Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Hebrews 1:10-11 The Loooooong Haul

Hebrews 1:10-11

Life is busy. Most of us work hard to build careers, raise families, maybe buy a car or a house. The sad part is much of our labor may be for not. Say, “What?” It is worth asking, “What in my life can stand the test of time? Read the following verses from Hebrews 1:10-11

10 He also says,
In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
11 They will perish, but you remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.

In truth even God's creation of the the earth according to scripture have a finite life expectancy, but God is eternal. That means anything we build on this earth will not last, but anything we store in heaven is forever. So what do I want to store in heaven? Well, my wife, kids, friends, neighbors—people. Are we living our lives for the eternal today?

Update News:
  1. This Sunday we have a breakfast for everyone at 10—come at 9:45 if you can. Our worship service this Sunday is a concert of prayer with no preaching. If you can bring a fruit dish or some pastry.
  2. Mike Lucas has agreed to start posting a Sat. devotional for me in a few weeks so the daily devotional is expanding to 6 days a week. I am trying to get him to wait a few weeks since he has badly hurt his back and should not be sitting for a few weeks—at the computer:).
  3. This coming Tuesday night we are going to have free “all-you-can-eat chili” at Wendy's by the church before Core time. If people want drinks or sandwiches that is on them, but we thought it would be a fun change up and you are invited!


Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Hebrews 1:8-9 Ever worry about the future? Ever wish God would give you joy? Hebrews 1:8-9



Ever worry about the future? Ever wish God would give you joy? Read this passage: Hebrews 1:8-9 (shown below).

8 But about the Son he says,“Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.”

To consider the above Scripture, realize that “the Son” was Jesus Christ. This Scripture serves to assure us that putting our trust in God means we have Jesus to trust for eternity and that no matter how tough the circumstances God will win!

Second, it is interesting to note that while He was on Earth, Jesus was a man. When describing Jesus’ time on Earth, this passage points out: “You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.” What a peculiar description of Jesus! Perhaps we take this for granted, but we also need to realize that Jesus served as an example to all of us. Notice that after this description, God the Father rewards Jesus by setting Him “above [His] companions by anointing [Him] with the oil of joy.” 

The implication of this scripture is two things. 

One, we can trust Jesus. 

Two, as we are like Jesus, we enjoy the same rewards when we serve God. Sometimes we are too good at setting Jesus aside as God, and we need to realize that He was human while He was on Earth and then ask, “What did He demonstrate for me?” In this case He demonstrated that God honors those who serve Him. What honor is God placing on you today? If you are serving Him, He is proud of you and He really does give us joy!

Monday, August 25, 2014

I am back -- Hebrews 1:1-4

After taking some time off to allow my neck to heal from a tough period of it hurting to sit I am back — plus the kids are back in school:)


Hebrews 1: 1-4 In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.

This book offers some of the best insights into how to best understand a vast variety of Christian issues in a contemporary way. It is generally attributed to Paul, but we don't really know that since unlike Paul's epistles, it is not a clear letter from him to a group of people. Some claim it was either a sermon or collection of messages Paul spoke, but even that is not fact. The early church seems to have totally accepted this writing as a clear message from God, but seems to have shown little concession as to whom the author was. Sadly, the King James version added words that implied this Scripture was for sure from Paul. So who cares? Well, first, adding to the Bible or implying fact that is not certain is a dangerous pattern with Scripture as in the end it is God's words. The real concern is that this is a letter that was written to the church in Rome from someone who was, at the least, a close associate of Paul. 

Rome was a very remote small church at the time this letter was written. Key beliefs were not accurately making the voyage to Rome and the church seems to have been heavily influenced by other groups including the Jewish church, Roman beliefs, Hellenistic beliefs (Greek), and emerging cults from various groups including Christian offshoots such as the Gnostic movement. Hebrews clearly is written with the intention to say, "Wait a minute! These is the true teachings of God." That makes this a very important scripture for Christians to study as this document literally exists to teach us key beliefs of Christianity. Perhaps it would best be labeled a "systematic theology book."  Really, the church of Rome was much like the church today--it was under attack from all sides. 

So what does that have to do with today's Scripture? Well, the first four verses of the book simply seek to clarify that Jesus is God, above the angels, and is eternal. Most importantly it stresses we can trust Jesus.

Today, simply ask yourself one simple thought. Am I trusting anything besides Jesus with my life?
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