# 23 2020 Dev. Hebrews 13:5.6  Be an Example! Read all of Ch.13. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Heb. 13:5,6 “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”^{[a] 6} So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
    What can mere mortals do to me?”^[b]

The author of Hebrews makes his finals exhortations, he begins with the positive values of Christ: “Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. ² Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. ³ Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” As followers of Jesus these are our values as well and they are a timely reminder for us in all we are experiencing right now.

He moves to what is able to destroy fellowship: sexual immorality and the love of money, two areas of life that are also destroying our communities today. He warns us against following false teaching that, still to this day, plague the church.

Instead he wants us to know that Jesus is faithful: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Our response should be as it was then: “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” Nothing happens unless God allows it, we do not need to fear or be worried, God is in control.

The author continues to show us that Jesus is the last and final sacrifice and  that we are strengthen by His grace. Through Christ we continually offer sacrifices to God in whatever we do in the name of Jesus and in proclaiming His name. “Preach always, use words if necessary. “

“Now may the God of peace, that great Shepherd of the sheep, ²¹ equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

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# 21 2020 Dev. Hebrews 12. Be a Witness! Read all of Ch.12. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Heb. 12:1 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.”

The author of Hebrews point back to the “great cloud of witnesses” in chapter 11, as a way of encouraging his readers and also to encourage us. In many ways he begins with what appears to be confession of faith and a way to live out our faith as followers of Jesus.

After that introduction he moves on to the difficult subject of God disciplining his children. The author quotes Pr. 3:11,12 that tells us that a father disciplines the son he loves. There must have been persecution during this time and the author encourages them and us by asking for perseverance, “God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His holiness.” Is that what is happening to us right now, will we come out stronger by the closure of our churches, will we come out of this as better people, will this “produce a harvest of righteousness”? Yes! We trust God for that.

Next he moves to the fifth warning in the book. “Live in peace with all men” (everyone), “be holy”, no sexual immorality, don’t compromise, we have not come to a mountain we cannot touch or hear commands that we cannot obey, no! “But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, ²³ to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven.” That refers to us, the followers of Jesus, the church on earth and the church in heaven. What we are experiencing right now is temporary and will pass, remember that all of life is preparation for our service above. “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, ²⁹ for our “God is a consuming fire.”

 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” Now is the time to live our faith in the face of all those around us, including our families and all who follow Jesus. Thanks be to God, he has called us to witness to  His Grace, amen!

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# 20 2020 Dev. Psalm 86:11. Mercy! Read all of Psalm 86. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Ps. 86:11 “Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.”

Psalm 86 is a personal prayer and according to the title, a prayer of David. This Psalm is the only Psalm written by David in Book 3.

Vs.1-4 is David’s request to his God. It is a request that we may all identify with at any time there is trouble, disruption, or health issues in our lives. “Hear me, Lord”, “Guard my life”, “have mercy on me, Lord”, “Bring joy to your servant, Lord”

Vs.5-7 is a reminder of God’s grace and love. “When I am in distress, I call on you, because you answer me.” This reminds us as well.

Vs.8-10 is David praising God and is the center of this prayer.

Vs.11-13 is the part of this prayer that followers of Jesus need to pay attention to today. “Teach me your way, Lord,” God’s way is at risk in the church, and is almost non existence in secular society. “Give me an undivided heart,” there is so much competition for our dedication and devotion; politics, the environment, education, good paying jobs, all good things to be sure but are we keeping our hearts focused on Jesus? In our situation today are we able to focus on: “I will praise you, Lord my God, I will glorify your name”, I will acknowledge your “great love towards me” and your great salvation?

Vs. 14-17 is the conclusion of the prayer. No doubt, followers of Jesus have enemies; Satan want to destroy us. “But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.”

That is what we hold on to and this is our prayer: “Hear me, Lord”, “Guard my life”, “You, Lord, are forgiving and good”, “Teach me your way, Lord”, “give me an undivided heart”, “I will praise you”, “have mercy on me, Lord” and “show your strength” in our behalf on our country and the world, “for you Lord have helped me and comforted me” Amen and amen.

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# 18 2020 Dev. Psalm 85:10,11. Glory! Read all of Psalm 85. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Ps. 85:10,11 “Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other. Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven.”

