Sacrifice of praise

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Hebrews 11-13; Psalm 30

TO CHEW ON: "Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name." Hebrews 13:15


Not only does the writer of Hebrews challenge us to continuous contentment (Hebrews 13:5,6) but to an even more radical habit. He suggests we live lives of continuous praise.

The phrase "sacrifice of praise" snags my attention. How is our praise a sacrifice? A sidebar article in my Bible gives this insight:

"The word 'sacrifice' (Greek thusia) comes from the root thuo, a verb meaning "to kill or slaughter for a purpose." Praise often requires that we 'kill' our pride, fear, or sloth—anything that threatens to diminish or interfere with our worship of the Lord" Guy P. Duffield, Hebrews commenter, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1746.

I look with chagrin at the trivialities that can quench my praise: the weather, problems with my stuff, a headache, a stressful schedule... Yes, praising God in and through the above will need a sacrifice on my part, though a tiny one. Perhaps those little irritants are meant as rehearsal for the big problems that will inevitably come along—terminal illness, catastrophe, death—so I can be praising through those things as well.

Of course our praise isn't a Pollyanna-ish refusal to look at life realistically. It is based on our thankfulness to God who, in Jesus, stepped into time and space. He sacrificed everything for me so that my eternal destiny is sure, no matter what my circumstances here on earth.

Our Bible commenter again:

"Praise will never be successfully hindered when we keep its focus on Him."

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, help me today to sacrifice any and all thoughts of discontent, irritation, worry, fear … substituting them with the fruit  (thoughts and words) of praise. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 30

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The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. - Used with permission.

Final and finished

"O wretched man that I am..." Romans 7:24 (Artist unknown)

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Hebrews 9-10; Psalm 29

TO CHEW ON: “For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.” Hebrews 10:14

In today's reading we see Jesus offering Himself as a sacrifice.

The writer here is talking to people who know the code of laws and sacrifices God gave to Israel through Moses. He attempts to convince his audience of the efficacy of Christ’s sacrifice over the animal sacrificial system. He begins by stating this (animal sacrifice) system is imperfect because consciousness of sin dictates we have to keep making sacrifices indefinitely (“And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins” - Hebrews 10:11).

But Jesus’ sacrifice is different. His one sacrifice, where He offers His perfect life as the payment for our sin, means the need for all the animal sacrifices is forever satisfied. He has made our peace with God (Hebrews 10:12).

However, that doesn’t mean we’re perfect or the consciousness of our sin is lessened. Rather, it is the settled fact of our relationship with God – even as we are still in process – “we are being sanctified.”

[Sanctified =  hagiazo: to hallow, set apart, dedicate, consecrate, make holy.
“In the Old Testament things, places and ceremonies were named hagiazo. In the NT the word describes the manifestation of life produced by the indwelling Holy Spirit” Word Wealth – New Spirit Filled Life Bible, p. 1463.]

What does all this mean for you and me, here and now? Here’s how I understand it.

1. By accepting Jesus’ death as applying to me, I can live guilt-free in relation to God.

2. But this doesn’t give me license to do whatever I like – to sin as much as I want because in the next instant I can say “sorry” and be assured everything is okay between God and me again.

3. Rather, my right relationship with God shows itself in my lifestyle. I am set apart (by His Spirit in me) to live a life that is hagiazo.

I ask myself, does my life show this? Are His laws and ways being written on my heart and my mind. Am I continuing in the process of “being sanctified”?

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for the sacrifice of Your life for me. Holy Spirit, please set me apart for Your purposes. Write Your laws on my heart and mind. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 29

MORE: Oswald Chambers’ insights on this passage

"We trample the blood of the Son of God under foot if we think we are forgiven because we are sorry for our sins. The only explanation of the forgiveness of God and of the unfathomable depth of His forgetting is the Death of Jesus Christ. Our repentance is merely the outcome of our personal realization of the Atonement which He has worked out for us…..


"It does not matter who or what we are, there is absolute reinstatement into God by the death of Jesus Christ and by no other way, not because Jesus Christ pleads, but because He died. It is not earned, but accepted" - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest - Read, December 8 reading.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Jesus our praying priest

"Christ As Mediator: Christ showing His wounds to His Father" 
Artist unknown; Illustrator of 'Speculum humanae salvationis', 
Germany (?), c. 1400-1500

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Hebrews 7-8; Psalm 28

TO CHEW ON: "Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them." - Hebrews 7:25

Theologian Wayne Grudem writes about how Jesus is pictured in Hebrews in relation to the Old Testament covenant:

"In the Old Testament, the priests were appointed by God to offer sacrifices. They also offered prayers and praise to God on behalf of the people. In so doing they 'sanctified' the people or made them acceptable to come into God's presence, albeit in a limited way during the Old Testament period. In the New Testament Jesus becomes our great high priest .... Jesus functions as priest in two ways:

1. Jesus offered a perfect sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 7:27; 9:12, 24-28; 10:1-2 and more).

2. Jesus continually brings us near to God (Hebrews 6:19-20 and more)" - Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology p. 626, 627 (of course Grudem expands on these points).

And Jesus does one more thing as our high priest. "He always lives to make intercession ..." (Hebrews 7:25).  In other words, He continually prays for us.

