Watch Our Words

DEVOTION

HEBREWS

WATCH OUR WORDS

Heb 11:20

20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.

NIV

Surely two blessings of such a different sort, one being of greatness, the other of lowliness and yet both were by faith. Isaac believed that his words of blessing to both Jacob and Esau would come true, and indeed they did. Did God tell Isaac exactly what to say, knowing what would happen? It appears that is not the case because Isaac said those words in faith believing his blessings had the power to shape his sons future. Can we, do we have that kind of power in our words? How do we deal with the words of Jesus when he said, “Have faith in God, I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he say will happen, it will be done for him.” Isn’t this the same thing as the faith Isaac had in saying his blessings on his sons? We should be able to have that kind of power in our words if we believe in God. And those words were not all good words. Jacob by deception, received the good words, and Esau was left with words that were not so good, yet they came true. Surely we should not aim to say bad words upon others, for that would not be consistent with brotherly love. But we surely could say kind and good words over others. Still, this kind of power in our words should also give us a moment of repose, for there is much to consider before we speak words of this nature. Surely gossip comes close to speaking bad words over another, and those we do gossip simply need to put a stop to all that kind of speaking, for they might well be bringing more harm upon their victim of gossip. Should not we speak words of praise over others? Words mean something, and here we see they indeed mean far more than want we might even think. The power to shape the future of both ourselves as well as others is in the words we speak, if we believe God. The prophets spoke words of the future events of all of Israel based on their behavior, as they were directed by God. Does not the Spirit dwell within us and give us direction in our speech? Or do we just speak of our own accord, meaningless chatter? Perhaps there are only special moments as with the case of Isaac blessing his sons, which we should be aware of the power of our words, and the rest of the time we can go about with our meaningless chatter. Either way we should be extremely aware of what we say, for how do we know when one of those special moments is upon us. Watch our words.

No Holding Back

DEVOTION

HEBREWS

NO HOLDING BACK

Heb 11:17-19

17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned."   19 Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.

NIV

Is there anything Abraham would not hold back from God? Is there anything we would hold back from God? Why would God want to test Abraham in the first place? Did not Abraham already prove that he believed God? But God did test him, and does that mean God might test us as well? Of course it is not much of a test is we believe that God is going to undo anything that he asks of us that might be detrimental to us, as it was in the case of Abraham. Yet, the point here is that Abraham did believe God would take care of the situation no matter what, because God is far greater and far more powerful than anything we could even imagine. Abraham believed God period. Do we believe God with that kind of conviction? Do we try to take things into our own hands and rely on our doing in order to accomplish what God has asked of us? God man not ask us to offer our own son to Him, as least it doesn’t seem He would, but He could ask something of us that we might not be wanting to give up. He could ask us to move to another state, giving up our home, and all we know, as He did with Abraham. There are many things God could ask of us, and are we willing to follow? He could see if we are willing to step outside our comfort zone and do something for His kingdom. He could ask us to give up all we have, in order to further His work in other’s lives. What we have to reconcile with ourselves is that all we are, all we have is due to God, and that anything He directs us to do, we need to comply, because we believe Him and know that He is God. He is our Lord and Savior, the God of all creation. Why would we ever hold anything back from Him? 

Headed Home

DEVOTION

HEBREWS

HEADED HOME

Heb 11:13-16

13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country — a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

NIV

We have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back. At least that is what the song writing wrote. It would surely have to be on faith that we also look forward to the city which God has prepared for us. Although we have a description of it, as told to us by John, we were never there and we do not know John personally. So we have to believe on faith we are going to a far better country than the one we came from. That is the key of course; we must consider ourselves already from here. This world is not our home, we are just a passing through, as another song writer puts it. But that is the case, this is not our home, we are aliens, foreigners to this our former place of residence. So why do we cling so desperately to stay here? Why do so many of us continue to attempt to amass as much of this world’s goods as they can? Why do many try to fill their life with so much of this world? Should we not be living by faith looking, yearning for that day of departure, with our bags packed, ready to go? In fact should we not already we on the straight and narrow road, headed there? Did not God warn Lot not to look back? Shouldn’t we also refrain from looking back? Once we enter the ark of safety as Moses did, we cannot leave again, and we cannot go back to the place we once lived. Even if Jesus does not return in our lifetime, even if we do not actually see any miracle at all, even though we must continue on by  faith, simply because we know the truth, we believe in God, and we believe God, we believe the Bible is the recorded words of God, spoken to men in the past and it contains  no error. This is the real deal, the true reality in which we must live. Sure we have things in the world, yes we have to live someplace, work somewhere, own some things, buy clothes, food, and other things, so we can sustain our existence here until the time of our home going, but let us not get so comfortable that we stop looking toward the day of our departure. All this is just stuff, which will burn up and be destroyed anyway, so let us live in that reality and seek first the Kingdom of God and all His righteousness. Let us live as we are headed home.

