Written ~ 12-13-2023
Hebrews 12:14-15
14 “Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.
15 Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.”
“Work at living in peace with everyone…” That’s difficult sometimes isn’t it? Someone comes along, rubs you completely the wrong way and you are supposed be at peace with them? Is it maybe we are so wrapped up in our own “stuff” that we don’t care to look at the other person and really think about what’s causing them to be so unlikable to you? Verse 14 says we need to work at it! As believers we have been commanded to be at peace with everyone. Have you noticed in the Scriptures that when Jesus greets another person instead saying “Hello” or “Hi there,” He said “Shalom.” Simply put, the Hebrew word Shalom is translated as “Peace” or “Peace be with you.” So by using the example of Jesus, we are to offer a greeting of Peace to everyone we come into contact with. In our “Hello” can it be that we offer peace? Even in a disagreeable atmosphere? “Work at living in peace with everyone…” This shouldn’t be used as a greeting only given to another believer, this verse in the NLT and in other translations as well says, “everyone, or all men, or each other,” this is not discriminative to only the people you want to like. Think about who you come in contact with on a regular basis… your family, your friends, coworkers, acquaintances, maybe the same grocery store clerk, or your mail deliverer, are you greeting each one with peace? Or… Do you pick and choose who you are going to extend the greeting of peace?
When we are working at living in peace with everyone, we also need to “work at living a holy life.” Which simply means we must live our lives completely devoted to the Lord, everything we do must line up with Scripture. When our purpose is found within the pages of the Bible we are more likely to honor the Lord in everything we do. The warning in verse 14 is quite clear, “…for those who are not holy will not see the Lord…”
Let’s think about this for a moment… if you are a believer, but you have not devoted your life to serving the Lord, yes, you are saved, but you could be missing out on seeing what awesome works the Lord can do in your life! Verse 14 says we must “work at living a holy life…” that means we have a responsibility to seek God’s will in everything we do. Going along each day without seeking the Lord and His plan can lead to disaster! If you were to look up the word “work” in the dictionary, I think you would be surprised at how many ways that one word is defined, it’s quite obvious it is an action word! The Bible also makes it clear that if someone is not a believer yet, if their lives are not following the will of God and there isn’t the desire to work at being holy, they will not see the Lord. Quite honestly, my heart absolutely breaks for the person who doesn’t want to see the Lord by making the conscious effort to turn their hearts away from the Savior. It does take work to live a holy life, maybe that’s the reason so many choose their own lifestyle over one that seeks God first. I don’t know… but my life is fully devoted to the Lord. It has taken time, I haven’t always dedicated my life to serving the Lord and I feel I’ve missed a lot of opportunities to shine the Light of Jesus. But not anymore. My heart, my life, is the Lord’s.
Verse 12:15a,
15a “Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God.”
When we become followers of Jesus Christ, we become a part of a community that offers support for whatever we may be going through. There shouldn’t be any reason to go through life alone. Whether you are a believer or not, there are people who want to saddle up beside you and help you get through whatever you may be facing. That is one of the privileges of serving the Lord! Looking after each other! None of us should want to see another believer failing in their walk with the Lord! I know for me, I want to see everyone I know to be in the Scriptures, learning and gaining spiritual knowledge by reading the Word of God. It’s one of my greatest desires! I don’t want to see any of my loved ones struggling and what I can offer, truly, is to point them to Christ. It’s quite devastating for me to think that any of my family members, friends, etc. would fail to receive the grace of God. I pray continually that each one would seek the Lord with all their hearts, with all their minds and with all their souls.
The second part of verse 15 is so very important we must not overlook it!
Verse 12:15b,
15b “Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.”
Let’s look at this scenario… What if you feel like you are working at living in peace with others and you feel like you are working at living a holy life and nothing seems to be going the way you had planned? It’s a difficult lesson, but we must wait for the timing of God. His timing is not our timing. So during that difficult waiting period, when doubt and impatience can take root, we need to be aware of bitterness. What if you become angry with God because you feel He hasn’t answered your constant prayer? It might be He has answered it, just not in the way you wanted it to be answered. We don’t like to hear the word “No” but more than that, we definitely don’t like the word “wait.” If we allow bitterness to take root in our hearts, what grows out of that is resentfulness and a hardness of our hearts, then depression can step in and take hold. Look at what the last two words are in verse 15, “…corrupting many…” By allowing bitterness to grow, it does not only affect you, it affects everyone you come in contact with. It is very easy to identify someone who has allowed bitterness to take root. Their entire countenance is withdrawn and angry… this may be the type of person we spoke of earlier that may rub you the wrong way and you find it hard to live peaceably with them. Bitterness can reap all sorts of negativity that shouldn’t be a part a Christian’s life, but it happens. That’s why we need apply the first part of verse 15 and do what it says, “…look after each other…” If we see someone falling into the grips of the poisonous root of bitterness, we need to step in and help. It may just be that the greeting of “Shalom” is what’s needed. If you encounter someone who is always in a bummed out mood and negativity seems to have taken over their whole personality, don’t allow that negativity to affect you, otherwise your effectiveness in pointing them to Christ may become quite difficult!
- Work at living in peace
- Work at living a holy life
- Look after each other
- Watch out for bitterness
These are great lessons we all need to learn from these two verses. Maybe take some time to think about how you can effectively live in peace with others, especially with those who rub you the wrong way. Prayerfully meditate on the Word of God so you can live a holy life. If you know of someone who is not living a holy life or is failing to receive the grace of God, make it an act of service for the Lord by reaching out and pointing them to Christ. I can guarantee it will also build you up in the Lord! Most importantly, watch out for the poison of this world, don’t allow bitterness, anger, impatience, depression to take root in your heart. Guard your hearts.
My prayer is that all of us who are searching for peace in our own lives that we turn to the Bible first. If we find we are beginning to live for ourselves, I pray that we correct that behavior and work steadily at living a holy life, pleasing the Lord with all we do. My prayer is that we work alongside each other, helping each other to make sure we are all receiving the grace of God in our lives. Let’s be mindful of changes in attitude, bitterness can creep in quickly and settle deeply. Pray for one another. It’s important we can keep each other accountable. My prayer is that you aren’t the one who is corrupting others by your negative attitude but you are willfully seeking the Lord in everything you do.
May God’s richest blessings rest on all of us…
~AMEN~