Though Bible students have interpreted "intercession" in two ways: 1] as Jesus' presence mutely reminding God of our right-standing before Him and, 2] as Jesus actively interceding, the Greek word used for intercession here, entygchano, "clearly gives the sense of making requests or petitions before someone" - Gruden, p. 627.

How does Jesus know what to pray for? Well of course He knows everything so He knows the intricacies of our lives, our weaknesses, what will endanger, threaten, and tempt us. But implied here too, I believe, is the fact that we pray and He brings to God those prayers, petitions, sometimes even wordless groanings.  Grudem again:

"...Jesus continually lives in the presence of God to make specific requests and to bring specific petitions before God on our behalf .... Although God could care for all our needs in response to direct observation (Matthew 6:8), yet it has pleased God, in his relationship to the human race, to decide to act in response to prayer, apparently so that the faith shown through prayer might glorify him" - Grudem p. 628.

What an awesome privilege—to have our clumsily worded requests, tainted by our human imperfections, relayed to God by Jesus our eternal and perfect High Priest!

PRAYER: Thank You, Jesus, for being my High Priest, taking my prayers and interceding to God the Father on my behalf. Please teach me to pray. May my faith grow so that my life honours You more. Amen. 

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 28

MORE: "He always prays for us according to the Father's will"  (Grudem p. 628)

Grudem ends the section on Christ's role as interceding High Priest with this wonderful quote from Berkhof:

"It is a consoling thought that Christ is praying for us, even when we are negligent in our prayer life; that He is presenting to the Father those spiritual needs which were not present to our minds and which we often neglect to include in our prayers; and that He prays for our protection against the dangers of which we are not even conscious, and against the enemies which threaten us, though we do not notice it. He is praying that our faith may not cease, and that we may come out victoriously in the end" - Berkhof, Systematic Theology, p. 403, quoted in Grudem, p. 628.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Milk vs. solid food

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Hebrews 5-6; Psalm 27

TO CHEW ON: "For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are full of age that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." Hebrews 5:13,14

What does the writer of Hebrews mean by "milk" and "solid food"? Where do you and I fit in this picture? Are we milk Christians, or do we eat solid food?

The writer gives us a clue when he talks about milk-requiring Christians as those who still haven't come to accept the "first principles" of the faith  (Hebrews 5:12) and again  refers to "elementary principles"  in Hebrews 6:1,2 where he goes on to name those six principles—the foundation on which faith is to be built. They are:

1. Repentance from dead works (see also Hebrews 9:14).
2. Faith toward God (John 3:16 comes to mind).
3. Baptism (see Acts 19:35).
4. Laying on of hands (some examples: Acts 8:17 and 19:6 where "laying on of hands" preceded people receiving the Holy Spirit; Acts 6:6 where it accompanied the commissioning of men for a special assignment).
5. Resurrection of the dead  (Acts 17:31).
6. Eternal judgment (Acts 24:25).

I ask myself, do I have a problem with / argue about / try to rationalize away any of these foundation stones of the faith? Because if I do, the writer would probably consider me a milk-limited Christian too.

On the other hand a "solid food" Christian is one builds a life of obedient practice ("...those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil") upon this foundation.

PRAYER:  Dear God, please help me to settle any issues I have with the basics, so I can go on to live a life of maturity and usefulness in Your kingdom.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 27

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Sin—not exactly as shown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Hebrews 3-4; Psalm 26

TO CHEW ON: "Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called 'Today,' lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." Hebrews 3:12-13

I remember how, when we were little, my siblings and I begged our parents to buy cereal because of the prize inside. Almost always, though, we were disappointed by that prize. For the large, sturdy toy pictured on the outside of the box turned out to be a fraction of the size and often broke even as we were trying to put it together.

Sin is like that. It looks attractive, desirable, must-have, must-do. But it never ends up as good as the picture.

Sin and deceit

• Satan's deceitful depiction of sin's consequences (he said there were none) convinced Eve to disobey God and put us on the sinful road we're on (Genesis 3:13).

• Deceit drags others into its net (2 Timothy 2:14).

• Deceit multiplies (2 Timothy 3:13).

• The deceived life is one of dissipation and selfishness (Titus 3:3).

• Continuing to live in deceit results in corruption (Ephesians 4:22) and death (Romans 7:11).

• We are to exhort our Christian brother or sister if we see them being deceived by sin (Hebrews 3:13).

The reason identifying sin's deceit is so important is because being fooled by it is the first step down the road that leads away from God. A footnote in my Bible says it well:

"Unbelief is caused by a hardened heart, which is caused by the deceitfulness of sin. The result is apostasy, departing from the living God .... Constant encouragement in the midst of a caring fellowship will help believers remain faithful" - Guy P. Duffield, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, notes on Hebrews, p. 1733.

I vaguely recall that often there was, beside those cereal box pictures, a disclaimer that read (in very small print) "Not exactly as shown." Next time we're tempted by sin's attractive image let's imagine those same words beside it: "Not exactly as shown."

PRAYER: Dear God, please open my eyes to sin's deceit. Help me to see past the pretty picture to the lie it represents. And give me the love and courage to exhort others when I see them being deceived. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 26

MORE: "Sin lives in a costume..."

"Sin lives in a costume; that’s why it’s so hard to recognize. The fact that sin looks so good is one of the things that make it so bad. In order for it to do its evil work, it must present itself as something that is anything but evil. Life in a fallen world is like attending the ultimate masquerade party.

