August 12 | Hebrews 10:24-25

Pam Mann
Aug 12, 2025
3 min read

DAILY READING

REFLECTION

It's Good for Us

By Pam Mann

I once heard a bible teacher explain that the “lettuce” (let us) verses in Hebrews are good for us, just like green leafy vegetables. The students groaned at the lettuce comment as you probably are now. But I did search Hebrews 10 for all the “let us” verses.

Here are the two previous "lettuce" verses:

Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

The writer to the Hebrews (and to us) urges us to do three things: 1) Draw near to God in faith. 2) Hold fast the hope we have professed. 3) Meet regularly with other believers so we can encourage one another in the faith.

Each of these “let us” exhortations calls for us to build lifestyle habits that keep us close to the Lord and growing in connection with Him. To heed the “let us” in verse 22, we make space in our daily routine for prayer and bible reading. To obey the “let us” in verse 23, we clear out of our lives the habits that could erode an unswerving hold on our hope in Jesus. Finally, to embrace the “let us” of verse 24, we simply meet regularly with other believers for our mutual encouragement. These “let us” ideas really are good for us!

The first readers of this letter faced difficult times which tempted them to drift from God, to lose

hope, and to devalue Christian fellowship. In the twenty centuries since this letter was first read, believers have continued to face the similar temptations to slack off. We today are no different than all these other sisters and brothers through the ages. We need the same encouragement individually and corporately to keep close to Jesus, to resist whatever would erode our hope, and to gather with other believers to encourage one another.

These “let us” exhortations remind me of what lettuce needs to grow in Ohio in August. It needs shelter from full sun on hot, dry days just as our souls need to draw near to God for shelter. Without such shelter, the leaves turn bitter. Those lettuce plants need mulch to keep the roots cool and moist just as our souls need to sink into our hope in Christ when life gets grim or (the opposite extreme) too easy. Then, as the partial intermittent harvesting of lettuce leaves keeps the plants growing more leaves, our habit of frequenting fellowship meetings keeps us growing in our own faith as we also support others.

The togetherness of the Hebrews "let us" message is good for us.

PRAYER

Thank you, Lord, that we can shelter in the refuge of your grace, that we can confidently sink our roots into your promises, and that we can share our faith journey with the other sojourners you put into our lives.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

PAM MANN

I first joined UALC when my husband (then my fiancé) and I were college students involved in youth ministry. God has used UALC to nurture our family’s faith, even in our years outside the U.S. I’ve participated in UALC ministries with kids, art, prayer, exercise, ESL, and Bible teaching. I do all the fun church things.