Reading today:

Hebrews 6:4-12

New International Version (NIV)

⁴ It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, 

who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the 

Holy Spirit, ⁵ who have tasted the goodness of the word of 

God and the powers of the coming age ⁶ and who have fallen

away, to be brought back to repentance. 

To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again 

and subjecting him to public disgrace. 

⁷ Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces

a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing

of God. ⁸ But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless 

and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.

⁹ Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced 

of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation.

 ¹⁰ God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you 

have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help 

them.¹¹ We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very 

end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. 

¹² We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who 

through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

In Streams in the Desert:

We had hoped Luke 24:21

I have always been so sorry that the two disciples walking with 

Jesus on the road to Emmaus did not say to Him, “We still hope” 

instead of “We had hoped.”  The situation is very sad, because 

in their minds it is over. 

Oh, if only they had said, ”Everything has come against our hope, 

and it looks as if our trust were in vain.  Yet we will not give up, 

because we believe we will see Him again.”  Instead, they walked 

by His side, declaring their shattered faith.  Jesus had to say to 

them,” How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe?”  

Luke 24:25

Are we not in danger of having these same words said to us?  

We can afford to lose every possession we have, except our 

faith in the God of truth and love.  May we never express our faith, 

as these disciples did, in the past tense---“We had hoped.” 

Yet may we always say,  “I have hope.”  from Crumbs