THE ONLY SOURCE OF SALVATION

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Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Son though He was, 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 designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

Hebrews 5:8-10

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Jesus was the all time perfect, appointed High Priest who was rewarded by His Father God with deliverance from life to death because of His humble obedience and submission to the plan for His life, a salvation instituting plan which required bearing all the sins of mankind and dying with them on a cross outside of Jerusalem. After being raised in resurrection power on the third day after His death, Jesus was rewarded with a place of honor at His Father’s right hand where He reigns and rules in authority over all things in Heaven and on earth as the Savior of the world.

This is a summation of what we have learned so far through our study of Hebrews, chapter 5.

As we turn to verses 8 through 10 in this chapter, we should look at two additional passages, one from the Book of Acts and the other from John’s Gospel. First our passage for today:

Son though He was, 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 designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

Jesus was a Son and God was His Father. The two were one with each other (John 10:30) unlike any father/son combo in history. And yet, we read here where Jesus, in His humanity, “learned obedience from what He suffered”, a trust in His Father God despite the immense scope of the misery and affliction He would shoulder bearing the weight of His Father’s wrath while carrying the transgressions of the world to the cross. All this served as the impetus for God to make His Son perfect so He could become the “source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him”.

And so it is. There is only one way to be salvation and that is to believe in Jesus, the only name by which anyone can be saved. We know so through the words of Peter spoken before a gathering of the rulers, elders, and teachers of the law in Jerusalem which included Annas, the high priest. He told them this:

“Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:11-12

God so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that whoever would believe in Him would not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). Jesus was and is the:

One perfect sacrifice to atone for the sins of all creation (John 1:29).

One source of our salvation.

and

One and only way to God the Father (John 14:6).

The narrow road to life, the Kingdom of Heaven, and all the glory which can be experienced forever is through Jesus and Him alone.

Have you placed your hope and trust in Him as your Savior today?

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

DELIVERED THROUGH HUMBLE SUBMISSION

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Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, He offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the One who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission.

Hebrews 5:7

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Jesus walked the earth like any other man, human in every sense. He experienced everything that we possibly might as we go through this thing called life.

Hardship. Check.

Temptation. Check.

Suffering. Check.

Persecution. Check.

Grief. Check.

Heartbreak. Check.

Death. Check.

He went through the whole gamut and this is why He can so easily empathize with us as we go through life ourselves. As we continue our study of Hebrews in chapter 5, we are reminded of this. Look again at these words here:

During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, He offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the One who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission. Hebrews 5:7

Jesus not only ended up in a place where He could sympathize with Christians who are going through life themselves today. He also showed us how we should live and handle life’s challenges along the way.

Like prayer, for example. As we read the Gospels and the life Jesus lived, we see over and over and over again how He went to the Lord in prayer and petition. These prayers were heartfelt, delivered fervently to His Father God, the One He trusted so much because He knew of His power to do all things, including resurrection from the dead.

Sometimes, the prayers were brought forth in tears as He experienced anguish and sorrow. We know of at least two instances in the scriptures where our Savior wept.

First, after He went to Bethany following the death of His good friend, Lazarus:

On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet Him, but Mary stayed at home.

“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”

Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

Jesus said to her, “I am the Resurrection and the Life. The one who believes in Me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”

“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to Him. Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met Him. When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.

When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw Him, she fell at His feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” He asked.

“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.

Jesus wept.

Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!”

John 11:17-36

And then there was this account where Jesus was stricken with sorrow as He looked upon the holy city of Jerusalem as he approached for his final week of life.

As He approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.” Luke 19:41-44

Jesus prayed and mourned. He placed His fullest trust in the God through which He knew all things were possible and submitted to Him completely, knowing that He could save Him from death. And because of His faithfulness, He was not only heard because of His humble obedience to His Father’s will but He was indeed saved, resurrected in power after completing the first part of the mission as He served as the perfect Lamb of God who took away the sin of the world (John 1:29).

Friends, Jesus passionately prayed over all His disciples. He prayed over everyone, even His enemies. Through the course of His life, He never stopped placing His hope in His Father while staying focused on the salvation mission at hand.

We need to follow His lead each and every day.