A Done Deal

DEVOTION

HEBREWS

A DONE DEAL

Heb 11:11-12

11 By faith Abraham, even though he was past age — and Sarah herself was barren — was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

NIV

Is there anything impossible for God? Have we not heard people ask why there are not miracles like this today? Could it be that those people who ask such a question do not actually believe God would do such a thing in their lives? When God promised Abraham he would become the father of many nations, he did not quarrel with God about it, he laughed to himself thinking he was one hundred and his wife ninety. He must of thought how impossible that was in human terms, but as God assured him these nations would come from a union between him and his wife, and that Abraham must complete his part of the covenant by circumcision of himself and all the males in his household, he believed God and did what he was commanded to do. God even changed their names in this exchange. We need this kind of faith, to believe for that which is beyond human capabilities. Do we actually believe God enough for such a miracle in our own lives? Have we not heard, God works through people, or that God uses people to accomplish His will? There were no people who caused Abraham and Sarah to have this son born to them, there was only God. Have we become so accustomed to explaining things in human understanding that we have forgotten the power of God? It does not matter how incapable we are, God is able. Have we forgot to remember that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us? We should not be afraid to step out in faith, once we have heard from God, to do what He has told us. We are his children; He is our Father who works miracles in our lives for the purpose of His kingdom. He also asks of us circumcision, not of the flesh, but rather of the heart. We should be expecting God to do the unexpected. We need to simply believe no matter what the situation is or the circumstance, our condition, our education, our training, our financial portfolio, or lack of one, our skill set, our inabilities, and our weaknesses, for God to perform miracles in our lives. When God promises, it is a done deal, just get used to it.

As Abraham Did

DEVOTION

HEBREWS

AS ABRAHAM DID

Heb 11:8-10

8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

NIV

Are we not headed for a place we will receive as our inheritance and in all actuality really do not know where we are going? Sure we call it heaven, but is it not really the new city of Jerusalem whose architect and builder is God? We are not sure what it looks like exactly, although we have a description of it as outlined by John in the revelation God showed him. We certainly do not know where it is at this time, although we know it comes down from heaven, for we are not surely exactly where heaven is either. There is no telescope powerful enough to see beyond the limits of our universe to even get a glimpse of heaven, somewhere beyond. Or is it possible that God is keeping it invisible somewhere within the limits of this universe He created? Either way, we must be as Abraham and walk by faith, obeying the voice of God, going to a place we do not know where. And even as this speaks to the hereafter, it also speaks to the here and now. Should we not be willing to uproot and leave everything we know and are comfortable with to travel to a place which God directs us, even though we have never been there before, have no idea what we will do when we get there, and what will happen to us once we arrive there? Even as we are where we are, should we not live as strangers in a foreign country, living in temporary housing, not making this our real home, not setting up roots, and thinking of what we have as our permanent place of residence? Are we truly looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God? Unless we are blessed enough as Enoch was, the only way we can travel to this city is through the death of our body. This truly is an unknown journey for no one who has made that journey has come back to tell us of it. Oh sure, there have been a few who have written accounts and are selling their story, but is that it, they are selling their story. Has not the story already been told, but God? All we really need is to live by faith, as Abraham did.

Salvation is Still Available

DEVOTION

HEBREWS

SALVATION IS STILL AVAILABLE

Heb 11:7

7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

NIV

This picture of the Noah and the ark is so much all God. The world was in such sad condition, filled with sin, not any different than today. What is God waiting for? We know He would never again destroy all of mankind in this manner as He promised and we know He is faithful to His promise. We are reminded every time we see a rainbow. Although all the people were so engaged in self-pleasure, in sin, in refusal to acknowledge God, there stood Noah, a man who believed in God, and believed God. Because of his faith in God, God determined that it would be Noah and his family who would be preserved from the destruction that was to happen to the rest of mankind. We know God could have destroyed all of mankind and simply started over with a new Adam and Eve, as He once did, but because of the faith of Noah, God saved him. Now it is true Noah had to build the ark of his own salvation, but it was also to hold all the rest of God’s living creation. Again, why did God do it this way? The answer has been made clear so we can see with clarity the second ark of salvation, the cross. As Noah being a man of faith was saved and became an heir of righteousness, so we by faith become heirs of righteousness through the cross. As Noah was saved from destruction by faith, so we will be saved from destruction by faith. God is going to once again bring destruction upon this earth, but not with water, this time with fire. There is coming a time when, as He shut the door of the ark, He will shut the door of the cross. It is open now, for anyone who desires to enter, but one day it will be closed and those outside will experience destruction, they will be cast into the lake of fire, which is the second death, and be destroyed both in body and soul. But we who are in the ark, in the cross will be saved, as Noah was, because of faith. Noah never knew what rain was, he never knew what kind of thing was coming from God, yet he believed and did what God instructed him to do. We must also by faith, not sure of just how all of what God has planned will play out, do what God has instructed us to do. If we hear His voice, as Noah did, then we must make ready and enter the cross. Salvation is available for a time. 

