Tag: Christian

Fall and Rise

Old Testament: Genesis 3

Poetry: Psalm 1 (all week)

New Testament: Matthew 3

There are some four-thousand years between the first and second Adam, both the bookends of the fall of man.  Through the first Adam, sin found a foothold in the world.  Through the second Adam, Jesus Christ, the sting of eternal destruction in the second death (Rev. 21:6, Rom 6:23) is broken and restoration that comes from God is complete. Being familiar with scripture and his role as Savior, Jesus knew he was the precious Lamb of God, who upon him was transferred the weight and debt of all our sins.  Jesus would go on to fulfill this role as our purification offering, fulfilling the law and the words of prophets.

In a similar manner, Jesus redefines and completes baptism in Matthew 3.  Although not defined by religious laws in the Old Testament, baptism had become a common practice for sects of Judaism from the time of Malachi to the beginning of the Common Era.  It was performed as a ritual cleansing, done in preparation to ready oneself to make a sacrifice at the temple. This could be done time and time again because of the literal and spiritual uncleanliness that would appear between trips to the Temple. John’s baptism took on this role, specifically for the forgiveness of sins. So why would a sinless Savior need to engage in such a symbol?

“Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’  Jesus replied, ‘Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then John consented. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’ – Matthew 3:13-17

The first reason Jesus is baptized is as simple as he stated, “to fulfill all righteousness.” Baptism is not merely for the forgiveness of sins. It is first and foremost the public dedication of your life to love God, accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, and live for his Kingdom.  To us this means that looking for a pass on sin without submission is not living-saving nor does it accept the grace of God.  Specifically, those who participated in the baptism of John for the forgiveness of sin were told to be rebaptized when they knew this Good News.

The second basis for baptism is the fulfillment of the gracious cleansing we receive by the sacrifice of Jesus. Just like the payment of Christ, baptism is once and for all.  By being fully immersed in water, we demonstrate not only His death, but our own. Likewise, in rising out of the water, we illustrate the cornerstone of our hope, that Jesus has risen from the dead.  Furthermore this illustrates by dying to Him, we are raised to life, asking the raised Christ to live in us as Lord of our life today and being assured of the hope of our own resurrection if we remain faithful. 

Arguably the third purpose for baptism is the invitation of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Jesus is shown this power of God at His baptism, and the Holy Spirit descending onto ministry of miracles.  Baptism, in fullness, is an invitation for the Spirit of God to direct your path (Rom 8:14), bear fruit because of its presence (Gal 5:22-23), and to even comfort in times of hardship or grief. (John 14:26) It is the same power that raised Jesus from the grave that can now live in us. (Rom 8:11)

If you haven’t considered baptism up to this point, what is stopping you from such a confession of faith? Baptism is not the culmination, but the entry point of faith. You do not have to understand the nuances of scripture, only that our Heavenly Father sent His Son into the world to die for your sin, and they are coming back to Earth with eternal life in hand.

If you have already dedicated your life through this public confession, hold close to your heart the promise that is in the symbol.  Time and time again, we trip, stumble, and fall flat on our faces, but with each fall, we are lifted out of the waters of baptism and covered in the grace of God through Jesus Christ.  Thank God we do not have to be reimmersed.  Many of us would spend the vast majority of life underwater. We can confess to Heavenly Father with a repentant heart and the power of baptism in Jesus Christ not only banishes the wages of sin, but gives us the present presence of God for now and for eternity.

-Aaron Winner

Reflection Questions

  1. If you haven’t considered baptism up to this point, what is stopping you from such a confession of faith?
  2. If you are baptized, what does it mean to you?
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Day and Night

Old Testament: Genesis 1

*Poetry: Psalm 1

New Testament: Matthew 1


I am proud to say that I rang in 2024 without a resolution. In fact, I have been resolution-less for the last three years. In a manner of speaking, I have completely given up on goals and I have no innate desire to make my dreams come true. It all sounds a bit melancholy, but follow me for a moment as I explain this change in mindset.  A few years ago, I stumbled across How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big by Scott Adams, the author of the Dilbert comic strip.  In this book, Adams makes the case priorities and their processes have a much greater impact on success versus goal-driven behaviors.  I am not anti-goal or resolution, but when we resolve to make a checklist of accomplishment, no matter how big or small, that is a momentary celebration followed by a lingering aftertaste of, “Now what?”  

“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take  or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.” – Psalm 1:1-3

Psalm 1 presents the idea that Delighting in God and meditating on His words are not quantifiable checklist items that earn badges or streaks.  These are the priorities that help develop processes, such as a daily visit to the Seek Grow Love blog, to help us live a more fulfilled life, whether it is star-studded or filled with very few accolades. Day and night, it becomes the rhythm to which we live our lives, alongside the very beating of our heart.  The only reprieve is a temporary status of death.  Any merit or notoriety we hope to achieve as Christians, such as sitting at the right hand of Jesus (Matt 20), is legalistic hoo-ha, and ironically, resolutions that may keep us away from the pursuit of the Kingdom of God.