For just as God rescued His Son from the grave, ushering Him into eternal life, so too will He do so for us when this worldly life is over as the Word of God assures us that all who call on the blessed name of Jesus will be saved (Romans 10:13). Until that time, let us humbly submit to God as we wait for His deliverance.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

THE PERFECT, APPOINTED HIGH PRIEST

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people. And no one takes this honor on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was.

In the same way, Christ did not take on Himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.”

And He says in another place, “You are a Priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”

Hebrews 5:1-6

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

If there’s one main point that the writer of Hebrews wants to drive home with his readers, the Jewish Christians of the first century, it’s that Jesus was superior to anyone they held in esteem within their prior belief system.

As we look at the opening six verses of chapter 6, we find the author invoking the special, divine position of the Jewish high priest. Look again at his words here:

Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people. And no one takes this honor on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was.

In the same way, Christ did not take on Himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.”

And He says in another place, “You are a Priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”

In the Old Testament, we know the tribe of Levi was appointed by God to serve Him, carrying out duties within the tabernacle and its furnishings priests but only the descendants of Moses’ brother Aaron were permitted to be priests, carrying out services in the tabernacle, teaching from the Law of God, and serving as judges over the Israelite people. With this, we can note that while all priests were Levites, not every Levite had the privilege to be a priest.

And so you can see how exclusive a group the priests were, an elite group of God servants who carried out His will and way. Out of that group, one priest would be selected to be the high priest and garner the special responsibilities that came with it, chief of which was offering up sacrifices on behalf of the Israelite people to bring atonement for their sins and restore their peace before God, albeit temporarily.  

Going back to our passage, we find the writer of Hebrews doing a little refresher with the Jewish Christians, reminding them how the high priest was “appointed to represent people in matters related to God”, one of which was “to offer gifts and sacrifices” for all sins, the sins of the people as well as his own. This honor of appointment wasn’t something the high priest would boast over as if it was his greatness that led to the opportunity. Rather, the priest would give all credit to God for the calling, a calling that had first been given to his ancestor Aaron.

Fast forwarding to Jesus, we understand that God decided to overhaul the sacrificial atonement system, designating one final intercessor who would present a divine offering of epic proportion. That intercessor was His Son Jesus who didn’t take (it) on Himself to gain the “glory of becoming a high priest”. Rather, He was assigned the right to serve as High Priest forever, justifying and interceding for all sinners who would place their trust in Him. And you may remember that this happened when Jesus said, “It is finished” and then drew His last breath on the cross:

And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, He gave up his spirit.

At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

Matthew 27:50-51

This curtain is what separated the Holy of Holies (or Most Holy Place) from the Holy Place. The priests would do their work for 364 days of the year inside the Holy Place but on the Day of Atonement (also known as Yom Kippur), the high priest, and only him, would pass through the curtain where it was believed he was in the very presence of God Himself to offer up a blanket atoning sacrifice for all the Israelites. The curtain served as a separation between God and man except for the single day a high priest would enter to be the intercessor and seek peace and forgiveness for the Jewish people.

When Jesus died and the curtain tore in two, it was symbolically indicating that there would no longer need to be separation between God and His people, whether Jew or Gentile. All one had to do to gain peace with Him, not just for the moment but forever more, was to believe in His Son, the perfect, anointed High Priest, the only One who could bring anyone to His Father (John 14:6).

Friends, as Christians, we need to be in a spirit of thanksgiving and praise every single day. Because God didn’t wish for us to perish in our sins nor did He want us to go through a life of perpetual sacrificing to try and gain a peace with Him that would never be fully attainable. And so He willingly chose to offer up the final sacrifice in Jesus, allowing Him to bear the sin of the world in death before resurrecting Him back to life in power before placing Him in authority over everything in Heaven and on earth, the great Intercessor and High Priest atoning for the sins of all who place their belief in Him.

Thanks be to God for the amazing gift of His Son Jesus, our Savior.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

LIVE IN CONFIDENCE

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Let us then approach God’s 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

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Remember for a moment where you were before you decided to believe in Jesus as Savior.