Seek Him

DEVOTION

HEBREWS

SEEK HIM

Heb 11:5-6

5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

NIV

Can you imagine all of a sudden just leaving earth and heading straight into the very presence of God? We should all be so blessed as to not have to experience death but to simply be taken from here as Enoch was. We know nothing about Enoch other than when he was 65 years old he had a son named Methuselah and that Enoch walked with for a total of 365 and then he was no more for God took him away. That is the extent of our knowledge about him, except the fact he pleased God, and as it says here, it is impossible to please God without faith. It would seem that we all have that kind of faith, that we believe God exists and that he rewards those of us who earnestly seek him. The question that begs to be asked is of course do we earnestly seek him. Surely we all believe He exists, otherwise we would not be attending a church that preaches we must be born again in order to enter the Kingdom of God. Surely we all have that kind of faith. But do we earnestly seek Him? What does that entail? How do we define earnestly? We must seek Him out, diligently search for Him, investigate, crave Him; these are all the implications of the original language. This could only mean that we have to search the scriptures thoroughly looking for every aspect of God. We need to spend time in conversation with Him, more time listening then talking. Sure He desires to hear our petitions, but how much greater we will know Him if we seek His voice, and listen to the Spirit speaking truth into our hearts and minds. In fact, these devotions are that very exercise, spending quite time listening, hearing the voice of God within and recording those thoughts. We all must seek after Him, spending our life in pursuit of Him. If we allow the things of this world to distract us, to engage us in such a manner that our focus is more on them than on God, we may well be neglectful of this seeking of Him, this pleasing Him, this kind of faith which caused God to simply take Enoch from this life without death. We need to engage our hearts and minds on the things of God fully, allowing the things of earth to grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace. Let us turn our eyes upon Jesus. Let us seek Him.

Do We?

DEVOTION

HEBREWS

DO WE?

Heb 11:4

4 By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.

NIV

It is unclear why a fat portion of one of Abel’s flock was an acceptable sacrifice when a grain offering from Cain was not. Yet that is the case and perhaps from the very beginning of man’s existence God was declaring that the only acceptable sacrifice was that brought by blood. Abel had to kill one from his flock to offer this fat portion while it actually cost nothing for Cain to bring something that could be replenished the next harvest. Was it because Abel demonstrated more faith in giving up one from his flock and that he was not guaranteed it would be replaced, while Cain had no doubt he could just plant and harvest more? Of course Abel brought fat portions from some of his firstborn of the flock. This is the truth here, the firstborn. God was already telling mankind about the firstborn being the acceptable sacrifice. Abel’s faith was in God, he knew God was going to bless him, and bring more to his flock, but he never saw that blessing for Cain murdered him. That would have to speak to us today in some sense that we need nothing but the firstborn as an acceptable offering to God. Now he gave his firstborn for us, Jesus. The only firstborn we have to give is ourselves. We can offer ourselves as living sacrifices holy and acceptable onto the Lord which is our reasonable act of worship. We are the firstborn of us, no other will do. Anything else we could offer to God would be as Cain’s offering, able to be replenished by our own hands. No matter what is it, anything material can be replaced by our own hard work, our self-reliance, but we cannot replace our own being. Giving God our all, our whole being is the only pleasing act of worship. Do we want to be commended as a righteous person by God? Yes, we must accept His firstborn as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. It is true; by accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior we are saved and will go to heaven, if we persevere, not giving up or giving in to the old ways, shrinking back as we have seen earlier in the letter. But once saved is that all we need to do? Is just being saved enough? Can we just go about living to serve our own desires, our own pleasures, our own dreams and ambitions and not bring any offering to God? The only thing we truly have, truly possess that cannot be replaced is ourselves. Do we have that kind of faith? Do we?

Faith in a Sure Thing

DEVOTION

HEBREWS

FAITH IN A SURE THING

Heb 11:1-3

11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

NIV

Is seeing really believing? Is it just people who live in one state have to be shown? Why do so many people believe so much that is said or written by so many others, but have such a difficult time believing what those men of the past wrote as they were inspired by the Spirit? Most people believe by faith in all the history books that are written, even if they were written by men who were not there to personally experience the events they write about. Yet these same people refuse to believe the history written about by men who were there to personally experience the events. These people have faith their car will start in the morning, they have faith in the stock market to improve their financial security, but of course these are things they can see. But to have faith and be sure that what we hope for will happen and to be certain of it, even though we cannot see any evidence of it, that is really faith. Yet do we really not see any evidence of it? All we have to do is step outside at night and glance up at the wonderful universe.  Or we could stand outside during the day and observe the trees, the bushes, the flowers along with all the birds, the bees and the bugs that so enjoy all that greenery. And if we are hard pressed to get to far away places to enjoy the wildlife of God’s handiwork, or spend hours diving beneath the great oceans, we need only visit a zoo or an aquarium. All of nature that we can personally experienced is a result of God’s hand forming something from nothing, making it out of what was not visible. This is why he said that what may be known about Him is plain from what He made, so that no man is without excuse. For all of time man has had the opportunity to know God, to exhibit faith in Him. Although we can see all that He made, we see at this time in history, the we have not actually seen Jesus Christ in the flesh. We have not actually seen the new city of Jerusalem where we will spend eternity with Him. We still have not seen eternal life, as we are yet confined to this decaying body which is destined to die someday and be laid to rest. So in order to believe in those things which are to come we actually do need faith in what we hope for and are certain of what we have not seen. That seems simple enough, right? If we look back over our lives and remember all those times when a miracle was right there for us, when God intervened in the course of our life. If we remember all the times, He provided a way, when He provided a means and when He provided protection, it would truly seem a simple thing to have faith in what else is to come from His hand. Faith in a sure thing, doesn’t seem like faith, but faith it is.  

