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January 28th - Hebrews 9:27-28
Manage episode 463484722 series 3348041
محتوای ارائه شده توسط Premier. تمام محتوای پادکست شامل قسمتها، گرافیکها و توضیحات پادکست مستقیماً توسط Premier یا شریک پلتفرم پادکست آنها آپلود و ارائه میشوند. اگر فکر میکنید شخصی بدون اجازه شما از اثر دارای حق نسخهبرداری شما استفاده میکند، میتوانید روندی که در اینجا شرح داده شده است را دنبال کنید.https://fa.player.fm/legal
Hebrews 9:27-28 And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. The quotation, “Nothing is certain but death and taxes” is attributed to many different people but especially Benjamin Franklin and Mark Twain. However, it is such an obvious observation that it actually dates back long before them. The simple truth is that death is a fact of life. Unless the Lord returns first, we will all die. But our death stands in marked contrast to Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross. When he died he brought to an end the elaborate sacrificial system that was established in the Old Testament Law. The whole notion of sacrifices is very unfamiliar to us these days, but God established it because of the seriousness of sin and the need to find a way of making things right. The offering of sacrifices was a way of life for the Jews; every single day animals were slaughtered as an integral part of their worship. Every morning and evening a lamb would be killed in the temple and on festival days many other animals would also be slaughtered. The writer to the Hebrews wanted his readers to understand that their Jewish faith had been totally fulfilled in Christ. His death on the cross had opened up a new era because there was no longer any need for sacrifices. He had decisively brought that to an end by offering himself as a perfect sacrifice. Although the sacrificial system is very unfamiliar to us, we need to understand the awful seriousness of our sin and of the need for us to be made right with God. Jesus has done for us what we could never do for ourselves and, unlike the old sacrificial system, his death was once for all. It will never need to be repeated. The death of Christ on the cross is so amazing that it is hard for us to comprehend. None of us have ever been loved more completely than this. As we think of it, we need to turn all our thoughts into ones of gratitude and praise to God. Question What does the death of Jesus mean to you? Prayer Lord Jesus Christ, thank you that you were willing to go to the cross out of love for me. Amen
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1698 قسمت
Manage episode 463484722 series 3348041
محتوای ارائه شده توسط Premier. تمام محتوای پادکست شامل قسمتها، گرافیکها و توضیحات پادکست مستقیماً توسط Premier یا شریک پلتفرم پادکست آنها آپلود و ارائه میشوند. اگر فکر میکنید شخصی بدون اجازه شما از اثر دارای حق نسخهبرداری شما استفاده میکند، میتوانید روندی که در اینجا شرح داده شده است را دنبال کنید.https://fa.player.fm/legal
Hebrews 9:27-28 And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. The quotation, “Nothing is certain but death and taxes” is attributed to many different people but especially Benjamin Franklin and Mark Twain. However, it is such an obvious observation that it actually dates back long before them. The simple truth is that death is a fact of life. Unless the Lord returns first, we will all die. But our death stands in marked contrast to Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross. When he died he brought to an end the elaborate sacrificial system that was established in the Old Testament Law. The whole notion of sacrifices is very unfamiliar to us these days, but God established it because of the seriousness of sin and the need to find a way of making things right. The offering of sacrifices was a way of life for the Jews; every single day animals were slaughtered as an integral part of their worship. Every morning and evening a lamb would be killed in the temple and on festival days many other animals would also be slaughtered. The writer to the Hebrews wanted his readers to understand that their Jewish faith had been totally fulfilled in Christ. His death on the cross had opened up a new era because there was no longer any need for sacrifices. He had decisively brought that to an end by offering himself as a perfect sacrifice. Although the sacrificial system is very unfamiliar to us, we need to understand the awful seriousness of our sin and of the need for us to be made right with God. Jesus has done for us what we could never do for ourselves and, unlike the old sacrificial system, his death was once for all. It will never need to be repeated. The death of Christ on the cross is so amazing that it is hard for us to comprehend. None of us have ever been loved more completely than this. As we think of it, we need to turn all our thoughts into ones of gratitude and praise to God. Question What does the death of Jesus mean to you? Prayer Lord Jesus Christ, thank you that you were willing to go to the cross out of love for me. Amen
…
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1698 قسمت
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×Hebrews 11:17-18 It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.” This is a really tough passage. The idea of God apparently asking a parent to kill their child is hard enough. But it is infinitely more difficult when you consider that, on this occasion, God was asking Abraham to murder the son who was going to be the start of the great and mighty nation he had promised. It’s all very perplexing. But we are invited to focus our attention on Abraham, the man of faith, because he was willing to do whatever God called him to do, knowing that it would all work out wonderfully. The writer observes that Abraham had worked out that if Isaac had actually been killed then God would have been able to raise him from the dead so that his plans could be fulfilled (v19). He was absolutely convinced that God could be trusted, so was happy to make any sacrifice. Sacrifice lies at the heart of every loving relationship. When