You were a sinner who lived before a God who hated sin, a God who would bring eternal judgment in the form of never ending damnation and torment after your death. Before this sure punishment was imposed, you would still be summoned to appear before Him to answer for the life you lived. Every transgression, every single wicked thought, word, or action would be considered as your offenses were pronounced in advance of the punishment.

Talk about a totally uncomfortable and incredibly heart-wrenching place to be, right?

And yet, there are millions upon millions of people in this world right now who are there, many of which believe the lie that they are a good person and therefore, by merit of that, will be go to Heaven when they die.

It’s nothing short of a tragic delusion propagated by an evil illusion created and manifested by Satan. The importance of speaking the Gospel truth to others is reaching critical mass to reduce the prospective population of Hell.

This sharing of Gospel truth is at the heart of every Christian’s calling, a calling grounded in the Great Commission decree of Jesus to make disciples of all nations, baptizing then in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit while teaching them to obey all He commanded (Matthew 28:18-20). We are to share the good news of Jesus and do so with the blessed assurance of knowing we are sinners who have been saved by grace and grace alone through the redeeming work of Christ on the cross, a redeeming work that allows us to approach God with bold confidence. For as Paul writes in the very first verse of one of the greatest chapters in the New Testament outside of the Gospel, Romans 8:

There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  

Looking at the final verse of Hebrews, chapter 4, we see how any Christian believer can “approach God’s throne of grace with confidence” so to “receive mercy and find grace to help (them) in (their) time of need”. Those who are in Christ will stand before God to give an account of their lives, just like the unsaved sinner, but the big difference is that Jesus will step in and intercede for anyone who is in Him. Through His atoning sacrifice, He has already paid the sin penalty for all Christians. They are justified (or made just as if they had never sinned) as they stand before God’s throne confident that He will do what He promised and bring the Jesus believer to eternal life.

This is the beauty of salvation. It replaces the punishment of Hell, not because of anything the Christian has done but what Jesus did, providing grace and mercy to help us in our time of greatest need, the need for pardon from our sin.

Friends, my prayer is that in the week to come, we will embrace the surety of Heaven we have in Jesus and dedicate ourselves to helping the unsaved find that same surety in their lives. Pray for the Lord to bring those opportunities to you and I assure you He will answer those prayers, leading you towards making a Kingdom difference in the lives of those who are not in Christ Jesus, the Savior of the world.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

KEEP THE FAITH!

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In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Therefore, since we have a great High Priest who has ascended into Heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have One who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet He did not sin.

Hebrews 4:14-15

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

If you spend your time every day either reading, listening, or watching the news, you will probably find yourself feeling pretty discouraged. We’re reminded constantly that we live in a sinful, evil world where people give into the leadings of the devil and commit acts of atrocity towards others.

This consistent bombardment of reminders about the wickedness of the world can often remind us that we too are sinful, having fallen short of doing right over and over and over again. The end result is ever present and lingering feelings of shame and self condemnation.

Maybe you’ve been there. Maybe...you’re there right now.

All and all, it’s totally depressing and that’s why we find the Word of God, the Word that is sharper than any double edged sword and able to penetrate deep into our hearts and minds, providing us a great reminder to hold onto as we deal with our faults and the shortcomings of our world. Look at these words found in verses 14 and 15 or Hebrews, chapter 4:

Therefore, since we have a great High Priest who has ascended into Heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have One who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet He did not sin.

The message here is simple.

Keep the faith!

For no matter how bad things might be on earth, Jesus still sits at the right hand of God in authority over all things in Heaven and on earth. He and God are One (John 10:30) and in complete control, no matter how it might appear otherwise. We need to trust this truth and “hold firmly to the faith we profess”, never allowing it to leave our hearts and minds.

As for our own sinfulness, we need to remember it’s something innate within us, an incurable, genetic disease that traces back to the progenitors of the human race, Adam and Eve. Our God fully knew we were sinners when He willingly decided to initiate a salvation plan so no one would have to perish and everyone would have the opportunity to gain eternal life through His only Son (John 3:16). All one is required to do is simply believe in Jesus and not only will be saved but have the very condemnation and its associated judgment wrath of God removed (Romans 8:1).