Stand Tall For Jesus

DEVOTION

HEBREWS

STAND TALL FOR JESUS

Heb 10:32-39

32 Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. 33 Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. 34 You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. 35 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. 36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. 37 For in just a very little while, "He who is coming will come and will not delay. 38 But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him."   39 But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.

NIV

Once again it would be sad to break this up and only deal with a portion of this truth. Do we all remember that first few months or years of being saved? Was not our faith so full that we believed God for everything and anything? And did He not fulfill our every need? Life was exciting and energetic full of miracles and provisions from the hand of God. And there were the old people content to stand up on testimony Sunday and say, “Praise God, I have been in the way thirty five years”. The excitement, the enthusiasm was gone; the expectation of miracles was no longer in their eyes and their voice. Their trust in God for all they will ever need was replaced with retirement accounts, investment, and the accumulation of material goods for later years. Have we become like them? Have we thrown away our confidence? No, we must not allow that to happen. We must continue to put all our trust and confidence in our God. He has provided salvation; He has provided all we will ever need. All the world has to offer is temporary things, but God offers eternal life. We cannot afford to be distracted by the world, getting sidetracked about things, about our stuff, about our own sense of security. Nothing is secure except God. If we are to be considered among the righteous we need to live by faith, faith in God, faith in Jesus Christ for our life, for our salvation, for everything. Even if we are living by faith another question is, have we silenced our testimony so as to not be publicly exposed to insult and persecution? Can we live in faith in silence? It would seem that is not the case. We need to continue to stand our ground, stand up tall and hold fast to our faith out loud, speaking the Word of God to the world. Yes, if they do not believe in Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, if they are not born again, they will not go to heaven but instead be cast into the lake of fire which is the second death and be destroyed. Out loud, Stand up, be seen, be heard and if we are mistreated for the sake of the Gospel, Praise God! We need to persevere and we will receive what God has promised. We cannot be among those who shrink back; we must be among those who stand tall for Jesus.  

Stay Put

DEVOTION

HEBREWS

STAY PUT

Heb 10:26-31

26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. 28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," and again, "The Lord will judge his people."   31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

NIV

The beginning of a dissertation about not stepping backwards, not going back to the old ways, not giving in to those temptations which war against our soul. Surely the would deliberately is there for a reason. The Greek word carries that expression of voluntarily committing sin, or willfully acting in a manner that is sinful. This is where one denomination gets there definition of personal sin. They say sin is a willful act or violation against a known law of God and therefore that does not include involuntary and inescapable shortcomings, infirmities, faults, mistakes, failures or other deviations from a standard of perfect conduct that are the residual effects of the fall. The question of course how do we tell the difference between voluntary and involunatry? Yet their definition of involuntary acts does not include attitudes or responses that are contrary to the spirit of Christ.  Here again we must consider what Paul wrote in that should we continue to sin that God’s grace will abound? The answer is God forbid! It seems clear that once we accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior, once we declared the Blood of the Lamb as our sacrifice for sin, we cannot go back to living a deliberate life of sin, for if we do all hell will break loose. Yet we also are not to live in fear of God for those times we fail, or fall short of perfection. If every time we make a mistake, we give in to a temptation, we fail, we sin, and we think we are in danger of condemnation and eternal judgment from God, we are simply in error. This is speaking to those who once accepted Christ, turn their backs, walk away, and go back to their willful acts of disobedience to God. They will most certainly be punished, their will perish. If there is ever any more proof that once saved always saved is an untrue statement, this is it. Of course those who espouse that doctrine would say that person who turned away was never saved to begin with, for anyone who is truly saved never walks away. But the fact is some will walk away, and we will see later in this dissertation we are not among those, but let us not get ahead of ourselves. Let is ponder for now on the warning not ever to return to the old ways. That we need to remain focused on Jesus. Yes, we will still commit some sin, yes we will still fail, simply because we are not able to be perfect, but we must not ever leave the family of God for the life of sin and degradation, from which there is no coming back to Christ. Just stay put!