Impatient yelling wears the costume of a zeal for truth. Lust can masquerade as a love for beauty. Gossip does its evil work by living in the costume of concern and prayer. Craving for power and control wears the mask of biblical leadership. Fear of man gets dressed up as a servant heart. The pride of always being right masquerades as a love for biblical wisdom. Evil simply doesn’t present itself as evil, which is part of its draw.

You’ll never understand sin’s sleight of hand until you acknowledge that the DNA of sin is deception. Now, what this means personally is that as sinners we are all very committed and gifted self-swindlers . . . . We’re all too skilled at looking at our own wrong and seeing good." - Paul David Tripp, Whiter Than Snow: Meditations on Sin and Mercy, p. 32 (quoted in The Glorious Deeds of Christ, "Why Does Sin Look So Good?")

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The excellency of God's Son

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Hebrews 1-2; Psalm 25

TO CHEW ON: “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son…” Hebrews 1:1,2

In Hebrews 1 the writer has put together a montage of Old Testament prophecies that predict the excellency of God’s Son.

1. He is creator - Hebrews 1:2,10 (quoting Psalm 102:25-27).

2. He is the One who “purged our sins” - Hebrews 1:3.

3. Mission accomplished, He now enjoys His inheritance at God’s right hand. As such He is King of the angels—greater than, served and worshiped by them - Hebrews 1:4,5,6,7,13 (quoting Psalm 2:7; 2 Samuel 7:14; Deuteronomy 32:43 NLT; Psalm 104:4; Psalm 110:1).

4. His kingdom is eternal - Hebrews 1:8,11,12 (quoting Psalm 45:6,7; Isaiah 34:4; 50:9; 51:6).

5. His kingdom is righteous - Hebrews 1:8,9 (quoting Psalm 45:6,7; Isaiah 61:1,3).

6. His kingdom is joyous - Hebrews 1:9 (quoting Isaiah 61:1,3).

7. His kingdom is unchanging - Hebrews 1:12 (quoting Isaiah 50:9; 51:6).

As we come ever closer to the day we celebrate the incarnation of God’s Son (Jesus Christ), let’s stir up our adoration and worship by meditating on these grand prophecies and their fulfillment in Jesus:

“O come, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant,
O come, ye, O come ye to Bethlehem!
Come and behold Him
born the King of angels!
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.”

~ John Francis Wade circa 1743 (Translated from the Latin).

(It sounds like John Francis Wade may have read Hebrews 1 before he wrote this beautiful Christmas hymn!)


PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for coming to purge our sins and establish an eternal, righteous, joyous, and unchanging kingdom. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 25

The Bible Project VIDEO: Hebrews (Read Scripture Series)



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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Invincible

The king extends his sceptre to Esther - Artist unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Esther 6-10; Psalm 54

TO CHEW ON: "The Jews gathered together in their cities …. And no one could withstand them, because fear of them fell upon all people." Esther 9:2

Here we read again what we've read before—of God coming to the aid of His helpless and outnumbered people, the Jews, using the psychological weapon of fear in their enemies.

This fear of the Jews is an old theme from when God promised to help the Israelites conquer Canaan. Moses reminded the Israelites of this repeatedly in passages like Numbers 14:9, Deuteronomy 7:24, 11:25; 28:7; 32:30.

When Joshua became their leader, God promised to help him in the same way - Joshua 1:5; 10:8. We read of the results of this fear in places like Joshua 12:1; 21:44; 23:9.

The Old Testament prophets continued to predict fear in the enemies of the Jews. God was intent on preserving the people out of which His Son would be born to bring salvation for the world  - Isaiah 19:17; Jeremiah 15:20; Daniel 11:16; Zechariah 9:13.  This incident in Persia is an example of this fear in action.

When Jesus walked the earth, we recall the many times during his life when the scribes and Pharisees, who were intent on killing him, were mysteriously hindered from harming Him by fear of one kind or another - Matthew 21:26,46; Mark 12:12; Luke 5:26; 20:19.

And the wonderful thing is that the promise of invincibility comes down to us.

Jesus promised about the church that the "... gates of hell shall not prevail against it" - Matthew 16:18.

Paul tells Christians to put on the armor of God, take up the shield of faith and in this way they would be able to "... quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one" - Ephesians 6:16.

No wonder the demons believe and "... tremble" - James 2:19.

When we feel small, insignificant, and badly outnumbered in an unbelieving world, let's not lose sight of the fact that God is still at work in the enemy's ranks. And He still has the weapon of fear in His arsenal.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to live with confidence that Your plans and purposes for this world will never be thwarted. Amen.





PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 54

MORE: Modern fear of the Jews
When former KGB spy Jack Barsky (a Soviet spy in the U.S. during the Cold War years) recently talked to Steve Kroft of 60 Minutes, he said that the Jews were one of three things the Soviets feared most during those years. (The others were AIDS and Ronald Reagan).

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

We need each other

Christians come together in Jerusalem / Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Hebrews 10:32-11:2

TO CHEW ON: “But recall the former days in which, after you were illuminated, you endured a great struggle with sufferings: partly while you were made a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations, and partly while you became companions of those who were so treated.” Hebrews 10:33


Today’s passage was written to first century Jewish Christians. From my Bible’s introduction:

“Apparently they expected Christ to return soon but the delay in His coming and the persecutions against them (Hebrews 10:32-34) caused them to wonder if they had made the right choice in becoming Christians… This epistle was written to wavering Jewish believers, encouraging them to stand fast in their faith” - Guy P. Duffield, “Introduction to Hebrews,” New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1728.