This is because Jesus just wasn’t the Son of God and Savior of the world but also the supreme High Priest. Unlike the Jewish Levite high priests before Him, Jesus didn’t offer up grain or incense or animal sacrifices for atonement. Rather, He gave up Himself as the perfect unblemished Lamb who would be slain to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29) and in doing so, became the Holy Intercessor for all sinners, justifying all who would believe in Him.

Friends, no matter how terrible things appear here on earth, God’s Word is telling us to “keep the faith”. Jesus is still on His throne and is coming back again to judge this world but it’s something Christian believers need not worry about for Jesus has already conquered death and the grave, and one day, we will too.

So rest easy, today and every day...because in Him, our present and future are secure.  

Thanks be to God for the unbelievable, unmerited, undeserved gift of His Son.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

NOTHING CONCEALED

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Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Hebrews 4:13

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Do you remember when you were a little kid?

Although my memories seem to fade off more and more about that time as I continue to get older, there are some things I know I did because all children do them.

For example, I know that from the time I knew the difference between right and wrong, I increasingly tried to hide my intentional disobedience as associated with the things my parents expected.

I did it and I definitely got a healthy dose of this when I ended up parenting two daughters of my own and in both instances, here’s what I learned and maybe you can relate.

What I did in the dark always seemed to come into the light.

In other words, in ways I couldn’t explain then but fully understand now, my transgressions would get discovered, despite my best efforts to conceal them. Maybe you can relate.

In regard to my childhood, my parents seemed to have some special superpower, a sixth sense that allowed them to peer into my heart and mind to see what I had done.

As a parent, I realized the Holy Spirit was that sixth sense, the Counselor who was always helping me raise up my children into righteousness and part of that was exposing wickedness when it tried to gain a foothold.

As adults, we all still seem to try and revert back to our childhood days. We do things we shouldn’t and we go to great lengths to make sure no one will know about them. And unlike our childhood, our adult sins are at a whole new level as we graduate to more lofty degrees of wrongdoing. Like Ten Commandment levels of iniquity.

Adults murder others.

Adults steal from others.

Adults disrespect and dishonor their parents in ways that are embarrassing and disgusting.

Adults commit adultery, violating marital vows made in the sight of the Lord.

Adults willingly choose to labor on the seventh day that God has deemed blessed and holy.

Adults testify falsely against others, outright lying to try and damage others while elevating themselves.

Adults worship other worldly things more than they worship God if they worship Him at all.

And adults never seem to be satisfied with what God has given them, choosing to covet what others have instead.

Things get ugly when we move from childhood to adulthood and we become increasingly evil and wicked with no parent around anymore to keep us in check.

Wait. Let me rephrase that to say that we don’t have an earthly parent watching us to keep us in check.  I say this because we have a divine, holy Parent, our Heavenly Father, the Lord God Almighty who sees everything and is keeping an account of everything we do, whether anyone in the world knows or not. The scriptures affirm this as we look at verse 13 of Hebrews, chapter 4. There, we read this:

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Did you catch that first word?

It’s something called an absolute statement. In this case, there is “nothing in all creation” that is “hidden from God’s sight”. Nothing means nothing. No exceptions. The Lord sees everything I do and everything you do. Everything.

Let that sink in for a minute because it should leave you with a very uneasy feeling in your soul, something technically referred to as conviction. And that sense of guilt, knowing that God saw whatever sinful thing you thought you did in secret, should drive you immediately to heartfelt repentance over your behavior that has been “uncovered” and laid bare”.  

By design, God has instituted the best accountability system ever since the dawn of man. For since nothing is kept from His sight, no person ever gets away with anything. He will never fail in keeping an account of our actions and then hold us responsible for them.

The bottom line is that nothing we do is ever concealed from our Lord...and this is something we should rejoice and be glad over. For as we Christians work daily to be more Christ-like in our behavior, I know I am thankful to know that I serve a God who cares for me enough to watch over me and correct me when needed, just like any good parent will their children when they do wrong. When done properly and in a way that honors the Lord, discipline isn’t carried out because the imposer loves the one corrected less but rather more. It’s always done with the hope of helping the wrongdoer become better than they were.