Keep on Doing

DEVOTION

HEBREWS

KEEP ON DOING 

Heb 10:19-25
19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching. 
NIV



Here is what everything before has been pointing to, the therefore, brothers. Because of everything we have been seeing so far, we have the confidence to enter the Most Holy Place, the very presence of God, standing if not in the physical, surely in the spiritual at this very moment, all because of the blood of Christ. There is no further need to put any faith in our good deeds, our sacrifices or offerings of works or attempts to live a just and holy life, for there is a new and living way that Jesus opened for us. We can therefore simply draw near to God in full assurance, without fear of not being worthy because of our sin since Jesus has already cleanse us from our guilt. We cannot allow anything to distract us from this fact, we must hold unswervingly to this hope we profess, we cannot be move, we must not move. There is nothing anyone could do or say that would persuade us not to believe this truth because we know the one who made this promise to us is faithful. At some point in time every person who has ever promised something has failed to keep their promise, but God will never fail to keep His promise, ever. So because we are all in this together as one body, as one temple of God, as one with Christ as He and the Father are one, we need to consider how we might spur one another on toward love and good deeds. There is a mighty truth in this phrase. We cannot simply live our own life, independent of everyone else. We cannot just go our merry way, living and letting live. We cannot just be concerned about our own relationship with Christ, but we should consider others relationship with Christ as well. We need to find ways to spur them on, to encourage them toward love and good deeds. Now once again these good deeds are not acts of righteousness for the sake of salvation, but simply acts of love and goodness towards others as a response to the act of love and goodness God did toward us. The greatest way we can love another is to share the Gospel message with them, giving them the truth, the light and the way. The greatest acts of good deeds we could ever do for them is to show them what a difference Jesus makes in a life surrendered them Him. We cannot simply be believer who hear the word on Sunday, who gather together to get encouraged by the Word. It is us who should be gathering together to encourage each other. That is why we should gather, if we stop gathering we are all alone and thus cannot be encouraged or can we encourage and since the day of His return could be any moment, we should keep on doing it all the more.

Remember No More

DEVOTION

HEBREWS

REMEMBER NO MORE

Heb 10:15-18

15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says: 16 "This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds."   17 Then he adds: "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more."   18 And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.

NIV

So we actually do not need to have a written code or conduct, a written law to abide by for God has put His law in our hearts, and written His law on our minds. We know deep down within us what is right and true and it is not a list a mile long, that needs years of study to understand. We do not need universities with men of wisdom to instruct us in God’s law. He has put it in our hearts so what more could we need. Although it is true that faith comes from hearing the message, that is all about believing in the Christ, faith for salvation. Here, it is not about hearing any message or instruction, it is about knowing, because God has put His law in our hearts. But another truth which also lies within these words is a powerful and wonderful remember of the grace of God. He will not remember our sins anymore. There are people who think we must stand in the judgment and give an account for all our lives, to be judged for our sins, but that is so far from the truth it hurts. What account we must give is whether we accepted Jesus or not. He will divide the lambs from the goats, the save from the unsaved, the just from the unjust, the righteous from the unrighteous. We are either in or out and that is that. He will never ever bring up our sin before us, for he will not ever remember it, because Jesus has already settled that matter. He was the ultimate sacrifice and there will never be the need for another and thus sin has been forgiven. It may be true that even though people say they forgive each other, they always remember the others offense, but God does not. Sure He may actually not forget our sin, but he will never remind us of it again. He will never hold us accountable for our sin, He will never judge us for our sin, for Jesus has taken it all from us and paid the price. Such we then continue to sin so that God’s grace may abound even more, God forbid, absolutely not! But we are going to keep on failing, we are going to keep on doing what we do not want to do, and we are surely not going to do all that we desire to do. But the truth is that we should not beat ourselves up over that nor be filled with guilt and shame. We also should not simply excuse ourselves of failing God either by using our humanity as a reason. The facts are the facts, we are weak and He is strong, we are going to be imperfect but He is perfect. We will fall, but our faith in Christ carries through. It is not a matter of God forgiving us, it is a matter He already has. He will remember no more.

All We Need

DEVOTION

HEBREWS

ALL WE NEED

Heb 10:11-14

11 Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. 13 Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, 14 because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

NIV

Who are those enemies of Christ that will be made his footstool? It would seem it is those who mock Him, who refuse to accept Him, who by their absolute refusal to admit their need for Him make themselves out to be better than they should. Why people would deliberately become an enemy of Christ is beyond understanding, yet I remember when I was one. I remember when I hated all organized religion, when I thought all those churches every wanted was my money. I saw the truth in man’s heart for I only needed to look into the mirror. But Praise God, like so many others, the Spirit was able to break through and now I am among those who have been made perfect forever and are being made holy. Where would we all be if Jesus had not offered himself once and for all as a sacrifice for our sins? Where would we all be if Jesus was not sitting at the right hand of God making intercession for us? Where would we all be if Jesus did not make us all perfect forever? It is a horrible end that awaits those who are the enemies of Christ. The darkness will overshadow them in the end. Terrible turmoil and torment will bring them to their most horrible end. Why someone decides to undergo such an experience when freedom, forgiveness and safety are but a confession away. It also is baffling that some would put their trust in the rules of man, in those denominational doctrines, and dogmas instead of in the simply faith of a child looking to Jesus. Why when we have been made free and perfect do we want to be in bondage to those things? Why when we have Jesus would we want need anything else? Is it Jesus plus something that make us holy? Do we need to sacrifice other things too? We are so blessed to be a part of the body of Christ, to have Him as our high priest, our one and only sacrifice for our sin. He is all we need, He is all we need, Jesus is all we need.

