Hb13

"Your life should be free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have."

This chapter is filled with essential last instructions for its readers. None more applicable that this one. Why is it so easy to continually want more than God has already blessed us with? Why do the rich (us) continue to love riches and want even more?

What verses from this chapter do you think a third world pastor would want his readers to read? Likely not this one. More likely something like…"the Lord is my helper, I will not fear. What can man do to me?"

Who's better off?

Hb12

"Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness…" These are two things that will not happen without vigilant pursuit!

It is common to have broken relationships and sin. Broken relationships are the result of sin. One way that we can demonstrate maturity in our faith is to pursue peace in all our relationships. Generally, if we deal with our own sin, the brokenness will go away.

Think about broken relationships in your life today. How is sin keeping that relationship broken? If we were to pursue "peace" what would need to happen in our lives? Generally speaking, isn't the answer "personal holiness?" Whether it is brokenness because of our sin, or brokenness because of a lack of forgiveness, we can still pursue peace.

This is a great challenge today. Paul wrote, "As much as it depends on you, be a peace with all men." (Rm. 12:18)

Pursue peace and holiness today.

Hb11

Faith in Jesus IS the substance of salvation! If we have faith, we have salvation. If we have faith, even though life might not go our way, eternal life is guaranteed!

"Without faith it is impossible to please God." Without faith it is impossible to know God. Without faith no good work or amount of good works amounts to anything. Faith is the work of God.

These men and women were people of faith. They were the people of God. Today we are the people of God who are to be living by faith! What have we done in our lives that it totally rooted in our faith?

Live by faith.

Hb10

"Once for all" and "perfected forever" are two of the most powerful phrases in this chapter!

Jesus did what no other priest could have ever done! He did what no amount of sacrifices could have ever atoned for! He abolished sin, works and the need for continual sacrifices. Now we can "draw near to God with full assurance of faith".

These are powerful words filled with grace and truth. How can we not delight in this amazing gift today?

Hb9

"But now Jesus has appeared one time, at the end of the ages, for the removal of sin by the sacrifice of Himself." Only through faith in Him can we be "cleanse our consciences from dead works to serve a living God."

The writer of Hebrews is making it clear that former sacrifices were only preliminary signs of the ultimate sacrifice of Christ on the cross. Only His sinless sacrifice can truly take away our sins. "He entered the most holy place once for all." Nothing we can do and nothing we have done will save us. Only what Jesus did!

Ultimate salvation is still coming! He will return and someday bring "salvation to all those who are waiting for Him." Maybe it will be today.

Hb8

The "old covenant" was inferior to the "new" in that it was dependent on sinful men who were unable to fulfill it's requirements. The "new covenant" is superior in that it it totally rooted in Jesus! Jesus did what no man could have ever done. He perfectly kept the law and provided a sacrifice for the sins of mankind.

This new covenant is in no way dependent on us! The old covenant was never kept…ever! Every man was guilty before God under its laws and regulations. Even the priest! But Jesus kept the law perfectly and has established a new covenant that enables all of us to have peace with God.

Under the old covenant man receives judgement and wrath. Under the new, for those who believe, man receives mercy and forgiveness! This is good news. Thank you Jesus.

Hb7

Jesus is the "guarantee of a better covenant". He is the high priest forever. "He is always able to save those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede for them."

Think about what is being said here. Jesus is our representative before God. He is our lawyer. He is the one who is presenting our case to God. Not on our merits, but rather on His! We stand before God because of what He did for us, not because of anything we did for ourselves.

He died once for all! His sacrificial death did away with our need to continue the practice of priestly sacrificing to atone for sins. He was the perfect sacrifice. He is the Lamb of God who truly takes away our sins.

Good news today.

Hb6

Harsh words from the writer of Hebrews today! Let them sink deep into our souls. What does it mean to "fall away"? What does it mean to "be burned in the end"? 

I also love it that in this same chapter we have the incredible hope of Jesus. He is called the "anchor" of our souls. He is describe as "safe and secure". He is the great High Priest who stands before God on our behalf.

So what is the challenge of Hebrews 6? It is to put our hope in Jesus and to pursue living a life that reflect that our foundation is rooted in faith in Him. To press on to maturity in faith. To be no where close to the possibility of rejecting Jesus.

