The Everyday Prayer

RE Verse reading–Hebrews 3:7-19 (day one)
“Do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion. . .I declared in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ” (v 8, 11)  One of the great promises of the Scripture is rest found in God.  A sense of peace.  The ability to look with confidence on the present and the future.  An absence of anxiety.  When Jesus said, “Come unto me, and I will give you rest”(Matthew 11:28), He implied something more than just physical approach.  Only as our coming to Christ includes surrender does it bring the promised peace to the soul.  The Bible says that rebellion in every heart is a reality we all must face.  “We do not want this man to reign over us” say the characters in one of Jesus’ parables. (Luke 19:14)  Sad.  My anxiety will be proportionate to my need for control.  When I come to Christ,  and call Him Lord, rest comes!  It is a promise.

RE Verse reading–Hebrews 1:1-6, 14; 2:1-4 (day seven)
“When He brings again the Firstborn into the world, He says, ‘Let all the angels of God worship Him.’ ” (1:6)  Last week at FBC was “Easter in August”.  This week is “Christmas in September”.   Ancients firmly believed in angels.  They were convinced that God sent “messengers” to protect and serve believers.  The scripture tells these stories, describes these luminous, strong, pure beings.  One important way that angels serve us is to example worship of Christ.  Remember the Christmas story?  The skies over Bethlehem EXPLODE  with joyful, powerful praise at the birth of the Son of God?  How much more should we, the recipients of such salvation, enter into worship with whole hearts?  I have never SEEN an angel.  Not that I know of.  The more important question, have I HEARD what they are saying?  Followed their example?  “Glory to God in the highest!”  See you in a few hours. . .we will shout it together!

Re: Verse reading–Hebrews 1:1-6, 14; 2:1-4 (day six)
“But in these last days He (God) has spoken to us in His Son. ..We (therefore) must pay more careful attention.”  (v. 1:2, 2:1)  Have you ever seen a small child (thinking that her Dad is not listening to her) take his face in her hands and hold it toward her?  In Hebrews 2, the Bible uses a similar picture.  The Greek word for pay attention means, literally, “to hold toward”.  In this case the responsibility is ours.  We are to “hold our face toward God”, not rushing away from a Quiet Time before we hear what the Spirit is saying.  Most spiritual weakness these days is a function of haste.  Insufficient time and attention is paid to God.  Do we wonder why His promises seem so far away?  At the transfiguration (Matthew 17), God the Father gives similar instruction.  “This is my beloved Son. . .  Listen to Him!”  Do you have His perspective/His wisdom?  Are you listening?

Re: Verse reading – Hebrews 1:1-2:4 (day 5)
“He has spoken to us by His Son” (1:2). Words are powerful. His “I’m proud of you, son” anchored my heart against the tumult of difficulty and failure. Her “yes” to my marriage proposal hurled me into a whole new way of life. His “welcome home” opened a wide door of ministry in a new city. His “can I pray, Dad?” gave me a glimpse of the lifetime that is at stake in quiet moments we share as a family. Words are powerful. They shape identity, define relationships, propel progress and create hope. If words spoken between two human beings can carry this life-shaping power, how much more is contained in the Word of the Infinite, Mysterious Divine One? “We must therefore pay even more attention to what we have heard…” (2:1). “Even more attention” seems to be a bit of an understatement! If the Divine has indeed spoken, then we must pay the utmost attention to that Word.

Re: Verse reading–Hebrews 1:1-6,14; 2:1-4 (day four)
We begin a new study this week…the book of Hebrews.  Our theme for the quarter is “Facing Life With Faith.”  Hebrews is the place to find answers on how to do that.  Just the first four verses give you a hint of what is to come.  Look at the descriptive phrases about Jesus in these four verses:  God’s Son, Agent of Creation, Heir of all things, Radiance of His glory, Exact Representation of His nature, Powerful Word, Purified our sins, Seated at the Father’s right hand, Much better than the angels, More excellent name, and God’s present spokesman!  To acknowledge these attributes demands a response on our part to them.  How do we respond to Jesus?  That is the question every one of us must answer.  How we answer will have eternal consequences.  Eternal is a long time.  Who is Jesus?  Why did He come?  How am I to respond to Him? 

Re: Verse reading–Hebrews 1 and 2 (day three)
“But in these days he has spoken to us by his Son.”  A friend of mine puts it this way: Jesus Christ is the last word of God.  That is not to say, of course, that God communicates nothing more.  It is to say that there is no fuller expression of God than Jesus.  We pay close attention to last words that people utter.  We figure that if people have only a short time left to say anything, they won’t waste words, but say what really matters to them.  God is certainly not on his deathbed–though many have attempted to write his obituary–but his final word on his identity is his Son.  Do you want to know God?  Get to know Christ.  Go to the Bible.  Find Jesus.  You will see God

Re: Verse reading–Hebrews 1:1-6,14; 2:1-4 (day two)
I love figuring things out.  It drives my wife crazy, because I expect everyone to think like I do.  It’s particularly challenging for her during movies when I lean over and offer my thoughts on the outcome.  (I’m a work in progress.)  The writer of Hebrews, however, thinks like me….at least in regards to our Faith journey.  The context clues of our Creator lie all around us.  We are all called to salvation and the Lord has provided such excellent witnesses for us; think of scripture, the wisdom of our godly elders, the Holy Spirit, and the marvel of creation.  Take a minute to get your head up, look around and pay attention.  The Lord has something to say to you today!

Re: Verse reading–Hebrews 1:1-6,14; 2:1-4 (day one–New Study!)
Did you ever see the old movie “The Fugitive”?  Harrison Ford shouts, “I didn’t kill my wife!”  Tommy Lee Jones says, “I don’t care!”  The writer of Hebrews imagines a similar conversation going on between men and God.  “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?” (v 2:3)  The word for neglect is ameleo.  Melo meant “to care, to be concerned.”  A/meleo meant “not to care”.  Most people don’t set out to deny God.  They usually have no conscious intent to offend His law or challenge His authority.  They just neglect the opportunities.  They just ignore the voice/call of God.  They keep their distance from God.  Dangerous mistake!  To whom much is given, much is required.  The GREAT salvation offered in Jesus Christ puts all of us under heavy responsibility and great danger.  How will we escape judgement if our answer to His amazing love is,  “I don’t care!”