the earth then…but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.” This expression, “Yet once more,” denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe…for our God is a consuming fire.

As we live in this world we can’t help but see all that needs to be shaken. How can we bear to see the continuing preying upon of the weak by the powerful, wars, violence, mass shootings, lies, stealing, pride and arrogance, lack of any love for those hurting, and not see what needs to be shaken by Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit? And it will be. For our God is a consuming fire. He knows what is needed and He knows what He is doing. By fixing our eyes on Jesus the Author and Perfecter of faith…we find the help we need now to lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us. The sanctification we need is an ongoing process begun by God as He does His work so needed within us. Why do we think Creator God created? For this world as it is now? Look at all that Jesus the Son, Creator God, has done for us by becoming flesh and showing us in real time the kingdom of God so different from the kingdoms of men. So different still, but we need eyes opened by God to see that truthfully. Spiritual illumination is God showing us what is holy, and beautiful, and so needed by us His children dearly loved. Can we see that everything of this world not of God’s love will be shaken – because it needs to be shaken? Therefore…since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken…let us show gratitude by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe…for our God is a consuming fire! One day we will understand just how deep and good is God’s love because He is a consuming fire for all that is holy and beautiful and good and so needed by each one of us. Jesus understood that fully. We need to. So that we may share His holiness!