Psalm 85 is the second Psalm in this series, Ps. 84-89. It is a communal prayer and like we see in Ps. 84 there is conflict in the land. Vs. 1-3 are a reminder to God about His faithfulness in the past; “You showed favor, you restored, you forgave, you covered all our sins, you set aside and turned from your fierce anger.”

During this crippling time in our world; sickness, death and economic disaster, we identify with the Psalmist; we have been through difficult times in the past. Is it time to remember God’s goodness, God’s grace and His salvation that He has offered us before and continues to offer our land even now?

 Vs. 4-7 are a supplication to “God our Savior”: how long Lord, “restore” our land, will you be pleased with our land again? “revive us again that your people may rejoice in you”.  “Grant us your salvation”, according to “your unfailing love.”

This is a prayer we should be praying daily!

Vs. 8-9 are the Psalmist assurance that God will answer and that His people “will listen to what God the Lord says.” The people are assured of peace and of salvation “but let them not turn to folly”. “Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land”.

These promises are for us today as well, God is faithful but the psalmist gives us something more, God’s glory. Pray for God’s glory to return to our land!

This is God’s glory actively displayed: Vs. 10-13 “Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other.  Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven. The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest. Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way for his steps.” God’s glory is displayed by an intimate relationship with Him and with each other.

We fervently pray for God’s glory to again grace our land and our lives. “God is faithful; He will do it”! Better days are ahead, amen.

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# 17 2020 Dev. Hebrews 8:12. Forgiveness! Read all of Ch. 8,9,10. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Heb. 8:12 “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

We are taking these three chapters at one time because the author is using the proven method of instruction, known as repetition. At the same time, he is going deeper into the theme of Jesus as our High Priest and the Mediator of the New Covenant. The author is is writing to Jewish Christians who are being influenced by Judaizers; those who wanted to Judaize the Gospel. The New Covenant (New Testament) is like the Old Covenant but that Jesus is High Priest, Mediator and is the one time and only sacrifice that is required for the forgiveness of sins. This was already prophesied in the Old Testament; you can read it in Heb. 8:7-13 where the author quotes Jer. 31:31-34.

Chapter 9 compares worship in the earthly tabernacle(vs.1-10) with the worship in the heavenly temple (vs.11- 28). The end result is; “Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, ²⁸ so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” For followers of Jesus, Jesus has taken upon himself our judgment, sanctifying our souls. When He comes again our bodies will be renewed to immortal bodies reuniting body and soul once again, completing our salvation.

Chapter 10 again emphasizes faith, pointing back to Ch.9: “Therefore, brothers and sisters, 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, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” If faith is needed it is now in the face of the uncertainty, we face at this time. We need to look past this disturbing virus situation and we need to look past this present life; this world is not our home, we “need to persevere, for, in just a little while he who is coming will come and will not delay but my righteous one will live by faith”.

The author of Hebrews gives us the heavenly view that followers of Jesus must always keep ahead of them: whatever happens is for our good and for the building of the Kingdom of God. Praise God, He is in control, Amen!

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# 16 2020 Dev. Psalm 84:2. Yearning! Read all of Ps. 84. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Ps. 84:2 “My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.”

Psalm 84 is the first Psalm of a series of six (84-89) that end book thee of Psalms. This Psalm is a communal prayer expressing the desire to worship God in His Temple. There was perhaps a time of conflict in the land that prevented people from traveling to the temple in Jerusalem.

The first (vs.1-4) of three sections expresses the desire for fellowship with God, “my soul yearns, even faints, my heart and my flesh cry out. Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you.”

Are you starting to feel the pain of not being able to worship together at our churches for over a month? If not what are you feeling? Are you feeling the violation of our religious rights?  We may go buy liquor and groceries but we can’t worship in a drive in Church! If we read this Psalm in that light, worship is life, worship is revival, worship is restoration for soul and body, Amen! What is God teaching us?

Worship is a blessing, the second section (vs. 5-7) “blessed are those whose strength is in you”, Lord Almighty! If we ever needed to search our hearts it is now, if we ever needed refreshment physically like drinking from a cold mountain spring, it is now, if we ever needed God’s strength for our hearts and souls, it is now. if we ever needed your Word, it is now “Lord God Almighty!”