The one Two Punch

DEVOTION

HEBREWS

THE ONE TWO PUNCH

Heb 10:5-10

5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; 6 with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. 7 Then I said, 'Here I am — it is written about me in the scroll I have come to do your will, O God.'" 8 First he said, "Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them" (although the law required them to be made). 9 Then he said, "Here I am, I have come to do your will." He sets aside the first to establish the second. 10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

NIV

We can actually see that although God declared the law to his people He was not pleased by their attempts to comply with the law, because the law was not every able to make them holy and acceptable to Him. Of course we know that was for the purpose to show them their need for a perfect sacrifice, as well as show us. We simply cannot ever be good enough. We cannot do anything as far as in our human effort to be worthy to stand in His presence. God does not desire for us to try to offer any sacrifice, any human effort to satisfy His justice. So why do we try to offer our good deeds as evidence of being a good Christian? It is strictly by the will of God that we have been made holy. That is an awesome thought! We are not made holy by our good deeds, or by our trying to live by the law, or by our feeble attempts to abide by some set of rules or regulations, nor is not by our ascribing to some denominational doctrines, or church dogmas, but solely by the will of God. The whole system of man doing anything in order to attain a right standing with God has been set aside. They is no need for anything other than Jesus. We have been cleansed, we have been forgiven of all sin, and we have been made holy, because of Jesus. If people ask, “what is the will of God”, they simply have to look what Jesus said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He set aside the first, puts it away, it no longer governs, it no longer has any worth, and he sets it aside in order to establish the second. That is the will of God for us today. It is His will that we are made holy through the blood of Jesus. What the law was not able to do, God did himself. Of course we try to live in a manner pleasing to Him, but in all reality, what pleases Him is us being made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. He knows that within our own being, our own strength, our own deeds, however good they might be, are worthless and can never make us holy. All we can actually do is have faith in Jesus Christ. We can believe he has made us holy. We can accept His sacrifice for us. That is it. That is all we can do, nothing else matters in regards to making us holy. The first is gone, the second is here. It is the ultimate one two punch.

Faith In Jesus not the Law

HEBREWS

DEVOTION

FAITH IN JESUS NOT THE LAW

Heb 10:1-4

10:1 The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming — not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. 2 If it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. 3 But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, 4 because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

NIV

Are we getting the picture yet? This whole letter is all about the same thing so far, the old and the new. Why are some so insistent on trying to live by the law? Does it make them feel better that they have created a set of rules and regulations they can abide by? If a people wanted to, they could not drink adult beverages, not smoke, not go to movies, not dance, not go to bowling allies, not swear, not drink coffee or tea, but of what value is all those not’s? Do they bring salvation? Do they bring a person closer to God? Do they cleanse a person from sin? Did Jesus tell people not to do those things? Do any of those “not to do things” actually free a person from their guilt of sin? People devise all sorts of rules and regulations, even to the type and style of worship which is acceptable, and which version of the Bible is actually authorized. Why do people want so many rules? It is not plain the law was not a reality, but just a shadow of good things that were coming? It is impossible for obedience to any rule and regulation to take away sins. There is only one way, one Jesus, one Savior, one mediator, one sacrifice, one Son of God, one Messiah, and one Christ, who is worthy to take away all our sins once and for all. Sure, all society needs rules, needs laws to live in harmony with one another. There is a need for social law and we need to live in accordance with that law, but God’s law was established for the purpose to prove we could not live by His law and that we needed Jesus. Yes, it is true we need to live in order to please Him. Yes, there are certain behaviors that we should make every effort to rid ourselves of, and certain behaviors which we should try our very best to clothe ourselves with. There are also emotions, and even thoughts that we should endeavor rid ourselves of, and other emotions and thoughts we should focus on. But we need to make sure they are motivated out of our love for God and gratitude for Jesus and not because we think those actions will either cleanse us, or make us a better Christian. There is no such thing as a better Christian. Such thinking would only be prideful and thus sinful. We are Christians simply because of our faith in Jesus Christ. How can anyone do that better another? Can one have more or better faith than another? God says He gives to every man the measure of faith. Within the Greek that is that, a measure of faith, and we know God is not partial nor does He demonstrate favoritism, so we have to believe He gives all men the same measure of faith. So not one of us could think more of ourselves then we should, no matter how many rules we comply with, we are all sinners saved by grace, through our faith in Christ Jesus, period, end of story, we are right, they are wrong, the argument cannot be broken. Faith in Jesus is the only way.