If we’re followers of history, we know that society’s attitude to Christianity, pro- and anti-, pendulums back and forth. In my growing up years, a generation or two after many European immigrants fled religious persecution to Canada as a place where they would be able to live their Christian convictions without fear of arrest, the attitude of society was much friendlier to Christianity than it is now.

Now the pendulum is swinging the other way. For example, a bill was passed in Ontario in June 2017, that gives the state power to apprehend a child from parents who don’t support the notion that gender is fluid, and who would oppose their child’s “human right” to change gender.  And in Camrose Alberta, the school board is attempting to limit which Bible verses a Christian school can use.

Thus the scenario pictured by our reading, of Christians suffering and struggling grows more possible for us. Apparently for the Hebrew believers it wasn’t a struggle of just ideas either but a very real physical set-to, with “plundering of goods” added to “reproaches” and “tribulations.” And this could happen to one for being a companion (friend, known associate) of a despised Christian - Hebrews 10:33.

I love this quote found in The Christian Almanac:

“There is a spiritual cancer at work in the world. The piracy of man’s fallen nature invariably mitigates against freedom and justice. Therefore voluntary associations must needs balance us—without force of state but nonetheless with the force of community—and hold us to accounts” - James Stuart (1849-1901)” - The Christian Almanac, July 3rd entry, p. 393.

What both Hebrews and Mr. Stuart drive home to me is that community is important. We in the church need each other in these times of the world’s increasing hostility.

PRAYER: Dear Father, help me to remain loyal to You, Your word, and my Christian brothers and sisters. Amen.

MORE: Feast of St. Thomas
Today is the day the church celebrates the Apostle Thomas. (This is a feast day that has two dates attached to it - July 3rd and December 21st).

The liturgy for this day begins with this prayer:

Everliving God, who strengthened your apostle Thomas with firm and certain faith in your Son's resurrection: Grant us so perfectly and without doubt to believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord and our God, that our faith may never be found wanting in your sight; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

God—inhearted, enmeated, immarrowed

WISHING ALL WHO READ HERE A BLESSED CHRISTMAS! 

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Hebrews 2:1-18

TO CHEW ON: “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same…” Hebrews 2:14


Today we celebrate the incarnation—God taking on human flesh, a human body and mind in Jesus Christ. Throughout the Bible we find footprints leading to and from this event.

Isaiah prophesied it:

“… Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son…” - Isaiah 7:14.  

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given…” Isaiah 9:6 

“The LORD has called Me from the womb,
From the matrix of My mother He has made mention of My name” - Isaiah 49:1.

He would be born of David's kingly line:

"There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse,
And a Branch shall grow out of his roots" - Isaiah 11:1

Mary was the Hebrew girl God chose to be Jesus’ mother:

" And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus" Luke 1:31.

"And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn" Luke 2:7.

The New Testament writers understand and communicate this incarnation in a variety of ways.

Paul draws our attention to the humbling plunge of this event:

“…but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant and coming in the likeness of men” - Philippians 2:7.

In another place He calls it a “mystery”:

“…great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh…” 2 Timothy 3:17.

John adds a layer of significance by calling Him the "Word":

“… the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” - John 1:14.

Paul affirms that He is from David’s line:

“Concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh” - Romans 1:3.

Paul and the writer of Hebrews also tell us the purpose of His coming—to deal once and for all with all of mankind’s sin, exposed by our inability to keep the law:

“For what the law could not do … God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh" - Romans 8:3.

“Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is the devil” - Hebrews 2:14.

And this belief in the incarnation is a pillar of the Christian faith:

“For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist” - 2 John 1:7.

It’s really mind-bending—God, creator of all there is, humbling Himself to become a person… I have found in a book of Advent readings a wonderful poetic expression of it. Here is a snippet:

Incarnation

I
Inheart yourself, immensity. Immarrow,
Embone, enrib yourself….
… Enmeat
Yourself so we can rise onto our feet
And meet. For eyes, just take two suns and shrink them.
Make all your thoughts as small as you can think them...

- by Amit Majmudar (read entire)

PRAYER: Thank You, Jesus for inhearting, immarrowing, emboning, enmeating Yourself for us—for me. May I never lose my awe of and gratitude for this. Amen.

MORE: The Feast of Christmas

Today the church celebrates the Feast of Christmas.
The Christmas day liturgy has a choice of beginning prayers. I leave you with this (third) collect:

Almighty God, you have given your only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and to be born [this day] of a pure virgin: Grant that we, who have been born again and made your children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit; through our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom with you and the same Spirit be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

A harvest of words

Image: pixabay

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Hebrews 13:15-25

TO CHEW ON: "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name." Hebrews 13:15


Fruit is not the first step of the growing cycle. It's closer to the last. We need seeds, germination, nurturing, growth, ripening before we get fruit.

If what comes out of our mouths is "fruit," it is the result of what's gone on before. That happens mostly in our minds.

What seeds are we planting—or allowing to be planted? Are they thought seeds that will lead to the fruit of praise? What thoughts are we allowing to germinate, watering with our attention and concentration, ripening as self-talk until they spill out as the "fruit of lips"?

