Devotional: Dead Ends

Hebrews 10

Recently I was invited to the church of a friend. Since I was not sure of the location I left home early so that I would not be late. I followed the directions that I had been given, and I arrived several minutes early. Instead of sitting and waiting for others to arrive I decided to drive around so that I could get an idea of what the neighborhood was like. I was also looking for other routes that I might be able to take to get to the church. I continued on the street that the church is located. It does not take me long to reach a dead end. This reminds me that life has many dead ends. A job that offers no opportunity for advancement is a dead end. Sometimes our relationship with a friend or family member comes to a dead end through disagreements or even death. The good thing about dead end relationships is that they can motivate us to seek new and better relationships. In the book of Hebrews the writer encourages the church to stay the course. They have accepted Jesus as their Savior, but many of them want to turn around and go back into their old life of Judaism because of persecution from family and the community. The writer tells them that they are on the right road that will get them to God. Judaism was a dead end street because the sacrifices of bulls and goats cannot take away sins (v. 4). The sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross is a road without a dead end. This road takes us directly to the Father. Father, we thank you for the sacrifice that your son Jesus made on our behalf so that we might have access to you. Amen.