Don’t be God’s adversary

Hebrews 10:29-31 How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Verses 30-31 are a reference to God’s adversaries, whom he described in verse 29. Surely the author had the Song of Moses from Deuteronomy 32 in mind as he wrote these verses. You can see the connection of his warning to those who neglect so great a salvation as God has provided in Jesus with these verses from Deuteronomy 32:18-22, 35-36, and 43. You neglected the Rock who begot you, and forgot the God who gave you birth. The LORD saw this, and spurned them because of the provocation of His sons and daughters. Then He said, “I will hide My face from them, I will see what their end shall be; for they are a perverse generation, Sons in whom is no faithfulness. They have made Me jealous with what is not God; they have provoked Me to anger with their idols. So I will make them jealous with those who are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation, for a fire is kindled in My anger, and burns to the lowest part of Sheol, and consumes the earth with its yield, and sets on fire the foundations of the mountains.  Vengeance is Mine, and retribution, in due time their foot will slip; for the day of their calamity is near, and the impending things are hastening upon them. For the LORD will vindicate (judge) His people, and will have compassion on His servants, when He sees that their strength is gone, and there is none remaining, bond or free. Rejoice, O nations, with His people; for He will avenge the blood of His servants, and will render vengeance on His adversaries, and will atone for His land and His people. What catches my attention in verse 30 is that the author said, “We know God is a God of vengeance against His adversaries. The history of the Hebrews, God’s people, revealed time and time again that God judged those who rejected Him. Yes, the godless nations were His enemies, but who are God’s greatest adversaries? Is it the godless or those who identify with His name yet reject His Son and seek their own glory through their religiosity? We know the answer to that question. Jesus confronted those who were seeking to kill Him with these words, ““How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God” (John 5:44)?  Why do we live to love with Jesus? We are seeking the glory of God. We’re not trying to make a name for ourselves. We recognize that Jesus is our life. We only bring glory to God if He lives for us. We draw near to Him for grace to love because we want God to be glorified. We look for ways to stimulate one another to love and good deeds for Jesus’ name's sake. So join me today in bringing God glory by living to love with Jesus. Abide in Him today by adopting His purpose in life, to love with His Father, and embracing His beliefs. You can find these in my book, Live to Love, at livetolovewithjesus.com. If you live to love with Jesus, you’ll never be afraid of being God’s adversary. You’re His friend.