DO YOU KNOW GOOD FROM EVIL?

"But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." Hebrews 5:14

I think one of the more frightening things about the times we live in is the startling blur our society sees between good and evil. At the Democratic convention held just before the last presidential election there was a vote on whether or not to take the name of God off their platform and to not recognize Israel as a country. Former LA mayor Antonio Villaraigosa had to call the vote three times and the yes and no shouts were nearly equal!  

The reason we seek God on a daily basis is to train ourselves in righteousness. Part of that training is to distinguish good from evil. Honestly, isn't the beginning of this just trying to obey what we know the Bible says? 

Someone was trying to tell me that anyone could interpret the Bible anyway they wanted. I asked him, "So how do you "interpret" do not commit adultery?" 

The point is that obedience is the key to maturity. Obedience is my willingness to trust God's word to be true and live accordingly. My guide to knowing what is good or evil is the Bible. By "using it" on a daily basis I mature. 

Father, help us to live by faith. Set your word in our hearts that we will know good from evil. Praise be to you in us today! 

TEN YEARS,OR ONE YEAR TEN TIMES?

"In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who  lives on milk, being still and infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness." Hebrews 5:12-13  

Here is a tough question: Have you been a Christian ten years (or however long you have been a Christian) or one year ten times? 

The author of Hebrews lays it on the line and says that by that time in their Christian experience they should of been teaching someone else about the righteousness of God in Christ by faith that they were experiencing. Instead they were still struggling with the elementary truths of God's word again! 

Tell me this doesn't sound like most of the church today. I have to ask myself, does it sound like me? Ask yourself, does it sound like you? 

One of my mentors used to say, "I sleep good at night because I take advantage of the cross. Not abuse it, just accepting what Christ has done for me." My pastor yesterday reminded us that he always says at the beginning of the year that he will be surprised but God will not. So very true. 

The good news of the gospel is that Christ died for our sins and that when we accept that, when we confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead, we willed be saved (Romans 10:9-10). God is not surprised by anything that we go through. Think of it this way, he died for our sins - past, present and future. 

Now what does faith have for me today?

Father, thank you for your forgiveness. Thank you Jesus for being our righteousness. Help us to build upon the truth of righteousness by faith! Praise be to you in us today!

THE ART OF REMAINING

"But I am like an olive tree
     flourishing in the house of God; 
 I trust in God's unfailing love
     for ever and ever." Psalm 52:8

My oldest son is a big LA Galaxy fan. I year ago when they won the championship he was given a piece of the field in a big baggie (which he was supposed to plant someplace). It's still in the bag and somehow hanging on. But, if you go to the now StubHub field where the Galaxy play the grass on the field is truly flourishing. 

That is a bit like us and our relationship with Christ. Sometimes we feel isolated and we're just hanging in there somehow surviving. Plant yourself where God has you and let him work, let God grow you where you are at. If he doesn't like where you are, he can move you. He can open doors and close doors, he can even move doors. 

Most importantly he can make you fruitful where you are at. Our job is to trust in him. Jesus told us in John 15:5, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." We just remain in him. He is faithful and he will keep us in him until the day he comes to take us home.

Father, help us to remain in you. May we be fruitful and flourish as we remain in you. Praise be to you in us today!

OBEDIENCE, SUFFERING, PERFECTION

"Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designed by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek." Hebrews 5:10

Think about that, Christ learned obedience. He learned it from what he suffered. His obedience has brought us salvation. This perfection, this completeness of Christ's obedience and suffering results in our perfect salvation. 

Our obedience is our acceptance of his salvation. We obey because we do believe. We accept that we our sinners in need of forgiveness, mercy and grace. We look to him to intercede on our behalf. He does so perfectly. He is the source we continually look to for our salvation. He forever is our High Priest. 

Father, help us to obey. Thank you for our perfect Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Praise be to you in us today! 

GO ON IN! IT'S OK!

"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:16

Our greatest need is to be right with God. Christ, our High Priest, allows us to enter into the presence of God without fear. So come on in!

Knowing that I am right with God, because of Jesus Christ, I can receive mercy and find grace to help me. Mercy is God not giving me what I do deserve. Grace is God giving me what I don't deserve. So, go on in and pray!

Everyday I need God's mercy and grace. In Christ I receive that mercy in grace. I also get to enter into the presence of the Father and ask for help with confidence. Go on in.

I think of David when I think of someone who boldly went before the Father.   "Rise up, O LORD, confront them, bring them down; rescue me from the wicked by your sword" (Psalm 17:13). If you read the Psalms of David you see that he was very straightforward  you might say blunt, in his prayers. That confidence, knowing that God loves us and hears our prayers, is the confidence we can have when we pray. So, let's go on in and approach the throne of grace!

Father, help us to enter your presence with confidence. Thank you, Lord Jesus Christ, for being our High Priest and giving us access to the throne of grace! Praise be to you in us today!

CHRIST GETS IT

"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin." Hebrews 4:15 

Have you ever heard a leader say that leadership should be on a higher level than the people they are serving? Well, I get that they should be a strong experienced believer with a special call upon their lives, but, when they start thinking they actually are more spiritual than everyone else, that's when problems usually begin. 

You see, that is the difference with Jesus. He is God. He is above everything yet, he came down and was like us to sympathize with us and minister to us. He understands temptation at its' deepest level. The temptation that he endured assures us that he understands whatever we are going through when we are tempted. 

Jesus gets that you are tempted by whatever tempts you.

He gets that it beats you up. 

He gets that the enemy condemns you for even being tempted, but that being tempted is not sinning. 

What ever you are feeling, he understands.

That is why we hold firmly to the faith we profess (verse 14)! We hold on to him because in him we have the victory. 

Jesus, thank you for being our High Priest that sympathizes with our weaknesses. Help us to hold on to you especially when we are tempted so that we, like you, will not sin. Praise be to you in us today!

DON'T LET GO! HE WON'T!

"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess." Hebrews 4:14

Jesus, unlike some so-called prophets or gods, actually died and rose again. His life was to make God knowable. His death was in our place and his resurrection was to give us victory over death. Victory for the present not just the future! 

Jesus IS our High Priest. Not was. Not will be, but, is. That is why we hold firmly to the truth that Jesus died for us and that he ever lives to intercede for us. Right now he is on the job. At this moment he is interceding for you and me!

Hold on! He is working...

Father help us to hold on to the faith we profess.  Thank you that Jesus is our faithful High Priest who ever lives to intercede for us. Open our eyes to see you in our lives! Praise be to you in us today!