you truly love another person, you will gladly go to great lengths to please them – even if it is costly and difficult. And so we shouldn’t be surprised that God looks to us to make sacrifices. He may call us to give up money, status, power and possessions in order to bless others. On the face of it, this might seem incredibly demanding and unattractive but, when it is seen as part of a loving relationship with a God who loves us so much that he made the ultimate sacrifice of his Son, it all makes sense. None of this is to say that sacrifices are pain-free and easy. The pain in Abraham’s heart when he prepared to offer Isaac must have been overwhelming. But as men and women of faith we can share his confidence in God, and know that any sacrifice we make is only a pale reflection of the sacrifice that he made for us when he sent Jesus into the world. Question What sacrifices have you made for God, and what sacrifices would you be willing to make in the future? Prayer Lord God, thank you for the ultimate sacrifice that you made in sending Jesus into the world. Amen…
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Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion
Hebrews 11:12 And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead—a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them. The writer to the Hebrews described Abraham as being “as good as dead”. That’s not flattering, but he was describing a 99-year-old man who was married to Sarah – a woman decades past child-bearing years. The whole situation looked hopeless. But God had promised that Sarah would have a baby from whom a mighty nation would be born. In human terms this was laughable nonsense. But God was at work, and so something which was humanly impossible was exactly what happened. Isaac was born and the nation came into being with descendants as uncountable as the stars in the sky or the grains of sand on the seashore. We are continually tempted to domesticate God. We try to make him fit into the world that we understand and make him like us. Long ago Voltaire, the French philosopher, expressed this powerfully when he said: “God made mankind in his own image, and mankind has been trying to get its own back ever since.” That is to say, we are tempted to make God like us, and we don’t do miracles. Reading the Bible confronts us with a God who is in the business of doing miracles and so we need to be ready for them. This will only happen as we get closer and closer to God in prayer and as we spend time reflecting on the Bible. By doing so, our limited ways of thinking and our cramped expectations will be challenged to embrace God’s way of looking at the world. I love the dramatic contrast between the apparent deadness of Abraham and Sarah, and the unquenchable vitality of God’s life that was unleashed when they obeyed God and stepped out in faith with him. Let’s allow God to start shaping our thinking so that we enter each day with a confident expectation that he will act miraculously as we trust ourselves to him. Question What miracles have you seen and what miracles are you praying for at the moment? Prayer God of miracles, we worship you. We praise you for the way in which you moved in Abraham and Sarah’s life and ask you to touch our lives today with your miraculous power. Amen…
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Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion
Hebrews 11:8 It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. At the age of 75, Abraham headed out from his home in Haran without having a clue where he was going! What an incredible moment. People, in my experience, just don’t do things like that. Usually, we have a clear idea where we are heading – and a whole lot of planning happens first too. But Abraham was called by God so off he went. We have to conclude that Abraham was absolutely confident in God. In human terms he was taking the most enormous risk, but in spiritual terms he was clearly completely convinced that he was doing the right thing. In our risk averse culture, you can imagine people lining up endless very sensible reasons why Abraham should play it safe and stay at home. But his confidence in God was all that he needed to step out into the unknown. I have spent a huge number of hours in recent years working with colleagues on risk assessments. I totally understand that this is a very responsible way of working and I will always want us to do everything we can to anticipate carefully all potential risks and to exclude unnecessary ones. However, that doesn’t mean that we should play it so safe that we never step out into new areas or try new ideas. Abraham’s life of faith should give us courage to step out with God. I would hope that every church is a community where people are encouraged to take steps of faith even when the risks of failure and opposition are real. Playing it safe doesn’t seem to be the way in which God works. Question When did you last take a risk for God? Prayer Loving God, thank you for the inspiring example of Abraham. Teach me more each day of what it means to live a life of daring faith. Amen…
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Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion
Hebrews 11:7 It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. The account of Noah building an ark and saving his family together with vast numbers of birds and animals is a story of enormous courage. The world had never seen a flood like this before, so the idea of Noah building a vast boat would have seemed absurd to all those around him. And the idea of packing the boat with smelly wildlife would have appeared even more ludicrous and challenging. But Noah did these amazing things for one reason: he was a man of faith. In this chapter the writer to the Hebrews unpacks what it means to live by faith, and Noah offers us an inspiring example. Most of us spend much of our lives conforming. We fit in with society and the people around us and just get on with life. I’m not criticising that approach, but it makes me wonder how we would respond if God asked us to do something that everyone else would consider deeply weird. Through the centuries God has often asked people to do such things. When, at the end of the 18th century, William Carey heard God calling him to take the gospel to India he met a barrage of criticism. One senior Christian leader said: “Young man, sit down; when God is pleased to convert the heathen world, He will do it without your help or mine.” He called Carey “a most miserable enthusiast”. Although Carey was mortified by the experience, he didn’t give up. Carey became the father of modern missions and his influence enabled millions of people to hear the good news of Jesus. Question What would you do if God invited you to do something unlike anything you had ever done before? Prayer Loving God, I thank you for inviting me to travel with you on this exciting journey of faith. Amen…
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Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion
Hebrews 11:1 Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. Many people think of faith as being a rather weak, sentimental way of thinking and are inclined to say that they would rather trust the facts. Some philosophers have compared faith with taking a leap in the dark. Personally, I would never encourage anyone to take a leap in the dark. That sounds extremely dangerous and is only likely to result in disaster. I firmly believe that God calls us all on a journey of faith and that amazing adventure is a leap in the light. First of all, God reveals himself to us through creation. Just by opening our eyes to the amazing world around us we see constant evidence of how majestic and powerful God is. Looking at creation doesn’t force us to believe in God, but it is a powerful indicator of how great he is. God has also given us the 66 books of the Bible to show us how he has worked in the lives of men and women through thousands of years. Within it, we learn that God is a consistently loving God and that he is incredibly patient. The story of the Bible is one of humankind constantly disappointing God and yet, time and again, he offered his forgiveness. He did this supremely in the way in which he sent his son Jesus, to die on the cross. And God has now given 2,000 years of Church history during which we can see how men and women have lived for him through times of persecution, plenty, disaster and victory. God has also given to many of us the gift of Christian friends, in whose lives we can see the reality of faith being lived out through the bumps and challenges of everyday life. I do believe that God calls us to take a leap of faith and to trust our lives to him, but it’s not a leap in the dark. We need to open our eyes to what a great God he is and then place our full trust in him. Question How would you to describe your faith to someone who is not a Christian? Prayer Loving God, thank you that you invite us to step out with you on the adventure of faith. Amen…
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Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion
Hebrews 10:36 Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. There is a wonderful prayer which runs: “O God, grant me the courage to change what I can, the patience to endure what I cannot change and the wisdom to know the difference.” There are many things we are powerless to change, and God wants to give us the patience to live with them. That’s far more easily said than done because, as we all know, patience is extremely hard work. We would all like to see an instant removal of the problems and difficulties of life, and the news that we need to live with them is the last thing we want to hear. But the writer to the Hebrews knew they needed to learn the language of patience. We cannot be sure exactly what challenges they were facing, although we know that they faced recurring waves of persecution and were living in a society that was fundamentally opposed to their Christian values. John Chrysostom, one of the great leaders of the early Church, said that patience was the queen of virtues. It is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit and is therefore closely related to all the others. Where you find patience you will find love, joy, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. They all live together because they are all the result of the Holy Spirit taking control of our lives. Without the Holy Spirit’s inspiration and strength, we are on our own and patience is just sheer hard work. But when we live in partnership with the Spirit, he enables us to discover the wonderful gift of patience. I suspect that you, like me, have learned most about patience from seeing people live it out. I think of people who’ve lived with disabilities, sick relatives, difficult employment situations and challenging domestic situations. There was often nothing they could do to change their situation; they just had to live with it. I thank God for their resilience, smiles and positive attitude. Only a miracle could bring about that kind of patience; we all need to pray for that miracle for ourselves. Question Who has helped you to understand the blessing of patience? Prayer Lord God, forgive my impatience and help me in the power of your Holy Spirit to find the wonderful gift of patience. Amen…