So what do processes look like that prioritize God, let His word speak, and lead to Living Water throughout 2024 and beyond? One example we have is the contrast of Mary and Martha in Luke 10. We must choose Jesus over the mundane daily grind. This means that when Jesus is speaking the words of God at your house, you stop what you are doing to sit down and listen. There will always be a nagging chore, entertainment, and distractions, but more than Martha, we have an opportunity to invite Jesus every single day into our home.  Don’t be in the next room working, literally or metaphorically, missing this opportunity. 

Another example might be more related to the execution.  As a parent to a couple of toddlers, I have  wryly pondered the question posed by Peter,  “How many times should I forgive brothers (or in my case, children) when they sin against me?”  The answer supplied by Jesus is 490, a number we have well-passed for the same offenses in my house. I think we all understand that this is not a literal number but a commitment to prioritizing love for others over indulgences of self.  Some of us may be asked to forgive more than others, whether in accumulation of trespasses or a single terrible, unspeakable offense, planting ourselves by the banks of Living Water is the way we have access to the infinite, inexhaustible grace of God and still find delight in the hardest of pills to swallow.

Trust the process of prioritizing and meditating on God’s word.  Find less resolution and rid yourself of the rote. Worry less about what you need to accomplish and look for opportunities, day and night, to spend time delighting in the Lord, who is watching over our way. This year, begin to leave the accolades to Him.

“For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.” – Psalm 1:6

-Aaron Winner

Reflection Questions

  1. What benefits do you see in living more of a priorities and processes life than a goals and resolutions life? 
  2. What are your priorities? What processes do you already do to keep your top priorities top? What tweaks or refinements could be helpful in keeping first things first? 
  3. What does it look like to Delight in the Lord? How does one meditate on His law day and night? What does the life look like that does these things? What does the life look like that doesn’t do these things? Where are you? Where do you want to be? How can you get there?
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The New – 2024 Bible Reading Plan – Has Come!

Happy New Reading Plan!

The SeekGrowLove Bible Reading plan is ready for 2024!  Join with us as we read through the Bible in a year – with three readings every day:

Old Testament – 1-3 chapters a day, with the books of the prophets chronologically arranged amongst the books of history (with thanks to Bob Jones for his help setting that up)

Poetry – reading Job through Song of Solomon, usually one chapter a day, but often repeating a Psalm two to seven days in a row to really get to know it more

New Testament – often reading one chapter a day, but sometimes slowing down to read a shorter passage or even one single verse a day (for instance for Jesus’ parables, fruit of the spirit, armor of God, churches of Revelation, etc…)

If you haven’t yet, visit SeekGrowLove.com to find daily devotions and reflection questions based on the Bible readings .  You can also subscribe to receive the daily devotions in your email every morning. 

Looking forward to Seeking God together in 2024!

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New!

Sunday, December 31, 2023, New Years Eve

Theme Week – Celebrating Jesus: Revelation 21

Old Testament: Malachi 3 & 4

Poetry: Psalm 150

            Here we are, the last day of 2023.  We’ve come to the end of the year.  We’ve also come to the end of this eight day focus on the life of Jesus.  We started with the announcement that he was to be born, then his birth announcement, his escape to Egypt, his new beginning in Nazareth, his baptism and testing, his ministry, his death, this resurrection, his ascension to heaven and now we’ve reached the end.  Revelation 21 is a picture of what the future will be after all of the other prophecies surrounding the end of this age and the return of Jesus to reign are completed.    I’m going to insert one passage from 1 Corinthians 15 to help transition us to Revelation 21.

“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.” (1 Corinthians 15:20-24).

Paul here gives the basic outline: Christ died and became alive again.  When he comes again those who belong to Christ will, in the same way become alive again, never more to die.  Jesus will reign for a time, Revelation 20 says it will be 1000 year or a millennium, and at the end of that time there will be a final judgment and all of the powers which opposed God since the beginning will finally be destroyed, at which time Jesus will hand over the kingdom to God himself who will come and reign over us in person.

Today’s reading in Revelation 21 shows what will happen after Jesus hands over the kingdom to God.  God sets up his kingdom on earth, in what Revelation calls the New Jerusalem (it’s much larger than the present city of Jerusalem).

This brings the Bible full circle.  In Genesis 1-3 when God first created the earth, he came to the Garden of Eden to visit with Adam and Eve in person.  After they sinned and were cast out of the garden, they were separated from God.  They could no longer dwell in the presence of God.  God made provision for his people through various tabernacles and temples that would have a very holy place where the glory of God would come and where a representative of the people, the high priest would come once a year.  But God’s presence was always mediated by other forms- a burning bush, an angel, pillar of fire or pillar of cloud.  Now, in Revelation 21, God is back fully on earth with his people, in an unmediated direct way.  There’s no need for a temple now, for everyone who is there has been made holy by the blood of Jesus which has cleansed them from their sins.  They are immortal and sinless.  There will be no more death or pain or brokenness.  The Lord God announces, “I am making everything new.”