The writer of Hebrews reminds us that it's "Through Jesus..." that whatever our situation, it is or can be reworked into something praiseworthy. This "praise" is not a false optimism, though it may not always be what comes naturally but rather a "sacrifice."

Let's listen to the fruit of our lips. If we discover a harvest of fear, complaining, negativity, criticism, discontent etc., let's look into the earlier part, the thought part, of the "fruit of lips" process.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, help me to keep the soil of my mind full of Your truth. Amen. 


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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Practice contentment

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Hebrews 13:1-14

TO CHEW ON: "Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you or forsake you." Hebrews 13:5-6

Covetousness, it seems to me, is one of the big engines that drives our capitalist system. For example, new versions of electronics come out several times a year. So why would we want to hang onto our old smartphone, computer, or tablet when there's a new one that does more things faster? New styles in clothes and house decorating have us refreshing our wardrobes every season, redecorating the house every few years.

The system needs us to spend money in this way to keep going and growing. Manufacturers, investors and advertisers are masters at exploiting our natural tendency to want what the next person has, or the newest and best. Their goal: make sure we're never content.

These verses in Hebrews tell us to act, indeed to be, the exact opposite. The various translations add shades of meaning to the simple words of the NKJV.

"Let your conduct..." is rendered "Let your character and moral disposition..." (AMP), "Don't love..." (NLT), "Keep your lives free..." NIV, "Don't be obsessed with..." (MSG).

"Covetousness" is called "...love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]" AMP (I'd say that covers about everything!). "Don't be obsessed with getting more material things" says the Message.

Instead we are to be content. This because God has promised to be with us always. Even if we lose everything, no one can take away our relationship with Him and our hope of a future with Him.

I ask myself, is that enough for me not to need that new car, updated dining room furniture, Caribbean cruise that my friends rave about?

PRAYER: Dear God, please press home to me the importance of contentment. Help me to make choices that foster it. Amen.

MORE: Angles on contentment

- Our relationship with God enhances it (Proverbs 15:16).
- It can be nourished in any circumstance (Philippians 4:11).
- It makes possible the novel state of being content with one's wages (Luke 3:14).
- With it we can learn to enjoy and appreciate the simplest things in life (1 Timothy 6:6-8).

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
 
Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

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Necessary discipline

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Hebrews 12:5-29

TO CHEW ON: "Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless afterwards it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:11

Do you have regrets about the way you have or are raising your children? In a novel I'm reading, the main character reviews how she and her husband brought up their son, now gone from home. She remembers her husband's impatience when he tried to teach his son the trumpet, her swooping in to help him out when he was in trouble, their visible coldness toward him when he flubbed a music recital. Her descriptions brought back scenes from the days when our children were young—along with some regrets of my own.

Discipline—doling it out, getting it—is never easy, or at least it isn't for me. We can tend to discipline our youngsters when we're in the throes of emotion and be over-harsh and irrational. Or perhaps we hate confrontation and avoid disciplining, only to later reap the fruit of an out-of-control child.

In our Hebrews reading the writer talks about the ways God disciplines us. Several words illustrate the range His discipline takes.

• He chastens (paideia) us  as in the rearing and training of a child (vs. 5, 7, 8, 11).

• He rebukes (elencho ) as in giving us verbal reproof (vs. 5).

• He corrects (paideutes) us as a teacher disciplines (vs. 9).

• He trains, instructs and punishes us (paideuo) (vs. 7).

• And He scourges (mastigos) us—disciplining us physically (vs. 6).

Just like children left on their own can yield a harvest of bad fruit, so will we if left untrained and undisciplined.  So let's learn to recognize and welcome God's discipline of us, and model it as we train our children, both natural and spiritual.

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to recognize and welcome Your discipline. May I be a teachable child. Amen.

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The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. - Used with permission.

Chameleon faith

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Hebrews 11:32-12:4

TO CHEW ON: "... through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens." Hebrews 11:33-34

There is a group of lizards—chameleons— who change color with the changing temperature of their surroundings and their emotions. Paul's description of faith here reminds me of chameleons in the way its outworking changes with the situation. It's another way of looking at the various outworkings of faith we talked about yesterday...

For Jacob faith meant blessing Joseph's sons (and in an unconventional way, trusting that He was hearing from God in this).

For Joseph it meant instructing his descendants to carry his bones back to Canaan. It was faith that God would bring the family back to the promised land.

For Jochebed it meant keeping her boy baby Moses alive, hiding him and, when he could no longer stay hidden, abandoning him to God by setting him adrift in a little pitch-covered boat.

For that same Moses, faith meant aligning himself with his fellow Israelites, though he had been brought up on Pharaoh's palace. It also meant obeying God's instructions to carry out the first Passover, and leading the Israelites through the Red Sea even as the Egyptians were in hot pursuit.

And so we could go on, tracing the changing color of faith on display through the entire chapter of Hebrews 11.

I have often asked myself when I hear missionary stories or stories of people persecuted in places where belief in Christ is forbidden, Would I be as strong as they are? If I were in their situation, would I have their faith? The truth of the matter, though, is that's not the faith that God is requiring of me at the moment. A better question to ask would be, Do I exhibit faith in the situation in which God has me right now?

