Today’s reading: Hebrews 7:18-28

“Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” - Hebrews‬ ‭7:25‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Have you ever done something halfway but knew there was enough time to go back and do it the right way? Maybe this is because of a deadline or due to your procrastination.

Some of us are perfectionists. Therefore, we won’t do anything unless it can be done to our standards. So, in this case, it is either 100% or 0%.

How does Jesus do things? In our passage today, it says that he does them “to the uttermost.” That is to say, “to the max.” This the description of the way He saves His people, you and me.

Not only that (I mean, can there be more), but Jesus also lives to pray for us; to be our Advocate.

This truth should make us feel loved today.

Have you had a bad week or a bad 2020? Jesus is for you. He proves this by the way he interacts with us.

Grace.

Mercy.

Righteousness.

Prayers.

Fighting for us every day.

Today's reading: Hebrews 7:1-17

'This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life.' - Hebrews 7:15-16

You would do well to read the (short) account of Melchizedek and Abraham in Genesis 18:18-20. More is said of this guy in the New Testament than in the Old Testament. Who was he? We know little, but we do know...

- He was a priest

- He was a king

- He brought bread

- He brought wine

That list right there should be enough to make Jesus come immediately to our minds. Melchizedek was a foreshadowing of our Savior's coming.

Jesus, though, broke the rules. He didn't meet the physical requirements of being a priest, but the power of His indestructible life prevents Him from being disqualified. He does the same for us, by his powerful life, does He? We don't meet the requirement as filthy sinners, but He qualifies us by His blood.

The Greek word used for indestructible here is akatalytos. It is "pertaining to that which cannot be caused to cease." (Eugene Nida) In short, there is no outside force that will ever knock Jesus off His throne.

Aren't you glad we have such a powerful Lord and Savior?

Today's reading: Hebrews 6:1-20

'Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation.' - Hebrews 6:9 ESV

This chapter in Hebrews has been the topic of many Christian theologians throughout the centuries. Some of the questions that continue to be asked upon a casual reading of it are:

"Does this mean I can lose my salvation?" or "Could we do something so vile that the Holy Spirit would leave us and not come back?" or "When do we know we've come to this point?"

We may think of Jesus mentioning an "unforgivable sin" (Mark 3:28-30) or the Apostle John speaking of a "sin that leads to death" (1 John 5:16-17).

It seems like whatever the point of no return looks like, it is a defiant and hardened stance AGAINST God and His presence in our lives. In it, we attempt to squeeze God out of every area of our lives. This will not be something that will happen accidentally. It will be intentional. Kind of like the Mark of the Beast in Revelation 13:15-18.

Yet the Hebrews seemed to have done well in this regard. The writer speaks of how they are destined for "better things." This was obvious because of how they were living their lives. Their work and love in their serving were being viewed as evidence of their endurance.

What about us? Are we recognized by others as genuine Jesus followers? More importantly, are we recognized by Jesus as those who follow Him? May we seek His face today!

Today's reading: Hebrews 5:1-14

'For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child.' - Hebrews 5:12-13 ESV

Everything of great value will take time. There is no substitute for long hours that are spent in God's word, in prayer, and in making schematics for how to live for Jesus obediently. Yet if we refuse to take that time in solitude with our Creator, we will never be fit to share what we believe with others. And if we were to attempt it, we would find ourselves faking it and void of passion.

Yet it is a frightening thought to have followed Jesus for decades and never really feasted on the meatiness of God's word, remaining content with being constantly bottle-fed.

C.H. Spurgeon eloquently writes (about this passage) that, "Growth in grace does not run side by side with growth in years."

Sit down with a map of all the time you have available over the next week. What do you see? Work/school, check. Sleeping, check. Eating, check. Time with family and friends, check. Weekly worship/Bible study with Christians, check. Sharing your faith with others, check. Spending time to rest, check. Now, what time is left? What do you do with your unallotted time? If a considerable amount of time is not etched out each day for passionately seeking Jesus, you will remain unequipped for every good work.

Enjoy time in your Heavenly Father's presence today.

Today's reading: Hebrews 4:1-16

'Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.' - Hebrews 4:11-12 ESV

In this chapter, we see the writer comparing those who wandered in the wilderness for forty years and us today. For them, it was really only an 11-day journey, yet they refused to obey; thus, they forfeited their rest from God in Canaan. Their "bodies fell" in that wilderness.

Obedience to God, though, is no small thing. It is essentially the act of letting God's word do what it does best, which is cutting us to our deepest part. Until we see just how much we need Jesus, we will never seek Him.

Cutting doesn't seem pleasant, and no form of surgery is, but God longs for us to be in heaven with Him for eternity. May we, every day, allow Jesus to show us how much we need His salvation. This will not be comfortable, but we will "find grace to help us in our time of need," both now and for eternity.