Tomorrow begins a new year, 2024.  My best guess is, not much will change in the world. Yes, you’ll need a new calendar.  People might have a new insurance plan.  But there will still be sickness, there will still be wars, people will still be snarky on social media and the Democrats and Republicans will continue to fight.  And people will still die.  That’s not going to change until Jesus returns and puts a final nail in the coffin of evil in this world.  This passage gives us a hopeful picture of what the world will be like after that happens, when God comes to live with us, when the final enemy of death will be destroyed and God makes all things new.

The world will be the same tomorrow, but you can be made new.  If you put your full faith and trust in Jesus and follow him, he will make you new.    2 Corinthians 5:17 says: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”.  Will you choose to be in Christ, will you be made new?  Happy new year and happy new you!

-Jeff Fletcher

Reflection Questions

  1. How would you describe Revelation 21 to someone who has never read it before? What do you find most exciting about the New Heaven and the New Earth and New Jerusalem? 
  2. Have you chosen to be in Christ? How does life in Christ create a new creation?
  3. Through your Bible reading what have you learned about God and His Son Jesus in 2023? How can what you learned change you? How can you put this knowledge to use in 2024? Who needs to know what you know? Thank God for revealing Himself to you through His holy Scriptures. 

Watch for the NEW 2024 SeekGrowLove Bible reading plan to be revealed later today! 

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Unworthy Servants and Thanksgiving

Theme Week – THANKS: Luke 17

Old Testament: Ezekiel 39 & 40

Poetry: Psalm 108

By Luke 17, Jesus has set his face to go to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51), and every step he takes is taking him one step closer to his ultimate act in this world : his death for sin upon a cross. 

With that in mind, he knows the days of ministry are limited. On the way to Jerusalem, he entered a village, and he sees ten lepers (people who suffer from various skin diseases) who are unable to participate in community life due to laws in the Torah. In a culture like Judea in the time of Rome, family, community and tribe were not just important; they were what gave life connection, purpose, meaning. To get a skin disease which banished you from community was akin to a living death. These suffering people look to Jesus the one who can heal them, as their “Master”. 

Interestingly, the last words Jesus said before speaking to these men, in Luke’s narrative, were of masters and servants. Specifically, masters do have authority over their servants or slaves. They have the authority to command them to work and rest only when the master’s wishes are fulfilled. To post-chattel-slavery-American ears, we recoil in horror about how masters might have treated their slaves. But Jesus’ point isn’t about the actual institution of slavery but about how his disciples should consider their own responsibility when following him : “When you have done all that you were commanded, say, “We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.”” Jesus wants his disciples (that’s us) to recognize that the God who owns all things owns us, and the savior who saves all people saved us. Therefore, God and Christ deserve all things, and when we give them our all, we are not going above and beyond the call of duty, we are giving God and Christ exactly what they deserve. 

Jesus tells the lepers to go and show themselves to the priest. This is a reference to a priest being able to see if they are “clean” in order to fulfill Torah and allow the unclean to return to community. Note: he does not heal them. He says “go” and “as they went they were cleansed.” It was in the going, it was in the action, the trusting, the faith that they were cleansed, made whole, restored. 

But one stopped. 

One turned around. 

One praised God in a loud voice. 

One fell at the feet of the Master Jesus. 

One gave thanks. 

Jesus seems to expect the other nine, inquires into there whereabouts, but looks with grace at this Samaritan leper-no-more, and says “your faith has made you well.”

Giving thanks is not an element of the Christian faith that moves us from normal to turbo-charged-Christianity. 

Giving thanks is a vital part of understanding that God, who owns all things, has given us all things. (Rom. 8:32) Giving thanks is a vital part of understanding that Christ, our Master and Savior, gave himself to save us upon the cross, and by his wounds we are healed. (Isa. 53:5-6) Giving thanks is a vital part of the Christian faith, because God and Christ deserve all things, and to give them thanks and to shout loudly the praise of God and fall at the feet of Christ is the most common, natural, expected response to those who have been saved by grace through faith. 

When we give thanks, we are not being amazing, super Christians, wonderful and worthy of praise ourselves. 

When you give thanks and give it all to God, then say, “We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.”

-Jake Ballard

Reflection Questions

  1. When we consider our position as Christians, we are slaves, bought from one master (sin, death, the devil) to serve another (God through Christ). Do you bristle at the thought of being a slave or a servant? We are being adopted, heirs of God and coheirs with Christ (Rom. 8:17), but one image doesn’t completely negate the other. Why do you and I feel uncomfortable with being own by the God who already owns everything?
  2. “Your faith has made you well.” I find it interesting that Jesus, who seemed to be very necessary in the completion of the miracle, implies that the man was cleansed by his own faith, as if Jesus didn’t have anything to do with it. Why is this phrase used here and in other miracles? Is Jesus implying that he was not needed or is this humility? How should we understand this phrase to a man who was healed “as he went”?
  3. When was the last time you gave God thanks for everything in your life that you could remember? Try it this week. Everyday, after devotions, spend 5, 10, 15 minutes in prayer, thanking God for everything good in your life, in your family, in the world. Let this week be a week of giving thanks, and still realize that this is our appropriate response to the God who gives every good and perfect gift. (James 1:17)
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In Its Time

Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 59-60

Poetry Reading: Psalm 88

New Testament: James 2

These two chapters read together continue a familiar pattern that we have run across several times this week already in Isaiah. We see rebuking of sin and rejection of the LORD followed by compassion and a plan of reconciliation to the LORD.