Request and praise, the third section (vs.8-11). “Hear my (our) prayer, Lord God almighty, listen to me (us).” Praise, “better is one day in your courts (church) than a thousand elsewhere”, Are we crying “out for the living God”?  But better days are on the way; vs.11“For the Lord God is a sun and a shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.” In times like we are in now so often we fall short but followers of Jesus are blameless in Jesus Christ.                                                                                    

Verse 12 stands alone and ties this prayer and our prayers together as well; “Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you.” This is where we must be today, trust God for all things while we work through this difficulty, Amen!

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# 15 2020 Dev. Heb.6:9. Salvation! Read all of Ch. 6-7. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Hebrews 6:9 “Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation. ¹⁰ God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.” 

This week is Holy week, it is difficult to feel the peace and joy of Easter without the build up of the season of lent and Palm Sunday services. This year we have missed that as the whole world has missed it. Yet, Easter is much more than going to church all dressed up. Even so, Easter is coming and we may celebrate in our homes and with our families, I pray that it will be a blessed day.

The author of Hebrews continues with his theme of becoming mature; “not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death”. He wants us to have faith in God, not our works. He wants to give us “instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. ³ And God permitting, we will do so” in subsequent Chapters. But he begins with a warning: if you “have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age” and in the end reject God and His word it is imposable to be brought back to faith. That is true but only in this sense: God will forgive any and every sin but not the sin of rejecting and grieving the Holy Spirit. I have been asked that question many times when working as a missionary, I answer with: the fact that you are concerned about grieving the Holy Spirit shows me you have not, because if you did, you would not bother to ask.

The author moves on to the certainty of God’s promises and he begins with Abraham. God swore with an oath that Abram would have as many offspring as stars in the sky, against all odds Abraham believed God and “it is reckoned unto him as righteousness.” This same righteousness we have as believers and followers of Jesus. The author shows us that Jesus took our place on the cross to pay all debt we have accrued, as our High Priest after the order of Melchizedek.

Ch.7 compares for us Jesus as High Priest and Melchizedek as High Priest.God’s dealing with His people as “covenantal people” begins here with Abraham and Melchizedek.

Melchizedek: established by God’s oath, Priest of God Most High, King of righteousness, King of peace, High Priest forever. He has life, blessed Abraham whom God chose, and gave Abraham bread and wine. He is a mysterious figure; some commenters think he is the pre- incarnate Christ. Melchizedek pre-figures Jesus, who by God’s word is declared a High Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Therefore, Jesus is the final sacrifice to God for the whole world and “because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. ²⁵ Therefore he is able to save completely ^[c] those who come to God through him, because He always lives to intercede for them.”

Praise God, have a blessed Easter.

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# 14 2020 Dev. Heb.4:12. Rest! Read all of Ch. 4-5. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. ¹³ Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

Again, the author points back to the last verse of chapter three, concerning unbelief. Unbelief puts God’s intended rest for us in jeopardy. The author brings the example of the people of God in the desert, traveling toward the promised land: again and again they disobeyed right up to the time they stood at the border of Canaan. They refused to believe God would give them the land because of the report of giants in the land, even after the many miracles God brought on their behalf, they still did not believe. God had been patient, even forgiving this last rebellion, but that was the last straw, God said: “so I declared on oath in my anger, ‘they shall never enter my rest.’”  God made them wander in the desert for 40 years until everyone over 19 yrs. old died, except Joshua and Caleb because they believed. 

The promised land is the foreshadowing of God’s eternal rest; our home in heaven, assured for believers by Christ himself, as the author points out in the last part of Ch. 4 and in all of Ch. 5.  In the mean time we are in the desert but we are not wandering aimlessly like those who do not believe. If we ever needed God’s assurance of His rest it is now, during this difficult time.

As in the past, God is patient, God is willing to forgive, willing to take anyone who has faith, but is God starting to loose His patience with this world, with the injustice, with the disregard for life, for the disregard for God’s Sabbath rest and the disregard for God and God’s Word. Given the situation in our country and in our world I am starting to think along those lines. But it is not to late. Turn to Him!  Ch. 5 ends with: “But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” How do we become mature followers of Jesus? By devouring God’s Word, putting it into practice and being willing to discern good from evil.

God is good all of the time! By faith we live in the arms of Jesus!

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