Faith in His Blood

DEVOTION

HEBREWS

FAITH IN HIS BLOOD

Heb 9:16-10:1

16 In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, 17 because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. 18 This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood. 19 When Moses had proclaimed every commandment of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. 20 He said, "This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep." 21 In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. 22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. 23 It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence. 25 Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. 26 Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

NIV

It is a lot of scripture, but simply one idea, one thought, one truth that cannot be broken up into little tidbits of information. It is the culmination of the old and the new, the finale as it were. Although all the stuff on earth had come into effect because of death, and blood, of animals each and every day for each and every sin committed by the people, it is no longer that way. Could it be possible as we consider our sins on a daily basis, that is we come to God each and every time we fail, even in the smallest account that we are in some why acting in the manner of the old covenant? Even then all the old was put into effect with animal blood, but the one covenant with the blood of Jesus, who is the ultimate sacrifice one and for all and for everyone. But as in the old each day people would have to bring sacrifices to have the blood shed for the forgiveness of their sin. Even the high priest could not enter the most holy place, without the shedding of blood. Do we shed Christ blood every time we seek forgiven for our sins? Or are we just claiming forgiveness of our sin based on the shed blood of Jesus? If Jesus did shed his blood one and for all, that is not like the old covenant, but as the new covenant, then for what reason need to daily claim that blood? Sure, we might fail daily, we sin daily, and we cannot attain perfection, although I was once told by a believer that he could not remember the last time he had sinned. It was funny, as I thought to myself he was sinning right then and now with his spiritual pride. But the question which arises is must we shed his blood daily? If God knows that we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, that we have confessed we are sinners and we are saved by faith in Christ and faith alone, why must we continue to ask over and over again for forgiveness? Does God condemn us each day because of a sin we commit? Does he take away the blood of Jesus from us? Do we have to live as if we are under the old covenant or are we covered by the new covenant? Jesus cannot die on the cross over and over again, shedding his blood every time we fail, every time we sin, so why do we need to bring this sacrifice each and every day? DO we live by the law, or by faith? Do we trust in the blood of Jesus or do we trust in our bringing a sacrifice? Could it be churches attempt to get control of their congregations by fear of losing salvation unless we sacrifice daily for our sins? Isn’t that the old and not the new? Sure we should not go about sinning as we please, but also we should not every feel condemned either. Therefore there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. One act of righteousness brings life to all men. It is finished, it is done, he shed his blood one and for all, we are cleansed from all unrighteousness, we are made holy and acceptable in the sight of God. We need to live like it, free from the guilt and shame of sin, free from the burden of daily sacrifice, free from condemnation. Of course we should not just go about sinning all we desire, just so God’s grace will abound, but at the same time we should not crucify our Lord daily either. Live by faith, faith in his blood.

Set Free

DEVOTION

HEBREWS

SET FREE

Heb 9:15

15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance — now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.

NIV

There is but one mediator between God and men and that is Jesus Christ. It is puzzling why when people have been set free from the yoke of bondage they insist on creating another yoke to place upon themselves. Why would people who have been set free from sins committed under the first covenant create so many rules and regulations to live by, that is fact, they cannot actually live by them? Why would people what to burden themselves with such overwhelming rules and regulations? Has not Jesus set us free from all that? There is no question we should live to please God, but He also said that it is impossible to please Him without faith. The greatest pleasure we can bring Him is to accept Christ as our one and only mediator, as our Lord and Savior, trusting in His sacrifice for our sins. Trying to abide by a set of rules and regulations that man has determined to be the correct way to live as a Christian is simply not in accordance with God’s Word. Yes, God has established certain principles that we should live by. Yes, God has declared the way we should conduct ourselves, but not as a written law, but He wrote them on our heart. Yes, the Bible is a written declaration of God’s will for our lives. But it is not by this code that we are saved. If we could abide fully by every percept within the Word of God then there would have been no reason for Jesus to come. We endeavor to live by these percepts because of our love for God, not for our salvation. Yet still some would continue to add more and more rules, more and more denominational dogmas and regulations declaring they have the right to impose such yoke upon people in order to become members of their group. What have we become? Is power over others that important? Who has the right to judge his brother? Who has the right to impose anything upon his brother? Are we not all sinners saved by grace? Do we not all need Jesus as our mediator between us and God? Isn’t that enough? Not one of us can live under the law of God, much less and law of man. We simply cannot attain perfection, so we are left with our failure, and our need for Jesus. Let us look to Jesus for salvation, for our eternal inheritance that is promised. We are free indeed, because Jesus has set us free.

The Blood

DEVOTION

HEBREWS

THE BLOOD

Heb 9:11-14

11 When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he wentthrough the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that isto say, not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the bloodof goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his ownblood, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 The blood of goats and bulls andthe ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctifythem so that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the bloodof Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God,cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve theliving God!

