Skip to main content

Eat Your Veges


          Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood  Jesus, y a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body,  and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, ot giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:19-25) 

          We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand.  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 an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness (Hebrews 5:11-13)
          Today, we need to begin with a side note. A few days ago, I shared my belief that the curtain separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place represented sin. The author of Hebrews holds that it represents Christ. I like my imagery as well, but the author knows better what he intended. So, the curtain represents Christ’s body. Because it was torn, we have access to the Most Holy Place. So be it.
          The preceding nine and a half chapters addressed the foundations of our faith, and the reasons why the Jewish Christians who were beginning to face persecution should not walk away from their new faith. I believe they also constituted the milk he mentioned in chapter five. But instead of leading us on to meat and potatoes, and heroic deeds, he leads us to quotidian (daily) walks and the salad bar.
          “Let us….” He says this three-times in four verses, and he implies it six more
“Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart”
[Let us draw near to God] “with the full assurance that faith brings”
[Let us draw near to God] “having our hearts sprinkled to cleans us from guilty conscience….”
[Let us draw near to God] “having our bodies washed with pure water.”
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we professed, for He who promised is faithful.”
“Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds”
[Let us] “not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing….”
[Let us] “encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
            I wonder what life would be like if we ate (or fed others) nine services of Let Us every day.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"Especially to those who belong to the family of believers."

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. (Gal 6:10)   “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.   By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)           Joshua grinned when he saw Rex standing by the door, studying something on the ground. "Hey, man! Are we ready to do this thing?"          Rex looked up. "Josh, I can't do it. We're still best buds, but I can't stand your fiancée."           I've met "Rex" many times. I've been Rex. Joshua (Jesus) loves the Church. He's not a fool. He knows the Church is far from perfect, but she is His chosen bride. The Rexes of this world, who think themselves His friend, turn away from her. "You don't need the Church to...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ssssssubmmissssssionnn

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ . (Ephesians 5:21)             "Ssssssubmmisssssssionnn." Can't you just hear the serpent hissing this most horrible of words? If you listen to the serpent or the world, submission means groveling, allowing yourself to be abused, denying yourself your own humanity. Nothing could be worse than submission, could it?             Submission has never been a problem for me, as long as things are going the way I want them to. The rest of the time? Well, let's just say that while I don't know how to fight physically, I don't know how to not fight mentally. One of the fights I've been having with myself for years is about submission.             My first breakthrough took place on a trip to a bookstore. As I walked into the store, my thoughts were very clear. 1) I was goi...
Post a Comment
Read more

Shark Fins, Triple Dog Dares, Heroes, Villains and Sidekicks

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)            There's a scene in Jaws in which someone sees a shark fin and starts a panic. As   all the swimmers scramble to shore, boats surround the fin, which falls over to reveal two kids. With several guns pointed at them, one of the kids points at the other. The message is clear: it was his idea. In Christmas Story, there's a scene in which one kid "triple dog dares" another to do something stupid. Since it's a triple dog dare, well, what choice does the boy have? There doesn't seem to be any end to the trouble that peer pressure can cause. ...
Post a Comment
Read more