The more I trust Him, the more trustworthy He becomes. The more I seek Him the more I discover how much more there is to discover. No one has arrived. Hopefully we all are in progress.

Hb5

Because we are all sinful, we should be able to "deal gently" with the sins of others. Yet, we often are harsh and judgmental with those who struggle with sins different than our own!

I am not saying all sin is the same. I am not saying that God sees all sin equally. I am saying we are all sinners and will stand before a Holy sinless God condemned without Christ! Because we are all in need of God's grace, we should be able to shower grace on fellow sinners.

Good pastors are gentle and show grace toward sinners because they realize their own need for grace. Good christians are full of grace toward others because of their understanding of their own need. Judgement comes purely from pride and a misunderstanding of our sin!

Hb4

"All things are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account." God sees into our secret moments and He even knows all of our thoughts.

Therefore, we should either deny His existence or run into His presence with confession and repentance. The writer of Hebrews clearly states the later. He says, "let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time."

Our sinfulness should not cause us to "hide" from God, but rather, to run to Him for forgiveness, grace and mercy. It is not God's wrath that keeps us from sinning. It is His love and mercy. We sin less because of His grace in our lives. Fearing God is delighting in His presence.

Hb3

God desires our hearts to be soft and receptive to His words. When we find ourselves resistant to the scriptures, we in fact are hardening our hearts to God.

Belief is fragile. We need to nourish and foster our own belief and the belief of others. The world, our own flesh and the Devil are constantly waring against faith in Christ! We need God's Spirit. We need each other.

What do we know God wants us to do that we continue to resist? If we resist God's word, our hearts will become hardened. As we obey God's word, our hearts continue to soften.

Submit to God's leadership today. Get ourselves surrounded by others who will encourage our faith.

Hb2

Through His death Jesus destroyed the one holding the power of death — the Devil — and freed everyone who trust in Him from the power and fear of death!

Jesus came to give life to all those who would trust in Him. He also came to free us from the fear of death! Death is not the final chapter. In fact, death is the beginning of real life. Eternal life with Jesus.

Today I am performing a funeral. Death is an ugly thing. We will all face it. Who can face death without the hope of Christ? I am so grateful for that hope today.

Ph1

Are we useful to God? God's desire is to use us to do His will. Often He doesn't use us because we are useless rather than useful.

Someone once said, "Don't pray, "God use me!" but rather pray, "God make me useable."" If we make ourselves usable to God, He will delight is using us for His purposes. There is no shortage of things God is doing in and around our lives.

Onesimus' means useful. He was a run-a-way slave who definitely was not very useful to God or his master. When he became a christian everything changed. The meaning of his name became an identifier rather than a constant reminder of his rebellion. 

Troy means, "place of the curly haired people." Not much there. But God has given me a new name…"christian". That is something to live up to. We should all be living to be "like Christ."

Hb1

Angels are "ministering spirits sent out to serve christians". We have angels watching over us! This is an awesome thought.

When I was a child my mom always talked about my "guardian angel". She says I must have had several of them, otherwise I would be dead! I had a tendency to live on the edge and enjoy the thrill of the moment and the rush of adrenaline. Her confidence was that "my angel" would protect me.

In a sense she was right. If one job of angels is to minister to believers, then they should keep them alive until they have a chance to repent and believe. But, if guarding us until we believe was there main purpose, then my protection would have been gone long ago and I would not be here today. Angels are still ministering to me today!

I love this thought. I have to think about it some more.

This brings new meaning to the song, "Angel watching over me."

Tt3

"He saved us — not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy." 

There is no personal effort or hard work that can accomplish salvation for us. We cannot earn it and we are certainly NOT deserving. Nothing we have ever done is worthy of salvation. Nothing we could ever do will merit salvation.

Salvation is a gift…period. Rooted in God's mercy. Mercy is "when we don't get the punishment we have earned." 

Our sin has "earned us eternal death". God's mercy has given us salvation.

I am so grateful for God's mercy today.

Tt2

God's grace not only saves us it "instructs us to say "no" to godless and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in this present age."