Today's reading: Hebrews 3:1-19

'Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.' - Hebrews 3:12-14 ESV

Any time that God speaks, we have a decision to make. Will we harden our hearts, refusing to do this His way? Or will we refuse to harden our hearts (even if we don't completely understand) and submit to his will?

The key seems to be having other Christians surround us and "exhort" us. What does this word mean? It is the word parakaleo in Greek, and it can also be translated as encourage or urge. The word is very similar to one of the descriptions that Jesus uses when talking about the Holy Spirit.

How important is your encouragement to other Christians? It is vital. Apparently our faith cannot survive without it.

Be an exhorter/encourager/urger today to someone you come across. In doing so, you can make an eternal difference.

Today's reading: Hebrews 2:1-18

'Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.' - Hebrews 2:17-18 ESV

We may believe that Jesus is our Lord (the one who calls the shots in our life) and our Savior (the one who delivered/delivers us from darkness), but do we believe that He truly understands what we are going through on a day to day basis?

In these verses, we see that Jesus was made like us in every way. He had to eat. He had to sleep. He got sick from time to time. He experienced sorrow and gladness. He enjoyed the blessings of friendship and the torture of betrayal.

The writer of Hebrews says this was essential for him to showcase his mercy (deep compassion) and faithfulness (dependability).

A great physician is not just one who has read about the sickness you're dealing with. The doctor that we want is someone who has experienced that weakness personally. This is why Jesus is the ultimate advocate for us. He actually does know what it feels like to deal with what we are all facing today.

Today's reading: Hebrews 1:1-14

'He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.' - Hebrews 1:3 ESV

Who was Jesus of Nazareth, the man who lived in northern Israel at the beginning of the first century? Was He a mere philanthropist with insightful teaching that was ahead of its time? Was He not really human, but just appeared to be? Was he merely (as Islam and Judaism assert today) a renowned prophet?

People have been trying to answer these questions ever since Jesus died thirty-three years into his earthly life. He literally marked time with his birth, and his teachings have led to more social reform than we can mention here.

Yet the writer of Hebrews comes at it from a different angle. He uses words like "radiance" and "imprint" when he describes who Jesus was (and is).

Jesus was begotten, not made, of God. Jesus was not a creation of God; He came from God Himself.

C.S. Lewis says it a lot better than I can when he wrote, "We don't use the words begetting or begotten much in modern English, but everyone still knows what they mean. To beget is to become the father of: to create is to make. And the difference is this. When you beget, you beget something of the same kind as yourself. A man begets human babies, a beaver begets little beavers and a bird begets eggs which turn into little birds. A bird makes a nest, a beaver builds a dam, a man makes a wireless set--or he may make something more like himself than a wireless set: say, a statue." (Mere Christianity, pg 157)

This is all still hard to grasp, but it helps us think more rightly about who Jesus was (and still is today).

Jesus is worthy of our worship.

Today’s reading: Philemon 1:1-25

“He is no longer like a slave to you. He is more than a slave, for he is a beloved brother, especially to me. Now he will mean much more to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord.” - Philemon‬ ‭1:16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“He is more” is the phrase that really spoke to me this morning. At this time in the first century, it was unheard of for a slave (or a woman) to be considered equal with all other men. Though institutional slavery would continue for centuries after Paul wrote this letter, the groundwork was being laid for the abolition of all those who were owned.

It is actually hard for us to appreciate this, but the real change has to start in our homes in order for it to reach the top (legislation). It is our job as Christians to set the tone for morality with our faithfulness, day in and day out.

In our previous readings, we saw verses like Galatians 3:28 and Colossians 3:11. In these bold statements, all classification based on “value” goes away.

Unfortunately, our world still has a long way to go, but it starts with how we treat people today.

“I will lead a life of integrity in my own home.” - Psalm 101:2b NLT

Today's reading: Titus 3:1-15

'For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior.' - Titus 3:3-6 ESV

William Barclay wrote this about our passage today:

"The point is that when we accept Christ as Saviour and Lord, life begins all over again."

Can you remember what your life was like before God's goodness and kindness burst upon you? Paul paints a vivid picture of being bound by destructive lifestyles, allowing whatever we feel to reign supreme. Do I feel like hating someone or sinning sexually? What's holding me back?

The moment of God saving us is a moment of re-creation and, thus, a reorientation of our entire lives. Though we may still live in the same house or work the same job or attend the same classes, all of them are done in light of a deep renewal that took place when we believed and were baptized (see Mark 16:16).

Jesus didn't just save us from our past; He also called us into a brighter future.