Chapter 59 starts with a good reminder too that sin separates us from God not because God doesn’t hear, cannot save, or we are beyond his reach. The separation comes from us through our wrongdoings. Verse seven uses the words destruction and devastation and I can’t think of any more accurate words to describe how a life without the LORD would be. Yet, so many people in this world live this way every day.

So often, I hear Christians in difficult times say, “I can’t imagine life without God”, and that is so true of how I feel as well. Even in the worst of circumstances and turmoil, if we are reconciled to God through Jesus, aware of the hope of His eternal kingdom and plan, and trusting Him, we feel a connection and peace that sustains us.  Currently I have a dear friend I have worked with for years who is in her fourth year of a faithful battle with a rare cancer, her son-in-law was tragically murdered eight years ago in a random act of violence while he was on a prayer vigil walk, leaving behind her daughter and their newborn grandchild, and now that daughter is remarried with a 3 week old baby who is currently hospitalized having constant seizures, recently diagnosed with an incredibly rare genetic mutation which will lead to increasing seizures and tremendous danger if not stopped. This diagnosis has led to one of the few specialists in the country experienced in this diagnosis doing a pediatric neurosurgery in Washington DC which will leave her newborn daughter with half of a brain, obviously creating tremendous risk and unknowns for everyone involved. And yet, my friend and her daughter, in the darkest times or the lighthearted ones, sound so much more at peace, sustained, and reasonable than those I know with the smallest of stressors who lack a relationship with God.  Isaiah 59 talks about the separation, growling, gloom, moaning, of those who are separated from the LORD due to sin, even “like the dead” verse 10 tells us. A life without the LORD and without His redemption and hope is not a life worth living. My heart goes out to those living that way at this moment, and my heart is sustained by Isaiah 59:21 and Isaiah 60 because it is not the way God has left us to live.

Thankfully, where Isaiah 59:16 mentions there was no one to intercede, we have an intercessor on our behalf now.  Thankfully, where Jerusalem has seen its ups and downs and enemies from all around over the centuries, Isaiah 60 concludes with what appears to be reference to the New Jerusalem. One so bright with the glory of God we won’t need the sun or moon. One without devastation or destruction (remember Chapter 59?). One without violence. A land possessed forever. Isaiah 60:21 gives us one of my favorite promises about it too….”your people shall all be righteous“! A wonderful, sin-less, perfect, peaceful, joyful place.

When?

       “I am the Lord; in its time I will hasten it”

 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Isaiah 60:22.

-Jennifer Hall

Reflection Questions:

1. Knowing you are never beyond God’s reach, when you are feeling separated from God, what from His word today might help you in your path of reconciliation?

2. What might help sustain you or others in your life through the difficult times as you wait for the New Jerusalem to descend in the LORD’s time?

3. What attribute of the New Jerusalem mentioned in Isaiah 60 comforts you most?

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Defiled…or Not

*New Testament Reading:  Mark 7

Psalms Reading:  76

Old Testament Reading:  Isaiah 35-36 

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There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him. – Mark 10:14 (ESV)

“Goodness Gracious!”  “Jiminy!”  “Good Golly!”  And, occasionally, “Uffda”.  Laugh if you want, but these are actually phrases that come out of my mouth when surprised or startled.  I have many issues and sins that I struggle with in my life (just ask my family), but bad language isn’t one of them.  Why not?  Likely because I don’t put that into my mind.  It bothers me to watch movies with a lot of bad language and I don’t surround myself with people who talk that way (at least they don’t in front of me). 

In Mark 7:14-15 we read:  And he [Jesus] called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand: There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.” And Mark 7:20-23 gets more specific:  And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

There are two parts of this that need to be addressed.  First, what does it mean to defile yourself?  Here are some definitions I found for defile:  to spoil; to make dirty; to corrupt; to take away the purity, honor, or goodness of.  Second, for something to come out, it must be in, right?  So, how does that list of what comes out of the heart get into the heart? 

Think of the song O Be Careful Little Eyes. 

O be careful little eyes what you see
O be careful little eyes what you see
For the Father up above
Is looking down in love
So, be careful little eyes what you see

The other verses are O be careful little ears what you hear, little tongue what you say, hands what you do, feet where you go, heart whom you trust, and mind what you think.   All of these put ideas/thoughts into our minds.  Once there, we use our minds to decide what to do with the thought.  Are we going to take it captive and make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:50)?  Are we going to let it conform us to the world or transform us to be renewed to know God’s will (Romans 12:2)? 