Hebrews 10:24-25 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. The New Testament has no understanding of a lone Christian. Time and again we are reminded that we have responsibilities for one another, and here the writer uses very striking language. The Greek verb used literally means that we should try to provoke one another to do acts of love and good works. That is to say, we should look for imaginative ways of stimulating one another to live for God. It won’t just happen. We need to love one another so much that we will take responsibility for encouraging one another to live out the Christian life. That encouragement will only take place if we meet together, and so he stresses the importance of not neglecting this. When the Christians had gone through a time of suffering they had spent much time together and their fellowship was strong. But now times had got easier they had become more casual in their approach. The writer is desperately concerned that this could deeply damage the life of the Church. Our circumstances are very different, but the same principles hold good. We need one another! The pandemic profoundly challenged our normal patterns of meeting together like never before. But it was wonderful to see the way in which Christians were determined to meet. We found amazing new ways of meeting together online and I know that many meetings, and particularly prayer meetings, became stronger than ever. I was especially glad to see the way in which the increasing number of services and meetings online blessed many house-bound people. People who were previously unable to find any Christian fellowship were included, which was wonderful. Fellowship isn’t optional. We need one another and so it is vital that we put effort into keeping one another strong in faith. Question In what ways do you seek to provoke other Christians to love and good works? Prayer Loving Father, thank you for my Christian brothers and sisters and for all the ways in which we can encourage one another to live for you. Amen…
Hebrews 9:27-28 And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. The quotation, “Nothing is certain but death and taxes” is attributed to many different people but especially Benjamin Franklin and Mark Twain. However, it is such an obvious observation that it actually dates back long before them. The simple truth is that death is a fact of life. Unless the Lord returns first, we will all die. But our death stands in marked contrast to Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross. When he died he brought to an end the elaborate sacrificial system that was established in the Old Testament Law. The whole notion of sacrifices is very unfamiliar to us these days, but God established it because of the seriousness of sin and the need to find a way of making things right. The offering of sacrifices was a way of life for the Jews; every single day animals were slaughtered as an integral part of their worship. Every morning and evening a lamb would be killed in the temple and on festival days many other animals would also be slaughtered. The writer to the Hebrews wanted his readers to understand that their Jewish faith had been totally fulfilled in Christ. His death on the cross had opened up a new era because there was no longer any need for sacrifices. He had decisively brought that to an end by offering himself as a perfect sacrifice. Although the sacrificial system is very unfamiliar to us, we need to understand the awful seriousness of our sin and of the need for us to be made right with God. Jesus has done for us what we could never do for ourselves and, unlike the old sacrificial system, his death was once for all. It will never need to be repeated. The death of Christ on the cross is so amazing that it is hard for us to comprehend. None of us have ever been loved more completely than this. As we think of it, we need to turn all our thoughts into ones of gratitude and praise to God. Question What does the death of Jesus mean to you? Prayer Lord Jesus Christ, thank you that you were willing to go to the cross out of love for me. Amen…
Hebrews 6:18-19 We who have fled to God for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. I suspect that if you spoke with most people about the future they would be full of fears and uncertainties. We live with the continual threat of international terrorism and the wildfires, floods and hurricanes that batter our world remind us of the appalling challenge of climate change. Wherever you look, there are monumental problems to face in our own society and throughout the world, and I think that most people would assume that there is no hope. Indeed, they would conclude that anyone who speaks the language of hope has chosen to ignore the facts. The writer to the Hebrews, however, was full of hope. He was confident as he looked to the future because he knew his God so well. He knew that God was a place of refuge amid the storms of life, and that he provided an anchor that could be entirely relied upon. He never claimed that life would be problem free. He anticipated that the Church was likely to face renewed waves of persecution, and he knew that those who followed Christ would always be severely tested. But he knew that the anchor would hold and that’s what mattered most. The old hymn asked the question: “Will your anchor hold in the storms of life?” and that’s the key issue. We need to know that when disaster strikes we have an anchor that is able to hold firm, and prevent us from being dashed against the rocks no matter how tough the situation might be. When everything is going well it might seem irrelevant whether or not we’ve got an anchor. But the fact is, we need hope to inspire and encourage us whatever the weather. When that hope is securely founded on our faith in Christ we can be confident that when problems occur we have nothing to fear. Our anchor will definitely hold. Question Are you sure that Christ is the anchor of your life? Prayer Lord God, thank you that it is possible to be full of hope as I look to the future. Amen…
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Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion
Hebrews 6:1 So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. If you saw a group of learned professors of mathematics earnestly talking about the fact that two and two make four, you might think it rather strange. You would imagine that they would have moved on to more complicated matters. That is not to say that the fact that two and two make four is unimportant. Far from it. Every day of their working life depends on it. But there comes a day when you need to move on, and that’s precisely what the writer is saying in our verse today. He wasn’t saying that the basic teachings about Christ were in any way unimportant. Indeed, everything depends on those truths. But he was eager that his readers should grow up in their faith, applying the key principles of the Christian faith to every aspect of their life and society. So, how can we go on to become mature in our understanding of the Christian faith? If we were talking about deepening our understanding of maths or geography you would expect me to be recommending college or university courses, but growing as a Christian is different. There is no doubt that courses can help, but growing in one’s understanding of God and what it means to live for him is essentially on-the-job training. It is as we live for God daily and allow his Spirit to guide us that we discover more about him. Our thinking will be constantly shaped by our prayer lives and by our study of the Bible. Through spending time with other Christians, we will gain much wisdom and encouragement. It is a dynamic and exciting process of growth and not something that can be simply reduced to a course. The writer to the Hebrews is clearly alarmed and saddened by the immaturity of his readers. He knew that they could easily be overwhelmed if they were to meet a new wave of persecution. Our situation may be very different but the need for maturity is the same. As we confront a society that is fundamentally antagonistic to Christian faith, we desperately need men and women who are mature and constantly growing in their commitment to Christ. Question How are you seeking to grow in your Christian faith? Prayer Loving God, thank you that your desire is that I should become stronger in my faith. Fill me with your Holy Spirit and help me to grow each day. Amen…
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Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion
Hebrews 5:11 There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen. Ouch! The writer of Hebrews didn’t pull his punches. He was frustrated with the spiritual dullness of his readers and let them know it. He had hoped that they would have developed much more in their faith so that they could, by this stage, have become teachers but clearly that isn’t the case. They were still needing to drink milk because they hadn’t progressed on to solid food. One of the big mistakes that people make is to think that when you have become a Christian that’s it. You have received the amazing gift of forgiveness and God’s promise of eternal salvation, and you can now sit back and enjoy them. There is nowhere in the New Testament that would support that view! New birth in Christ leads to a new life in which we need to be constantly growing and maturing. Sadly, all too often Christians get stuck. They learn the basics and leave it at that. God’s desire for our lives is completely different, because he wants to see constant growth. That was the longing of the writer to the Hebrews too and, as the letter develops, we will see him illustrate numerous ways in which he longed for growth. In his second letter Peter spelt out the way in which Christian growth happens: “Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:5-8). Peter clearly saw the Christian life as one in which we are constantly growing. This was precisely the view of the writer to the Hebrews too. But what he was looking at was stagnation and weakness and it clearly troubled him deeply. His whole letter was written with a view to encouraging them to grow, and keep growing. Question Looking at the verses from 2 Peter 1, where do you need to grow at present? Prayer Loving Father, I thank you that you love me so much that you are wanting me to keep growing. Amen…
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Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion
Hebrews 5:8-9 Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him. The high priest was the most important person in the Jewish faith. He traced his family line back to Aaron, the brother of Moses, and his life and ministry are described in huge detail in the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible). When he went into the temple he had to wear specific clothing. In common with all priests, he had to wear priestly undergarments, tunic, sash and turban but in addition he wore a sleeveless blue robe, a richly embroidered apron, a breastplate with twelve gems representing the tribes and on his turban there was a golden plate inscribed with the words “Holiness unto Yahweh”. He would have nothing on his feet but had to have a ceremonial bath before going into the temple. Just once a year, on the Day of Atonement, he was permitted to go into the holiest part of the temple, the Holy of Holies. The writer to the Hebrews knew that his readers would have known all about high priests and of their huge importance in Jewish life and history. But here he declares that God had sent someone who outshone them all. However good high priests were, they were not perfect. However, Jesus had no sin so was able to do what the high priests could never do; open the door of eternal salvation through taking the sins of the world upon himself. The language of high priesthood belongs to a world very different from our own. But the message is still absolutely relevant to us today. We need someone to open the door into the holy presence of God, and it is Jesus who has done precisely that. And just as Jesus obeyed his Father’s will, so too we are called to live in obedience to God. Unlike Jesus, we will not achieve perfect obedience in this life, but as we seek to align our thoughts and actions with God’s will day by day, we learn more of what it is to be truly alive. Question What is God teaching you about obedience at the moment? Prayer Loving God, I thank you that in Jesus I have a perfect high priest who can continually lead me into your holy presence. Amen…
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Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion
Hebrews 4:16 Let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. I only spoke with HRH Queen Elizabeth II on one occasion. I had the privilege of attending a reception at Buckingham Palace to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee and afterwards there were refreshments. I was chatting with a couple of friends and suddenly saw the Queen approaching us. It became clear that I was the person who needed to speak first. I anxiously tried to call to mind the correct way of addressing her. She then asked various kind questions and I felt frankly overwhelmed. I had never imagined that I would actually get to speak with her. However, as the Queen herself would have acknowledged, our God is of infinitely greater power and significance. In our verse today we are told that we can enter his presence with boldness. This is an almost incredible word to use. How can we, as weak and unholy human beings, possibly come boldly into the presence of the eternal and holy God who created the universe? The writer to the Hebrews has a simple and clear answer: Jesus has opened the way for us to come into the holiest place of all and to enjoy a personal relationship with our Creator God. It’s wonderful to know that we can approach God with boldness, but we still need to know what sort of reception we will get when we meet him. The writer assures us that we will be met by mercy and grace. God is a God of justice, but we know that if he treated us justly we wouldn’t stand a chance. We have all sinned and fallen well short of his standards. What we need is mercy, and that’s what we are promised. Incredibly, God is willing to forgive us all our sins and set us free to live a new life. And, as we enter his presence, we also discover his generous grace, which meets us precisely at the point of our need. All of this should convince us that we can live our Christian lives with confidence, not because of ourselves or anything we have done, but because of all that Christ has done for us. Question Do you feel able to approach God with boldness? Prayer Loving God, thank you that although I have failed you so often, you always greet me with mercy and grace. Amen…
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Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. If you thought that the Bible was just another piece of literature you have totally missed the point. The Bible is the way in which God speaks to us and he does it with devastating power. It can, and frequently does, turn people’s lives upside down. Through it, God is able to speak to the deepest places of our lives and can bring us forgiveness and renewal. It is the most exciting library of books imaginable. When I started to train for ministry, one of my real fears was that through studying the Bible in depth and then ministering week by week, the Bible would lose its wonder and power for me. I would like to report that the exact opposite has happened. Through the decades the Bible has become more brilliant, exciting and powerful and I enjoy studying it more now than at any time in my life. Why? Because the Bible is alive, it always gets to the point and cuts through to the heart of the deepest issues of life. Whether I am reflecting on my own life, or the major issues of the world today, the Bible continually speaks with authority and power. When the letter to the Hebrews was written, the only scripture that existed was the Old Testament. How rich we are to have two Testaments and to have the opportunity to read the words of Jesus and to learn about his life, death and resurrection, as well as the growth of the early Church. We can confidently affirm that the whole Bible, Old and New Testaments, is alive and powerful and is God’s gift to us to enable us to live our lives to the full. But the writer of this amazing letter would want to remind us that it is not enough to receive the word of God. We need to ensure that we are listening to it and allowing it to shape our thinking and actions today. Question In what ways have you recently found the Bible to be alive and powerful? Prayer Lord God, thank you for the gift of your word. Help me to listen carefully to it, and allow it to shape my life today. Amen…
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Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion
Hebrews 3:13 You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. I still vividly remember the warnings that my mother used to give me when I was a child. They had to do with what I ate, how I crossed the road, the people I spoke to, the way I cycled my bike and so on. I suspect that many of you have similar memories. And the reason we were given all those warnings was because we were loved. If our parents or carers hadn’t been bothered about our safety and wellbeing they would have kept quiet. The warnings weren’t always welcome, but they were good for us and I am sure that we all look back with gratitude for them. In today’s verse, the writer was encouraging his readers to keep on warning one another. He was conscious of how easily they could slip away from the Christian faith, and didn’t want them to go the same way as the Israelites in their wilderness wanderings. Time and again they had refused to listen to God’s word and had paid a terrible price for their disobedience. The writer of Hebrews continually encouraged everyone to look after one another and saw warning one another as a vital part of their loving relationship. Life today is full of challenges for every Christian. Each day we are tempted to worship the gods of money, sex or power and we are offered an amazing range of false philosophies and religions. Love demands that we warn one another. We will always want to respect people’s right to make their own decision, but when we know that there are dangers ahead it would be irresponsible for us to not to give a word of warning. This might not be an easy thing to do but love compels us to act. Question In what specific ways should we be warning other Christians at the moment? Prayer Lord God, thank you for all those people throughout my life who have loved me enough to warn me of dangers ahead. Amen…
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