I reflect on the color that faith takes in my life. It's faith to finish a writing project, trusting that God has a purpose for it. It's faith to keep praying for the family members and friends in my little circle of acquaintance and responsibility who have yet to come to Jesus or who are ill or needy in some way. It's faith that God is leading me in and out of commitments. No, it's not the big stuff of Hebrews 11, though it often feels big to me!

What color is faith in your life?


PRAYER: Dear God, thank you for this inspiring people-of-faith list and the examples of how faith was lived out in their lives. Help me to live with faith today. Amen.

MORE: Chameleons

For interesting information about chameleons and why they change color check out this article on the Reptile Knowledge website.

"Fooled by Nature: Chameleon Colors" is a video on howstuffworks.com that shows chameleons changing colors in different situations.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

By faith

Israel marches around Jericho - Artist unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Hebrews 11:17-31

TO CHEW ON: "By faith…"- Hebrews 11:17,20,21,22,23,24,27,28,29,39,31


I love how various aspects of faith are illustrated in today's segment of Hebrews 11—the Bible's famous Faith Chapter. Through these examples we discover that faith has many facets. Let's identify some of them.

Abraham's faith involved obedience and overcoming rationalism as he compared God's mysterious instructions to sacrifice Isaac with His prior promise to provide a nation through this son - Hebrews 11:17-20.

Isaac and Jacob's faith in blessing their sons, and Joseph's faith in the request that he be burred in the promised land consisted of hope for the future and prophetic foresight - Hebrews 11:20-22.

Moses' parents hiding their baby boy showed the risk that faith sometimes involves, as well as hope for the future of their "no ordinary child" - Hebrews 11:23.

Moses' faith, demonstrated when he broke with his Egyptian upbringing, was anchored in spiritual belief about who the real God was - Hebrews 11:24-27. His instituting of the Passover demonstrated that too, along with the faith of obedience - Hebrews 11:28.

The Israelites passing through the Red Sea showed trust in God's power to accomplish the supernatural - Hebrews 11:29.

The Israelites march around Jericho showed the obedience and overcoming rationalism facets of faith - Hebrews 11:30.

Rahab's faith was an example of spiritual belief and obedience - Hebrews 11:31.

We could go on to parse the faith examples that continue, but you get the idea. For me, this realization of the many aspects of faith is helpful in that it's true for us too. The faith that's required when we pray for the future of our children and grandchildren, for example, is somewhat different from the faith we need when we pray for healing, or change our daily routine to do God's assignments. God sees, recognizes and blesses all the various shades of faith we need to exercise in our life with Him. 

For what do you and I need faith today? Are we exercising that particular faith muscle?

PRAYER: Dear Father, please help me to live by faith in big and little things today. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

It's not if you live by faith, but faith in what

Image: pixabay.com

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Hebrews 11:1-16

TO CHEW ON: "Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title-deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality—faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses." Hebrews 11:1 AMP

The last bit of Hebrews 11:1 from the Amplified Bible is as good a definition of faith as any: "Perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses."

It's interesting to go through our faith chapter reading today and pick out the verbs / actions associated with faith shown by these heroes of the Christian faith. As we do that, let's apply these actions to our own lives of faith.

* "For by it (faith) the elders obtained a good testimony" - Hebrews 11:2.
or, as the Amplified puts it: "For by [faith]… the men of old had divine testimony borne to them" - Hebrews 11:2 AMP.

Interesting, especially the "had divine testimony borne to them." I apply this as us acknowledging that God is involved with life and our world. When looking at life through that lens, God Himself gives us understanding of its purpose. It also applies to us having faith in the "testimony" (the scriptures) that was "borne" (revealed) to those "elders."

* "By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God" - Hebrews 11:3.

We take the narrative of beginnings that accepts God as the creator by faith.

* "By faith Abel offered… a sacrifice" - Hebrews 11:4.

We worship God and perform any acts of a religious or spiritual nature by faith.

* "By faith Enoch was taken away" - Hebrews 11:5.

We accept God's sovereignty in setting the boundaries of our lives—their beginnings and endings, by faith. (This is so relevant to current life in Canada, where doctor assisted suicide has just been made legal.)

* "By faith Noah … prepared an ark" - Hebrews 11:7.

We build stuff by faith.

* "By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out…" Hebrews 11:8.

We obey by faith, to the extent of moving when we're not even sure where we'll end up (at least that was Abraham's experience).

* "By faith he (Abraham) dwelt …" Hebrews 11:9.

We stay where we are by faith.

* "By faith he (Abraham) … waited" Hebrews 11:10.

We wait by faith.

"By faith Sarah … received strength to conceive" Hebrews 11:11.

We have families, passing on the gift of life, by faith. For women that can mean a nine-month program of working on faith fitness!

By our definition of faith ("perceiving as real fact what is not perceived by the senses"), so much of every life is faith. No matter what our belief system, we'll be putting our faith in something: ourselves, our government, the social safety net, science, medicine, God. So it's not if we live by faith, but faith in what?
I have chosen to put my faith in God. What about you?

PRAYER: Dear Father, help me to live all of life with the awareness of Your presence in it. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)

The glorious themes of Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS! 

"Let all the angels of God worship Him..." Hebrews 1:6

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Hebrews 1:1-14


TO CHEW ON: God, who at various times ad in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds." Hebrews 1:1,2

One gets shivers reading the grand words that begin Hebrews. Like the strains of an orchestral overture, they give us glimmerings of the motifs that will follow. Of course we recognize these themes so readily because we have heard them before.

