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.”

Things, people, ideas, theories, intentions — all can quickly and easily slip through our proverbial grasp — not for want of importance, but for want of attention. But the most important, of which we absolutely cannot lose sight of, drift away from, or grow cold and apathetic towards is this: the redemptive revelation of God revealed to us through the Blood of His own Son, Jesus Christ, and outlined for us from cover to cover in the ages old, tried and true, 66 book biblical canon of Scripture in which the Sacrifice is and will always be the central gathering place for God’s people — from a lamb in Genesis to The Lamb in Revelation. “I already know that!” is not enough; we must continue to give a good, long, honest look at what is in the Word and what is coming out of our own hearts. There are some even now, with a glaze over their gaze, having become so distracted that even they would be surprised to know they are spiritually dead. Jesus must ever and always be the whole impetus, ambition, and driving force of the Christian’s physically and spiritually ordered world this side of Heaven. Hebrews 1:2 says that God “…hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son…” and we are told here in Hebrews 2:1 to give more earnest heed to the “…things which we have heard.” He, the Lord Jesus Christ, is worthy of our undivided attention, undistracted devotion, and unrivaled worship. We should never think ourselves above the temptation to allow our heart’s focus to drift slowly and incrementally away from our First Love. It can happen to anyone. Take heed, lest at ‘any time’ — while we are relishing the joys or enduring the difficulties of life this side of eternity’s shore — we ‘let them slip.’

May we all lock eyes with our Savior — studying, meditating, communing, and yearning for the fullness of what will be when He brings us safely to the other side.

In the dust of His feet,

Sunni Hoffman

“What then will this child turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord was certainly with him.

Luke 1:66b

We read here the account of the birth of John the Baptist, of whom Jesus Himself said, “For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. (Luke 7:28)” There were most certainly extraordinary circumstances – his birth foretold through angelic visitation, father and mother both well advanced in age and beyond childbearing years, a supernatural infilling of the Holy Spirit at the greeting of Mary the mother of Jesus, and an 8 day post-birth miracle of healing after his father, Zacharias, had been struck dumb from his unbelief at the angel’s prophetic utterance. Naturally, people were talking. These types of things don’t just happen everyday. As his story plays out, it becomes clear that he was the greatest of all prophets because he had the divine assignment of introducing the Savior of the world, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29b) What an overwhelming privilege!

And what an astounding question that should be asked of every precious life conceived and brought forth into this world. “What then will this child turn out to be?” Psalm 139 details the intricate shaping of every face, freckle, and fingerprint by the Most High God. Aside from the careful crafting of a physical frame, God’s Word tells us that “…in Thy book they were all written, the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.” (Psalm 139:16b) Your child’s days are written in God’s book, and though we have yet to know or foresee how their story will play out, we get to be apart. Is there a more awesome privilege in the entire world (parent / grandparent / uncle / aunt / cousin / neighbor / friend) than for you to be the one who sees that ‘something’ in a little child; that spark of faith just waiting to be ignited with the proclamation, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away … my sin … your sin … and the sin of the world.” Oh God! God forbid that it ever be spoken of any of us that we squandered an opportunity to see something of so great of eternal worth and value in Heaven as the soul of a precious little child. “But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 19:14) To the teachers, preachers, faithful Sunday school teachers, and Wednesday night workers – not every child that walks through the doors of your classroom or church has been loved at home or planned on earth, but they have been purposed in Heaven. Point them to the Lamb. For truly, “What then will this child turn out to be?”

“Did not Achan the son of Zerah act unfaithfully in the things under the ban, and wrath fall on all the congregation of Israel? And that man did not perish alone in his iniquity.”
Joshua 22:20

Child of God, could there be any ‘secret’ sin in your heart and life with which you would stand with this defense, “this isn’t  hurting anyone…”? Sin, in any form it takes, is akin to cuddling with a lit bomb. The Bible says that the wages of sin is death, so the question is not ‘if’ it’s going to kill and destroy, but ‘when.’ Anyone who has ever experienced its aftermath will tell you that the shrapnel from the implosion nearly destroyed the lives of countless innocent others aimlessly caught in its path. Abraham never intended that one moment of unbelief in God’s plan and promise would continue to wreak unthinkable havoc in the Middle East some thousands of years later. David never dreamed that a temporary reprieve would yield a lifetime of regret, playing out destructively through the lives of those in his own household. But for the grace of God, one act of sinful disobedience in the heart of Jonah could  have resulted in the destruction of an entire land of people. Lot didn’t consider that stationing his family amidst the degradation of the world would all but destroy any light that the lamp of faith would hang up in their hearts. Sin is a malignant disease that will consume anything it touches in destruction, save the great grace and mercy of God. If you would stop its power and dominion in your life, and its effects and consequences in the lives of others, you need look no further than the blood of Jesus. The plague of the firstborn in Egypt was checked at the sight of the blood of the Lamb, and so it is today. May we hate sin with a holy hatred, not for ourselves only, but for the sake of our marriages, our children, our families, and our testimony before a sin darkened world – applying the blood of the Crucified Lamb to our hearts by faith afresh and anew and trusting wholly in its saving, washing, cleansing, delivering, healing, and sanctifying power!  