Other verses can give us more clarity and direction. 

1 Corinthians 15:33:  Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” Or, “corrupts good character” (NIV)

Psalm 119:11:  I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

What you put in (read, watch, listen to, etc.) and who you surround yourself with (face-to-face, groups online, etc.) WILL come out.   God goes so far as to warn us not to be deceived about such things.  Luke 6:45 says, “For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” And it’s not just the words from our mouths.  It’s our actions, inactions, attitudes, etc.  Be aware that what comes out reveals our hearts – as clean or unclean.  The choice is up to us.

Amy Blanchard

Reflection Questions

  1. What are you putting into your mind? 
  2. What comes out of you – your actions, words, and attitudes?  What do they reflect is in your heart? 
  3. God reveals himself through His Son, Jesus.  Jesus gives us a list of evil things that defile us.  What does this list reveal about God’s character to you?
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A Better Promise

Old Testament: Isaiah 15 & 16

Poetry: Psalm 66

*New Testament: Hebrews 11

     Hebrews chapter 11 is very well known and a powerful and beautiful piece of writing, maybe on a level with 1 Corinthians 13. What Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13 about love is more often quoted in wedding services, out of context, than used to discuss the situation at Corinth. Something similar may be true with what Hebrews 11 says regarding faith. Good use is made of the passage to discuss faith, but perhaps comparatively not much of the time in the context of what Hebrews is about. It is extremely easy to break this passage away from the rest of what was written by Herb (my name for the author of Hebrews, for simplicity).

     New Testament Greek had no chapter breaks, or even paragraph breaks. When authors of that time wanted to establish a change in topic they needed to do so with their words. Herb does a lot with inclusio, also called bracketing, which used repeated words to emphasize a section of text. The presence of these repetitions helped people who were following along with a work while hearing it out loud – and those attempting to memorize it. For hundreds of years very few people had access to written copies of these works and often they depended on listening to them spoken aloud, perhaps even from memory. (In seminary I had a teacher who assigned students to memorize a Psalm and recite it. Part of the point was to gain some sense of what it was like to hold scripture in your mind and speak it aloud. He was pleased and surprised when a student took up the challenge of learning Psalm 119 and succeeded.) There is an inclusio in Hebrews 11:2 and 39 created with the Greek for “to witness” which sets apart that chapter and shows our chapter break to be reasonable.

     But Herb did not discuss “faith” only in chapter 11. The Greek word for “faith” appears in Hebrews a total of 32 times: in 4:2; 6:1, 12; 10:32, 38, 39; then in chapter 11 (24 times); 12:2; and 13:7. Outside chapter 11 the references to faith almost all involve Herb expressing concern about believers having proper faith in Christ. You can also see a cluster of four references around chapter 11 which show how Herb set up that chapter and then picked up from it to move into the next part of the letter.

     For these devotions we generally read a single chapter but if you wish after reading this devotion you could reread the text, backing up a few verses to include part of chapter 10 as a lead-in to chapter 11. First, I want to highlight a few more words to pay attention to that appear in both Hebrews 10 and 11.

     In Hebrews 10:34 a Greek word for “better” appears which Herb uses 13 times in Hebrews. That is far more than elsewhere in the New Testament, but It obviously fits with the tone of the book, which keeps saying that Jesus is better than one thing or another. The word then gets used in 11:16, 35, and 40.

     In Hebrews 10:36 a Greek word for “receive” appears for the first time in Hebrews. It will be used twice more, in 11:19 and 39.

     Also in Hebrews 10:36, a Greek word for “promise” appears, the eighth of 14 uses. The remaining six times are in 11:9 (twice), 13, 17, 33, 39.

     Breaking down the list, “faith” is mentioned in the end of chapter 10, all through chapter 11, and at the start of chapter 12. Three other words connect the end of chapter 10 to chapter 11, suggesting that Herb set up points he was going to make in the faith chapter: “receive,” “better,” “promise.” You could back up to Hebrews 10:32 and read on through 12:2 to see how these words are emphasized together.

     If you choose to, you could also do a second exercise, for a different way of looking at things, considering these facts:

     In Hebrews 10:32 a Greek word for “endured” / “endure” appears. It is used four times in Hebrews, here and in 12:2, 3, and 7.

     In Hebrews 10:36 a Greek word for “patient endurance” or “perseverance” appears. It is used only here and 12:1.

     So two words about ‘endurance’ bridge the end of chapter 10 to the start of chapter 12, for a total of six appearances. This suggests that while Herb didn’t choose to emphasize endurance on the part of the Old Testament figures chapter 11 discusses he wanted to emphasize endurance on the part of the Christians he wrote to. This will become very clear if you try another read through starting at Hebrews 10:32 perhaps, but this time skip over chapter 11 entirely and read to 12:7.