God's provides grace so that we can be forgiven and saved. Salvation comes at the moment we repent and believe, yet grace is continually poured out on our lives so that we can live godly lives. It is God's grace that enables us to say "Yes" to God and "No" worldly lusts!!

It takes grace to be born into God's household and it requires continual grace to live as a child of God. I am so grateful that God's grace is unlimited.

I need it.

Tt1

"They profess to know God, but they deny Him by their works." These are strong words from the apostle Paul.

My experience is that these words are as true today as they were back in the first century. There are plenty of people who would call themselves "christian", but precious few who actually follow Jesus.

Notice the words Paul used to describe his "following" of Jesus. He said he was a "slave of God"! He is not describing an abusive, overbearing relationship, but rather a total submission to the One True God. God does not exist to make his life better. He exist to obey God.

Faith is believing the truth about Jesus. True faith is walking in obedience to His Lordship. Actions either confirm or deny our words.

2Tm4

We have all heard the saying, "It's not how you start, but how you finish that matters." In this final letter the apostle Paul is celebrating that he was finishing strong. He had run the race. He had kept the faith. He had finished the course. He was confident his reward was coming.

On the other hand, Demas fell off the path to pursue the world. What a sad reality. What a contrast. Who would abandon the gospel and the great apostle to pursue the insignificant things of this world? Oh wait…maybe we all have at times. Maybe we are all tempted. Maybe we are all in danger!

The older I get the more I desire to "finish strong". It doesn't get easier with time. Today is a great reminder.

Praying we all finish strong.

2Tm3

Are these the last days? For sure we are closer today than we have ever been! The things Paul used to describe the "last days" are definitely all true of today.

If Jesus was to return today, what do we wish we would have been doing? What would keep us from doing that? If the answer is nothing, I would suggest we get on it. 

Paul's encouragement to Timothy was to "continue in what you have learned and firmly believed." He instructed Him to live in his day free from relationships that would distract him from devotion to God and to follow hard the teaching of the scriptures.

What would keep us from following these same instructions?

2Tm2

What role do we play in others understanding the gospel? How long has it been since your faith affected the faith or belief of someone else? Paul seemed to think that our role was essential!

We know that only God saves and that no one ever comes to Christ apart from the work of His Spirit. Yet, Paul eagerly and tirelessly shared the gospel everywhere he went. He commanded Timothy to "pass on the message to other faithful followers who would teach others." He even went to far as to say, "I endure all things for the ELECT: so that they also may obtain salvation."

If "election" didn't require evangelism then why was Paul so consumed with sharing the gospel? Why would he encourage Timothy to do the same? Why would he encourage all of us to purify our lives so we could be "useful" to the Master? The answer is simple: God's miraculous work is almost always done when His followers are "doing His will".

My dad always says, "I have found it interesting how many people discover they were "elect of God" after I share the gospel message with them." Share with someone today!

2Tm1

What does it mean to serve God with a "clear conscience"? Simply put, it means that there is no one who can say, "You wronged me but never did anything to make it right." It is taking responsibility for our sin.

Without a clear conscience guilt will continue to rob our joy. It is one thing to ask for God's forgiveness, it is a completely different thing to seek the forgiveness of others. If we desire to serve God, He will lead us to have a clear conscience. Making things right is a big part of walking in faith.

In Paul's first letter to Timothy he explains that "some having rejected a clear conscience and have shipwrecked their faith." One way our love for God is expressed is in our willingness to work for right relationships with others. Especially those we have wronged. Having a clear conscience is a freeing reality.

Work to bring relational healing today.

1Tm6

Is there any question that we are NOT generous if we don't give at least 10% of all we earn away? God loves a generous giver. Generosity begins where responsibility ends.

Timothy was to teach the "rich" to be generous. Biblical "rich" would be anyone who has more than what is needed to meet their basic needs. We are all very rich. The pattern for God's people was to give a tithe of all they had back to God. It was not a "free will offering", it was a requirement. (Not dissimilar to taxes.) This "tithing" practice continued even when other "taxes" were required by the government.

Generosity says, "God has given me everything. Everything I have is His. What should I do with His money?" Most of us don't think that way. We are generous to ourselves and quite stingy when it comes to God. How does our giving compare to our spending? What place does giving have in our budgets?

Let's be generous. We are rich.