For example, our focus verses take us back to John 1:

Hebrews 1:1,2: "God... has in these last days spoken to us by His Son..."
John 1:1,14: "In the beginning was the Word ... And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us."

Hebrews 1:2: "... through whom He also made the worlds."
John 1:3: "All things were made through Him and without Him nothing was made that was made."

The writer continues by quoting prophecy after prophecy to show us the preeminence of Jesus over every other created being. His praise montage contains snippets of Psalm 2:7; 2 Samuel 7:14; Psalm 97:7; 104:4; 45: 6,7; Isaiah 61:1,3; Psalm 102:25-27; Isaiah 34:4; 50:9; 51:6; Psalm 110:1; 103:20.

They tell us:

• Jesus is God's Son. 
• The angels worship Him. 
• His throne and scepter are eternal. 
• His perfect just rule is a reason for joy. 
• Though the earth He created will someday wear out, He is unchanging and triumphant.

This is the Jesus whose birth we celebrate today. It makes one want to sing with the carolers:

"O come let us adore Him...
For He alone is worthy
Christ, the Lord." -  from "O Come All Ye Faithful" 

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You that You laid aside Your brightness, made Yourself small enough to fit into a womb, and endured human limitations for me. Help me to recognize in the humble scenes of Christmas, the grand themes of Your majesty and glory. Amen.

MORE: Christmas Day

Today the church celebrates Christmas Day. The Nativity Day liturgy begins with this prayer (Collect):

 Almighty God, you have given your only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and to be born [this day] of a pure virgin: Grant that we, who have been born again and made your children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit; through our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom with you and the same Spirit be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

 

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Power of blood

"Red Christ" by Lovis Corinth

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Hebrews 9:11-28

TO CHEW ON: "Almost everything is cleansed by blood, according to the Law's regulations, and there is no forgiveness without blood being shed." Hebrews 9:22 (Common English Bible)

Two facts about physical blood help us relate what the writer says here to our spiritual state.

1. Blood is a cleanser. Not the kind of cleanser that you pre-soak clothes in—do that with blood and you'll get a worse stain. But it is a cleanser within our bodies loading up with proteins, minerals, hormones, carbon dioxide, and toxins, which it then pumps to the transfer depots, the lungs to be exhaled or through the liver to be cleansed.

2. Blood is essential to life. When people lose all blood they die because blood delivers to the cells its fuel of oxygen and nutrients.

God's design for our salvation includes these two aspects of blood. The sentence in our focus verse: "There is no forgiveness without blood being shed" is another way of saying, 'there is no forgiveness without the payment of a life.' And that's what Jesus did for us when He paid the penalty of our sin with His life so God could forgive us without violating His holy, just character.

His blood also cleanses us, first in that we are clean before God, and, second, by flowing within our spirits in a metaphorical way, producing the desire to please Him resulting in repentance and surrender (exhaling the bad stuff, so to speak, and allow Him to purify us).

As I'm writing this, an old hymn is playing background music in my mind. It expresses these spiritual truths about Jesus' blood so well:

    1. What can wash away my sin?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Oh! precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

2. For my cleansing this I see—

Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

For my pardon this my plea—

Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

3. Nothing can my sin erase

Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

Naught of works, 'tis all of grace—

Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

4. This is all my hope and peace—

Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

This is all my righteousness—

Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

Lyrics by Robert Lowry, from Hymnal.net

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for the way You have designed spiritual truth to reflect physical phenomena (or is it the other way around?). Thank You for my blood, working tirelessly to keep me alive and healthy. And thank You for Jesus' blood, poured out so I could have forgiveness and spiritual life and health. Amen.




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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Pay attention to what happens between your ears

Brain image from Pixabay.com

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Hebrews 8:7-9:10

TO CHEW ON: "… I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts ..." Hebrews 8:10


Here in our reading in Hebrews, the writer explains about the new covenant that resulted from Jesus' death and resurrection. He recalls the prophecy Jeremiah made about a time when obedience to God would no longer be a matter of just outward observance but of deep inner change and compliance as well.

"I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their heart" - Hebrews 8:10 quoting Jeremiah 31:33.

How beautiful and desirable! And this is the new mind and heart covenant under which we live. This thought got me searching for other passages that speak of the spiritual mind (that is "spiritual" as in aligned with the principles of the Bible):

One of the first questions we might ask is, How do we get this mind?

• Paul answers that in 1 Corinthians where he tells us how the Holy Spirit knows and reveals the mind of Christ, we have received that Spirit (at salvation), and can now claim "We have the mind of Christ" - 1 Corinthians 2:19,12,16. See also Philippians 2:5.

Possessing the "mind of Christ" has great benefits:

• It is the basis for deep-rooted peace because we live life in the posture of trust - Isaiah 26:3; Philippians 4:6,7.

• Its end is life (not death) - Romans 8:6.

However, having and maintaining the mind of Christ also involves effort on our part. We don't get saved and find ourselves in the next moment with a mind transplant.

• Peter tells us to "gird up the loins of your mind." In our day we'd say, buckle your belt, or roll up your sleeves. In other words, get your mind dressed and ready for action - 1 Peter 1:13.

• "Set your mind on things above, not on the earth," Paul tells the Colossians - Colossians 3:2.