     Hebrews 11 has a remarkable message about many great examples of faithfulness from the past who trusted God to be reliable and now serve as examples to us. Many people speak of the great acts of faith that these people engaged in, but that is not how the chapter describes them. It says that they “gained approval” from God for their faithfulness (v. 2, 39). In terms of Herb’s actual message these figures from the past are case studies in endurance, people who did not shrink back. Herb finally emphasizes not what they received through faith but what they did not receive, because none of them got what they were waiting for, which is interesting as it shows their common understanding of what to expect and that they did not allow thousands of years of waiting to throw off their patience (v. 39). We also see that the list of named figures stops with David and Samuel, in the time of the tabernacle. Some of the other figures are identifiable as from later times, such as the reference in verse 33 to “shut the mouths of lions,” which is plainly Daniel, but they remain unnamed.

     Verse 40 is the kicker for this chapter, of course. “God provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.” This is now the twelfth of fourteen uses of this language about perfection in Hebrews (the next will be in 12:2, the last in 12:23). It is remarkable the lengths that have been gone to in some interpretations to have this language make sense, without having the return of Christ and the resurrection hope be significant for the Old Testament saints and the church, together. But the repeated (and, in my Bible, underlined) words of the chapter prompt us and we can’t ignore them – receive better promises – there is no reasonable explanation where some part of the Church has already inherited what God planned to give us. We are a body, undivided, faithful, and patient. “Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at his coming.” (1 Corinthians 15:23).

     Lord, you have made lovely poetry, and remarkable prose. Yours are the greatest inventions, incredible art, the purest flavors, colors and lightning. I praise your creativity, and I await the wonders of the more perfect world that awaits when your son returns to earth. All I know now is the damaged version of what you intended. Some of what you first made still shines through, and it is amazing to me. Let me grow in faith in you always, for you are almighty and perfectly trustworthy. Amen.

-Daniel Smead

Reflection Questions

1.  Imagine if chapter 11 really were not in Hebrews. What would we be missing?

3.  Have you ever tried to memorize part of Hebrews 11? With its repeated pattern about “faith” it seems set up for that purpose, but modern Americans don’t tend to try memorizing much. What advantages do you see to memorizing scripture? How do you decide what scripture to memorize?

3.  Do you expect that faith is easier to hold to if you have people encouraging you to be faithful? How have you tried to be encouraging today? What things do you find encouraging?

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Love Like Jesus Day

Old Testament: Isaiah 13 & 14

Poetry: Psalm 65

New Testament: Hebrews 10

     “You showed sympathy to the prisoners” (Hebrews 10:34). I don’t know what that phrase brings to your mind. Maybe you see something from a television program or a movie, someone behind a sheet of glass holding a telephone receiver. Perhaps you have visited a prisoner at some point, for a prison ministry, or a relative or friend. You may think of sending letters, or helping prisoners readjust after their release. The issues under discussion in Hebrews were rather different. With the Roman empire it was expected that the relatives and friends of a prisoner would provide their food and other physical needs, though there might be some small rations. Christians became known for taking care of fellow believers who had been arrested for their faith, as well as other prisoners in need. But that meant people helping Christians ran the risk of getting accused of being Christians themselves. That’s probably where the next part of the verse came in, that they “accepted joyfully the seizure” of their property – they continued with their behavior even though it risked them being identified and targeted. They didn’t shy away from risk to guard themselves. It isn’t mentioned here but Christians during the Roman empire also became known for caring for plague victims when others would not, taking in orphans, collecting clothes to give to the poor, and generally being good to others.

     In the fourth century the Emperor Julian would become very frustrated about the contrast between the Christians and the pagans. In a letter he wrote: “Why then do we think that this is sufficient and do not observe how the kindness of Christians to strangers, their care for the burial of their dead, and the sobriety of their lifestyle has done the most to advance their cause? Each of these things, I think, ought really to be practiced by us.”

     In Hebrews 10 we find that Herb (my choice of a simple name for the book’s author) returned to issues he addressed in chapter six about a person surrendering their faith in Jesus (6:4-8; 10:26-31). These comments are directly paired in both chapters with the statement that Herb’s audience is not like that, which is shown by the fact that they have been ministering to believers (6:9‑12; 10:32-39). For Herb to defend his audience this way should be an obvious route to take. What are Christians told to do? “I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34‑35). Yes, that isn’t the only thing for Christians to do, but it is a huge example: “This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us. The one who keeps His commandments remains in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He remains in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.” (1 John 3:23-24). And the call to love isn’t necessarily simple or easy, either. The very fact that Jesus said “just as I have loved you” should put this at a high level, for Jesus loves at a high level.