“…by His stripes we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5d

 This is a proclamation to be believed, not a remark to be debated. It is by and through the event of Calvary and the Sacrifice that Jesus there became for the whole of humanity that we receive every good thing that God has for us this side of Heaven. The declaration is here made through the Prophet Isaiah that not only do we receive the removal of our sins and restored peace with the Father through the Cross, but healing – that is, renewed health in body, mind, and spirit – is a part of the package, too. Doctors and the whole gamut of professionals that make up the medical system (for which we are thankful) can make diagnoses and offer temporary reprieves through medication for ailments of the mind and body, but complete healing is rarely, if ever, a guaranteed end result. But Jesus!

‘Healed’ in the Greek may be better rendered and understood in this way: to make fresh, restore to health, usable, fertile. How many people – believers, even – feel completely useless, void of purpose, empty, and without anything to give to the world around them because their minds have been ransacked, broken, and battered by the enemy of their souls? Yet God desires to restore us to the picture of Psalm 1, “…like a tree planted by rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit in his season…”. Precious believer, this promise is for you – you who would dare to lift your weary gaze again towards Calvary and the Sacrifice that Jesus there paid for you to be whole. This is the heart of the Father crying out through the life and death of His Son, “Wilt thou be made whole?” (John 5:6).

Only believe, only believe;
All things are possible, only believe.
Only believe, only believe;
All things are possible, only believe.
(Hymn by Paul Rader)

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Acts 1:8

“But ye shall receive power…”  We live in a day where the mass conglomerate of evil and all the imps of hell have stiffened their necks against the Living God, scoffing at His ways and laughing at His people. If we ever needed power, it’s now. As a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, it should be my soul’s daily aim to lay hold of every divine resource made available to me through His atoning death on Calvary’s Cross for the proclamation of this glorious Gospel. To ‘receive’ is not to stand passively by, hands in pockets, under the froward notion that “God will give me whatever He wants me to have.” No! We position ourselves at the threshold of His great mercy as an active, yielded participant with hands outstretched, the reverberating cry of our hearts being, “Lord! I want everything You have to give me!” Biblically, we have reason to believe that there may have been anywhere in the ballpark of above 500 people to hear Jesus’ last words and see Him ascend in a cloud of glory out of their sight (Acts 1:4; 1 Cor. 15:6), yet only 120 followed through with His command to tarry in the upper room… and so it is today. Power in the Greek text is ‘dunamis’ – that is to say dynamite; miracle working power! Would that every born again child of God obey Jesus’ last and final command and wait for the promise of the Father – the precious Baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues – igniting the torch of their life in the fire of Pentecost! If you’re saved, Glory to God! There’s more! Keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking, keep running after Jesus! He is the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit and millions of people the world over can testify that it’s real, it’s real, it’s real!

In the dust of His feet,

Sunni Hoffman

“… . And Judah was carried away into exile to Babylon for their unfaithfulness.”

– 1 Chronicles 9:1b

We are a most fickle people. We make grand declarations of thankfulness and (sometimes obnoxious) vows of loyalty to the Lord with no follow through. Truly, there’s no miracle cell hidden in the back corners of our human DNA waiting to evolve into greatness through a single spark of our own ambition or human ingenuity. We are a helpless people, easily carried away by the cares and longings of the world and our own sinful hearts.

By way of example, let’s say you are floating out at sea and have been given instructions to stay by the lighthouse. You soon find that you have drifted away quickly for want of pulling anchor. With but a single night’s closing of the eyes and resting of the heart, you look up and find that you are miles from where you were instructed to stay, wondering “How did I get here?” How many times have you looked around in your own Christian walk and found that you are far from where the Lord would have you to be? I’m sure it was much the same for Judah/Israel of old. Carried away into slavery … again. And Christians, those precious souls who truly love the Lord, drift off and are carried away into slavery to sin every day because they won’t pull anchor, throwing the weight of their life and heart onto the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work on Calvary. It would do us all well to take thought for how truly weak and unable we are, coming to Him today in complete dependence, asking that His ‘staying power’ be lived out in our stead. He is able.

In the dust of His feet,

Sunni Hoffman