NIV

In the continuing explanation of the difference between the old and new covenant wesee once more Christ is the truth, the light and the way. Why would be settle being clean on the outside when we can have cleansing on the inside? Why arethere so many who think that outward acts of righteousness indicate a rightrelationship with God. Just because people do good things, or even say thatthey pattern their life after Jesus does not mean they have this inward cleansing. So many people attend churches and make all the outward activities of worship, are socially involved in the their communities, are living in some form of righteousness, but if it does not include this inward cleansing by the blood of Jesus it might simply only satisfy the old covenant. In order to be apart or a partaker in the new covenant a person has to be under the blood of Jesus. Although anyone can be under the blood of Jesus, anyone can have the inward cleansing of their consciences from those acts which lead to death, if does require an act of faith. We must accept what Jesus did for us, and in doing so that requires the acknowledgement that we are engaged in acts that lead to death. If we insist or make excuses that we are good people, that we don’t really do anything bad, that if God is a God of love he will not condemn anyone,thus we all are going to heaven, except of course evil men, like Caesar,Hilter, Hussien, Mao Zedong, alone with such men as John Wayne Gacy, JefferyDahmer, and a host of other evil people. If people compare themselves to such evil, their good lives surely deserve a place in heaven, but that is simply the wrong comparison. We all must come to the realization we cannot enter heaven under the old covenant of external ceremonial cleansing. We need to see ourselves for who we really are, sinners in need of cleansing from acts thatlead to death. We need to be cleansed by the blood of Jesus. Then and only then are we cleansed and able to actually serve the living God. Without the blood ofJesus any acts of worship and service are useless, meaningless and unworthy. We need the blood.

New World Order

DEVOTION

HEBREWS

NEW WORLD ORDER

Heb 9:6-10

6 When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. 7 But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. 8 The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still standing. 9 This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. 10 They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings — external regulations applying until the time of the new order.

NIV

Just think about that, a new world order sounds pretty radical doesn’t it? Yet we are still seeing how the old order was all about the outside appearance, doing all the right things, the ceremonies that needed to be performed in order to enter into the presence of God, to be right  with him. But it was all a show, put on by God so the people could see they would never be able to be right with God, unless it was God who was making them right. External regulations applying until the time of the new order was the way back then, and it seems some still want those external regulations today. The list of do’s and don’ts is too long to include in a short devotion, but we all know the list. Why do we want all those external regulations anyway, when they no longer apply? Do we think they make us ceremonially clean, being a good Christian? Yes, we need to live a life pleasing to God, but the great pleasure he has is having us accept his Son as our Lord and Savior. Yes, we need to find out what pleases the Lord, and surely it is accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, accepting the new order, accepting the blood of Christ for our sins, and allowing us entrance into the Holy of Holies.  It is true that we should not continue to live in the manner we once did before accepting Christ. Yes, we should try to live our new a new way, so why would we yoke ourselves with the heavy burden of external rules and regulations? Do we think that because we do all the right things, live according to every precept in the Bible, do everything God declares in his Word that we will be right with him? Isn’t that much like the old order? Yes, we need to follow Christ, Yes, we need to have the beatitudes in our heart, we need to have the fruit evident in our lives, we need to express the gifts in the body of Christ, we need to wear the armor, we need to rid ourselves of and clothe ourselves with. But all that is response to the act of a loving God, it is not in order to make ourselves right with him. He knows we are not perfect; we do not have to pretend to be perfect. Our conscience can be completely clear of our human condition because of the blood of Christ, the final sacrifice, the new world order.

Worship

DEVOTION
HEBREWS
WORSHIP
Heb 9:1-5
9:1 Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. 2 A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand, the table and the consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place. 3 Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, 4 which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron's staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. 5 Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now. 
NIV


We are going to get to the reason for all this explanation of the first covenant, but we do need to stop here for a moment and see how regulations for worship in an earthly sanctuary are a part of the first covenant. Although we are not seeing a reason for each article spoken of here, we do see that there was a prescribed method of how the people were to worship. Are we still trying to worship by some prescribed method? It is part of the first covenant and it there not a new one? Should we not be free to worship however the Spirit moves us? Why are some so rigid in how the sanctuary must look, how it has to be set up, how there must be an altar, a cross, or whatever else they insist must be in certain places within the sanctuary? Why should it be a certain color? Why should only certain music be acceptable? Why must there be in some churches a written out script that has to be followed? Regulations for worship are still such an important factor for some, even the pastor; priest must wear a certain vestment in order to be official in some churches. Why do we feel out of synch when the order of service is disturbed? If some of us get too enthusiastic in our worship, why do others think we might be a little over the edge? Should we not all be able to worship our Lord with great enthusiasm? Why are we so stuffy, so subdued? Did not God send Jesus to die for our sins, so that we could be born again, so we could inherit eternal life? Should we not be dancing in the aisles, well at least raising our hands, filled with gratitude and thanksgiving, singing and praising God with all our strength? Should we not have tears of joy streaming down our face every time we have a chance to worship in the sanctuary, and not just in the outer room, but in the holy of holies? It seems obvious that the rules and regulations for worship were established for the first covenant, and that having a new covenant, a better covenant, an everlasting covenant, we would have a newer freedom to worship. Let us worship our Lord with all our heart, our mind, our soul and our strength, but let us not make that into some rule and regulation, interpreting exactly how that should look. Jesu set us free, and we are free indeed to worship him in spirit and truth.