(most of) Hebrews 10:19 - 39 - the Message version

"So, friends, we can now—without hesitation—walk right up to God, into "the Holy Place." Jesus has cleared the way by the blood of his sacrifice, acting as our priest before God. The "curtain" into God's presence is his body.

"So let's do it—full of belief, confident that we're presentable inside and out. Let's keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let's see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.

"If we give up and turn our backs on all we've learned, all we've been given, all the truth we now know, we repudiate Christ's sacrifice and are left on our own to face the Judgment—and a mighty fierce judgment it will be! If the penalty for breaking the law of Moses is physical death, what do you think will happen if you turn on God's Son, spit on the sacrifice that made you whole, and insult this most gracious Spirit? This is no light matter. God has warned us that he'll hold us to account and make us pay. He was quite explicit: "Vengeance is mine, and I won't overlook a thing" and "God will judge his people." Nobody's getting by with anything, believe me.

"Remember those early days after you first saw the light? Those were the hard times! Kicked around in public, targets of every kind of abuse—some days it was you, other days your friends. If some friends went to prison, you stuck by them. If some enemies broke in and seized your goods, you let them go with a smile, knowing they couldn't touch your real treasure. Nothing they did bothered you, nothing set you back. So don't throw it all away now. You were sure of yourselves then. It's still a sure thing! But you need to stick it out, staying with God's plan so you'll be there for the promised completion.

It won't be long now, he's on the way; He'll show up most any minute."

I love the first couple of paragraphs here - We can, without hesitation, walk right up to God! What an awesome gift! I'm going through Leviticus and Hebrews right now, and it's an interesting dichotomy. In Leviticus we have all of these rules that we can and can't do, and how to do or not do it! To worship, there were sacrifices, rules on what they could and couldn't use, the color you could paint your toenails (not really, but you get my drift)... And now? I can enter into His throneroom without any of that! Come just as I am, without hesitation!! What a blessing! Then the second paragraph - "So let's Do It!!!" We have this gift! Use it! Talk to Him all the time! ABUSE the right to talk to God! I dare you! I dare me! It's not possible to bother Him. He even tells us to - "If we give up and turn our backs...we repudiate Christ's sacrifice and are left on our own to face judgment..." So why would I want to refuse what has been given? God is good, and His name shall be praised on all the earth and in the heavens! I want to be one of that chorus. How about you? Care to join in on a verse?