Daily Reading: Hebrews 1:1–14
Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation? (Heb. 1:14)
An elderly man who had just lost his wife of fifty-two years was sitting in a diner booth and was suddenly overcome with grief. He began sobbing uncontrollably. The waitress, seeing his distress, and not knowing its cause, simply sat down next to him and held his hand until he could regain his composure. The couple in the booth behind him anonymously picked up his tab. He later told a friend, “As long as there are people like that in the world, there is hope.”
The writer of Hebrews went to great lengths to contrast the Son of God with the angels. Apparently there were some false teachers during this time who were pushing the idea that Jesus was just an exalted messenger of God. Rather, the biblical writer told us that Jesus is the supreme radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His heavenly Father, much higher than the angels.
The angels are given the role of serving, comforting, and encouraging those who will inherit salvation, secured by the atoning work of Christ. Like the angels, we too are called to serve, comfort, and encourage one another as we press on in the power of God’s Spirit through spiritual battles and the hurts associated with life’s inevitable losses. You never know—a simple act of kindness may be all it takes to help a struggling believer make it through another day.
What was the kindest service ever done for you? Pass that act of kindness along.
Doug Schmidt is a freelance writer and editor and is on staff with his church as a small groups coach