     Hebrews 10 began by comparing the priests who stood in the tabernacle day after day offering sacrifices to Jesus and the single sacrifice he offered before he sat at God’s right hand. Herb wants us to understand that what Jesus did is much more powerful than all those earlier sacrifices. And because it is so much more powerful it calls more powerfully for our response. Herb says: “let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds” (v. 22-24). Those verses give a complicated image. The idea of being “sprinkled clean” plays off the sprinkling of the blood by the high priest once a year over everything that needed to be cleansed in the Holy of Holies – but Herb says that our hearts are part of what Jesus cleansed. There are no more evil consciences for us, we can have pure consciences and serve wholeheartedly, having been washed with pure water, referring to our baptisms. This is very similar to 1 Peter 3:21-22, “baptism now saves you – not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience – through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is at the right hand of God”. We are to hold to the confession of our hope that came with that baptism – because the fact of being baptized, to Herb, doesn’t mean what is so often called baptism today (the sprinkling of a baby, with no knowledge of what it means) but the choice made by a believer to state their understanding in front of at least one other person, confessing hope in the promises of God involving Jesus and the future. He who promised is faithful, so we should not waver in our commitment. By having made that choice each one of us becomes part of the body of Christ, which is a collective group. Recognizing that we are part of that group should remind us that we have support with each other, and also that we have responsibility and commitment for each other, so we need to think about how we can stimulate each other to love and good deeds.

     One of my seminary teachers noted that there are two possible interpretations of Hebrews 10:25. It is often used to advocate for attendance at worship services using the phrase “assembling together” to refer to ‘not meeting on a regular basis,’ as a matter of habit. But the Greek word for the assembling or gathering here is the one used in 2 Thessalonians 2:1, and it has been suggested that it could be saying not to forsake our being gathered together with Jesus at his return – so not, by your choices, giving up on being a part of the resurrection with him. More like “Don’t forsake being part of the resurrection gathering, as some are in the manner of, but encourage each other to be there at that day, all the more as you see it drawing near.” Either meaning could work. (The term translated as “habit” also gets translated “manner.”)

     Hebrews 10:31, which says “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God,” should be read along with verse 27 that refers to “a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries.” We are still speaking of the adversaries of God being consumed, not simply tortured in some ongoing way (as some versions of theology would have it). I see no conflict in this. Notably Hebrews 10:26 references Numbers 15:30, showing that Herb had that part of the book in his mind when he was writing this section about fire and judgment. And Numbers 16 may well be the section he was pointing his readers to for a consideration of how terrifying God could be when passing judgment. God doesn’t need to be a demented torturer to be scary. I don’t think that Korah was complacent when he faced the results of his revolt. Endless suffering is not required for God’s wrath to be respected. If all we were concerned about was what came after this life we would have no concerns about anything in this one. But we have proven ourselves well capable of being concerned about what happens now.

     In the last part of the chapter Herb wants his audience to proclaim that they are not giving up on Jesus. He doesn’t want any doubt on that point. He says “do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward” (v. 35). He quotes God saying:

“My righteous one shall live by faith;

And if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him.”

But Herb tells his audience “we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.” (v. 39).

Lord, it really is a terrible thing to think of anyone giving up on their confidence in your son. I read the book of Hebrews and I think I understand the concern it expresses, the passion which Herb felt about his readers. He didn’t want to say that any of them might turn away, but he didn’t want to stop urging them to remain vigilant. He just really wanted them all to be safe in the end. He wanted to tell them about how dangerous it would be to turn away from the sacrifice that Jesus made, because there is only one sacrifice in the new covenant, but he also wanted to say that it is up to you to judge – because if they thought they might have stepped too far then they might despair and not turn back to Jesus. Everything was a balancing act and the focus was always on getting as many as possible to devote themselves to the Lord. I am glad for your mercy, Lord, because I know so many people who I know need it, including me. Please help us to serve you better. Please help us to grow. Help us to love. Thank you again. Amen.

-Daniel Smead

Reflection Questions

1.  Do you value being at church services with other believers? Do you feel that you are a part of the worship? Are you growing? Are you open to others? If not, how could that change?

2.  Herb wants his audience to be revived in their faith, to be passionate about Jesus against the risk of persecution. What if they weren’t warned about the risk of persecution when they first became Christians, and meeting opposition took them off guard, how might that affect their attitudes?

3.  Are you open to challenging yourself to a Love Like Jesus Day? Of course we are always supposed to do that. But how about consciously checking your actions for one day, all your thoughts, words, deeds, measuring yourself against Jesus and trying to amp your love to Jesus-levels? What do you think it will look like?

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The Law of Love

OLD TESTAMENT: ISAIAH 8-9

POETRY: PSALM 63

NEW TESTAMENT: HEBREWS 8

I believe that many readers of these devotions are currently students, while for some of you your school days are long in the past. Well, please adjust your memory as necessary and imagine the following situation: you’ve written a research paper with a required word count, and you run out of things to say (at least in the amount of time you gave yourself to write it). Your imagination is tapped. The letter of the law tells you the requirement, but you just can’t get your brain to produce any more useful ideas on the subject. What might you do? Perhaps you make one of your quotations longer to get the paper to reach the limit. If you were being a bit more cautious you might find spots to put in two or three shorter quotations so that your teacher won’t think that was what you did, instead of having one long quotation. 

