Week 51 Devotions

December 17 - - The writer of Hebrews tells us that God chose to reveal Himself to the world “many times and in many ways” (1:1). God would speak through the Patriarchs; Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, etc. He would also speak through angels. And each time God spoke, He would reveal a little more of His character. But, all of that was simply a prelude to His final revelation; His Son. The Hebrew writer tells us, “The Son reflects God’s own glory, and everything about him represents God exactly” (1:3). The apostle Paul adds, “For in Christ the fullness of God lives in a human body” (2:9), and, “God in all His fullness was pleased to live in Christ” (1:19). The apostle John also adds, “the Word became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father” (John 1:14). “No one has ever seen God. But His only Son, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart; he has told us about Him” (John 1:18). In Jesus Christ, God wanted us to understand His self in terms we could relate to. “Because God’s children are human beings - - made of flesh and blood - - Jesus also became flesh and blood by being born in human form” (Hebrews 2:14). Jesus showed us how God wants us to relate to people, how God wants us to view suffering and temptation, how God wants us work and play, when God wants us to be serious and when God wants us to enjoy humor. “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). But, another major point we sometimes miss is that the Hebrew writer brings to a close any new revelations. “In these final days, God has spoken to us through His Son” (Hebrews 1:2). God’s Holy Spirit gives us insight into the truths He has already revealed through His Son and in His Word. God’s Holy Spirit helps us apply the truths He has already revealed to our own lives. But, to think that God is still revealing new truths that apply to all of mankind means that any well-meaning person could say, “God told me........”, and who of us could question that? Since, “God is not a God of confusion” (I Corinthians 14:33), it was necessary that He be the One responsible for Divine revelations and not ourselves. It was necessary that God let us know any universal revelations from Him would cease in the person of Jesus Christ. December 20 - - There are many “Hall of Fame’s” that exist today. There’s one for Rock N’ Roll, Country Music, the International Drum Corps, Baseball, Basketball, Football, NASCAR, Wrestling, Volleyball, etc. You get the picture. Each of them recognizes individuals who have outstanding achievements in their respective fields. Christians are to “walk by faith, rather than by sight” (II Corinthians 5:7). What does that mean? It means our hope is based not on the rewards of this world, but on the rewards to come (Philippians 3:12-14, 20&21). It means our decisions are determined not by what we can humanly do on our own, but on what God enables us to do (Philippians 4:13). It means some-times moving forward on projects or goals that others ridicule and make fun of us for, because they don’t possess the same vision or power that we do in Christ. The Bible contains some great names of people who made it into the Bible’s, “Faith Hall of Fame” in Hebrews 12. These people are examples to us of courage, vision, persistence, trust, and loyalty. They are also an inspiration to Christians today who want to lead a life that also “pleases God” (Hebrews 11:6). Perhaps, the best tribute to all of them is this phrase, “they were too good for this world” (11:38), or as the NIV reads, “the world was not worthy of them.” And while there many named in this Faith Hall of Fame, the author acknowledges there are many others too numerous to name. That would have been true in all of the time prior to the writing of Hebrews, as well as the nearly 2,000 years since Hebrews was written. After naming these great people of faith in Hebrews 11, the author then challenges us, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish” (Hebrews 12:1&2a). We should not, cannot, and must not forsake the truth that has been passed down to us. It would be a sin to trample on the memories of those who have sacrificed greatly of their own lives that we might have this truth today. With the power and presence of our Lord, and the encouragement of all the people of faith who have preceded us, we must also “run with endurance the race that God has set before us”, whatever that race may bring our way. May people someday say of us, “the world was not worthy of them.”