• "Let us be of the same mind," he encourages the Christians in Philippi in a plea for church unity - Philippians 3:16.

• We need to resign our minds to the fact that suffering is inevitable—and good, in that it purifies, says Peter in 1 Peter 4:1.

• Paul alerts us to the reality that there will be times our minds are downright busy as we "...cast down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ' - 2 Corinthians 10:5.

The battle for our thoughts and the minds that generate them hasn't changed in the 2000+ years since Bible writers penned these words. We still need to give what happens between our two ears our first attention because, as Bible teacher Joyce Meyer reminds us, the rest of our lives proceed from what we think:

"The mind is the leader or forerunner of all actions … Our actions are a direct result of our thoughts" - Joyce Meyer, Battlefield of the Mind, p. 3.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, help me have the mind of Christ today. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

No more daily sacrifices needed

Jesus Lamb of God - Artist unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Hebrews 7:15-8:16

TO CHEW ON: "For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; who does not need daily as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people's , for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself." Hebrews 7:26,27.

Our reading yesterday left us in the middle of a discussion. The writer of Hebrews was addressing Jews who had lived all their lives observing the law of Moses with its rituals, sacrifices, and feasts in order to be accepted by God. He was showing them that now Jesus had superseded that system as a way to God.

In his argument he used the Old Testament character Melchizedek. He was the priest of Salem to whom Abraham gave tithes and who blessed Abraham. David, speaking of Messiah, spoke of Him being in the order of Melchizedek (Psalm 110:4). The author of Hebrews equated Jesus with Melchizedek (yesterday's devo).

In today's reading, he continues his argument by comparing the Levitical priesthood with Jesus's:

• The Levitical priests came under the authority of a "fleshly commandment" versus Jesus who came "according to the power of an endless life" - Hebrews 7:16,17.

• The Levitical priests, even with all their obedience to the law, made no difference to man's basic inability to keep God's law, versus Jesus who made it possible for people to draw near to God - Hebrews 7:19.

• The Levitical priests did not have the oath of God (the "better covenant") behind them as Jesus did - Hebrews 7:20-22.

• The Levitical priests kept dying and having to be replaced versus Jesus who "continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood" - Hebrews 7:23-24.

 Finally, in the climax of his argument, the Hebrews author tells the readers of his day and us today what we have in and through Jesus:

"Therefore He is able also to save to the uttermost—completely, perfectly, finally and for all time and eternity—those who come to God through Him, since He is always living to make petition to God and intercede with Him and intervene for them" - Hebrews 7:25 AMP.

Jesus was able to complete what the Levitical priesthood only symbolized.

This was so because unlike the Levitical priests Jesus was "holy, blameless, unstained by sin, separated from sinners and exalted higher than the heavens," a priest who didn't have to offer sacrifices for His own sin—because He had never committed any. " … He [met all the requirements] once for all when He brought Himself [as a sacrifice] which He offered up" - Hebrews 7:26,27 AMP.

We who have never been part of the Levitical system can appreciate only with our imaginations what a change this was for devout Jewish believers. But when we're tempted to minimize what Jesus' life, death, and resurrection meant in God's big scheme of things, we have only to look at the system He superseded to be eternally grateful.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for making Your "once and for all" offering for my sins and for now interceding and intervening with God the Father on my behalf. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)

Jesus revealed as King and Priest

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Hebrews 6:13-7:14

TO CHEW ON: "For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law." Hebrews 7:12


Have you ever read the Old Testament laws and sacrifices and imagined living under that system? It was a system that was detailed, complicated, and time-consuming for both the priests who carried out the sacrifices and rituals, and the people who brought the animals, grain, meal, oil and commemorated the feasts etc.

In our reading in Hebrews the writer is building a case to prove that that system has been changed by Christ. He uses the mysterious Old Testament character Melchizedek in his proof.

Melchizedek lived during Abraham's time. When Abraham met him he called him "priest of God most high." Melchizedek blessed Abraham and Abraham gave him a tithe of his possessions (Genesis 14:18-20).

Melchizedek appears again in Psalm 110 where David, addressing Messiah, said,  
"You are a priest forever
According to the order of Melchizedek" - Psalm 110:4.

Here in Hebrews 7, the writer draws our attention to many facts about Melchizedek. Those of us familiar with Jesus and what the Bible says about Him recognize Jesus in these details:
* He was a king as well as a priest - Hebrews 7:1.
* His name meant "king of righteousness" - Hebrews 7:2.
* He appeared without ancestors or descendants - Hebrews 7:3.
* He resembled the Son of God - Hebrews 7:3.
* He was superior to Abraham in that he blessed Abraham and Abraham gave tithes to him (Hebrews 7:7,9).
*He lives on—doesn't die like mortal men - Hebrews 7:8.
* Levi, the father of the tribe of priests, acknowledged Melchizedek as his superior through Abraham (in that Levi "was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him") - Hebrews 7:10.
* This new priest was from the tribe of Judah, not a member of the priestly tribe of Levi at all - Hebrews 7:14.

The writer of today's portion promises that this new new priestly order (Melchizedek / Christ) will impact the system of laws and sacrifices that God dictated to Moses (Hebrews 7:12, our focus verse). Tomorrow we'll see how.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for pictures of Jesus woven through the Old and New Testaments.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.