Well Hebrews is the New Testament book which depends the most on quotations, it has the most quotations and draws on them steadily to make its points about God’s intentions. Much of its argument about high priests uses Psalm 110 (which is itself the most quoted text in the New Testament, with Psalm 110:1 the most quoted individual verse in the Bible). And starting in Hebrews 8:8 we have the longest quotation in the New Testament, but I guarantee that it isn’t there for padding. For one thing the average length of a Greek letter at the time was only 90 words – more philosophical letters ran to 250 words. But even the short book of Philemon is 355 words. The book of Hebrews is nearly 5,000 words. Padding was not required. This information may be treated only as trivia, or we may think about why Hebrews depended so much on the Old Testament, as foundation for what it tells us. Consider the possibility that for some Christians this was one of the first “New Testament” works they had contact with – they may have known stories of Jesus by word of mouth, but their Bible may have been almost entirely the Old Testament, and this letter was attempting to guide how they viewed it by careful argument. On the off chance that you have been skipping over the quotations all this time because you assume they don’t add anything to the main story, do please read today’s text in full (and you probably should go back over the earlier ones too).

Hebrews 8:1 begins by restating some facts about Jesus: that he became our high priest and is at God’s right hand. Hebrews seven had discussed these facts, but alongside many other issues, now the author (who you may recall I choose to call Herb, for simplicity) refocuses our attention on these core points from Psalm 110:1, 4. Going from that foundation verse two makes the additional point that in heaven Jesus ministers in “the sanctuary,” that is “the true tabernacle” or sacred tent, pitched by God rather than man. Moses was given very specific instructions about what the tabernacle on earth should be like, and he was told that the tabernacle reflected the greater reality which exists in heaven. Several of the Psalms also refer to the heavens as a tent set up by God. The comparison might not seem as smooth if it were drawn between the heavens and the Temple which Solomon spent years building in Jerusalem, but the book of Hebrews doesn’t discuss the Temple worship, it emphasizes the worship that took place in the wilderness.

Having brought his audience back to first principles, Herb says in the next few verses some things that will be expanded on in chapters nine and ten. That doesn’t mean he is saying things that his audience wasn’t aware of. For example, in 8:3 he says that it is necessary for Jesus to have “something to offer” as a high priest. Herb says this only a few verses after having stated in 7:27 that Jesus “offered himself.” I think this fact was familiar to everyone involved in Christianity. But Herb is walking his readers through his argument, making the case he set out to make. 

The quote beginning in Hebrews 8:8, from Jeremiah 31:31-34, will also be part of the discussion in the next two chapters of the book. It shows that during the time of the first covenant a need was stated – by God – for an improvement in the relationship of God and the people. All along the way God recognized needs and took steps to fill them. The same God brought about the first covenant and the second covenant. It was not some error in the first that resulted in the second, God planned for the developments that took place. While Jeremiah 31:31-34 says that the time is coming when no one would need to teach anyone the Laws (v. 10) it does not say that the content provided in the Law would be changing. Jeremiah simply said a new way was coming for God’s law to be given to God’s people, and that a way will come for sins to be forgiven. But we know that these changes involved more, and that the content of what people are meant to take in has changed between the first and second covenants. The law of love is a simpler message than the hundreds of laws contained in Leviticus, and through the Holy Spirit what God desires will be written “on our hearts” (v. 10). There is a different kind of relationship possible with God now than before.

Jesus said, in the Sermon on the Mount, that he did not come “to abolish the Law” but to “fulfill” the Law (Matthew 5:17). Perhaps some scholar of the Law could have anticipated that for the Law, which no one had ever successfully kept, to be fulfilled might be just what was required to bring change. Maybe Jesus’ words would have disturbed that scholar. Then again, a scholar of the Law who could anticipate such matters may also have foreseen that this was in God’s plan. Ultimately it was the ministry of Jesus at the true tabernacle, in heaven, which allowed the first covenant to be obsolete and disappear.

Lord, thank you for writing your will on my heart to let me understand you better. I don’t understand you as well now as I someday will be able to, but I am glad to know you more than I once did. It is good to love you, and to feel your love. Merciful Lord, help us to offer your mercy in your great strength. Amen. 

Reflection Questions

  1. We might sometimes think of the second covenant as very different from the first, but both covenants come from the God who took the people “by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt” (v. 9) – God loved and cared for the people of the first covenant, it is God who was rejected. What does the history of Israel show us about how God handles human rejection? 
  2. It seems likely that the first audience of the book of Hebrews knew the Old Testament better than most of us do, which may have helped them to understand the book of Hebrews better than we do. When you run into an Old Testament quotation you do not understand well, do you try to follow up on its context in the Old Testament?
  3. How do you see the “law of love,” for God and neighbor, as differing from the law expressed in the first covenant? Is the issue that people are being freed from ceremonial issues? Are Christians being given more trust and leeway?

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