We’re all works in progress, clay still in the hands of God, the Master Potter, the Mighty One who sees and identifies our flaws with the desire to correct them if we only submit ourselves to Him. My prayer is that we all will do just that and as we do remain mindful that nothing is concealed from the sight of the Lord. He sees all we do.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

GOD'S SURGICAL WORD

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In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

For the Word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Have you ever watched a butcher do their work?

It’s really fascinating because what we see in the meat section of the supermarket is typically just the finished product of the meat cutter’s labor.

For example, it’s not as if the meat you see packaged came to the store that way. Rather, the store received a beef or pork carcass and then went about cutting it up into the items we get to select. This involves very sharp knives that are used to trim away lots of unwanted fat before slicing meat up into sections like steaks or roasts. Using the properly sharpened cutting device, a butcher can easily make quick work of the meat which is unable to offer up much resistance.

Why lead with this as we pivot to talk about the Word of God?

Because as we see, the writer of Hebrews likens the scriptures to a razor sharp sword that can slay even the most stubborn sin within a person. Look again at his words here:

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

In this verse, we’re reminded that every word we read of the Bible “is alive and active”. As Timothy puts it, the scriptures are “God breathed” and “useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” as they ensure that a “servant of God” might be “thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

That preparation of a Christian believer to properly carry out the will and way of the Lord is not one requiring no work. Rather, the active and alive Word of God first needs to slice through the Jesus disciple like a “double-edged sword”, dividing “soul and spirit” as well as “joints and marrow” so to get to the place where the thoughts and attitudes of the heart might be judged.

Perhaps you have experienced this before. I know I have.

For there have been times, past and present, when I have read from the Bible and found myself being surgically probed by the Lord, exposing places in my heart that need changed. This surgical probing leads to conviction so to rebuke and correct me as I am taught and trained more and more how to be the righteous person God wants me to be, a righteous person who is more and more like His Son Jesus.

When the Apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in Ephesus, he urges them to put on the full armor of God which includes the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17). For many years, I read this verse in the context of protecting me from external attacks from Satan but as I have grown in my understanding, I now see the sword of the Spirit protecting me from myself and my sinful nature as well. In other words, the sharp “double-edged sword” of the Spirit (aka God’s Word) cannot just provide self defense but defense from self.

Friends, we don’t have a more valuable active and alive Word in our lives outside of the holy, God-breathed scriptures, scriptures that surgically penetrate to our hearts to expose our thoughts and attitudes so that the Lord can reform and transform us to be the people He wants us to be, a people obedient to Him in every way so we can bring the Gospel to others and make a Kingdom difference here on earth.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

THE POWER OF TODAY

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Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

God again set a certain day, calling it “Today.” This He did when a long time later He spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted:

“Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.”

Hebrews 4:7

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

What have you done today?

Yes, today.

Not yesterday or last week or last year. Not what you have planned tomorrow or in the days or months after.

What have you done today?

It’s a question we need to always ask ourselves because the Lord consistently blesses us with 24 hour periods where we have the opportunity and possibility to do great things in His name. All we need to do is seek His guidance and then carry it out.

Indeed, there is power in today and a contemporary Christian singer/songwriter, Chris Rice captured it in a verse within his song, Life Means So Much. You can catch the song later as it will be the Christian Song of the Day but here are the words:

Every day is a bank account

And time is our currency

So no one's rich, nobody's poor

We get twenty-four hours each

So how are you gonna spend

Will you invest or squander

Try to get ahead

Or help someone who's under

The point is that today you have the potential to make a difference in the lives of others in the name of the Lord, the One who has blessed you with the time, the One who has you purposed to do great and good things.

So what are you going to do? How are you going to invest this day that the Lord has made, one that we are to rejoice and be glad in like everyone He grants (Psalm 118:24)?

Just as the Psalmist saw the value in today, we read the writer of Hebrews driving the point home in his letter to the Jewish Christians. Look again at his words here:

God again set a certain day, calling it “Today.” This He did when a long time later He spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted:

“Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.” v. 7

Just as God had made time as we know it, segmenting it out into seven day periods we call weeks and commanding that the seventh day be kept holy and free of labor (Hebrews 4:1-6, 8-11), He also is the Author and Creator of every day of life we enter into. He sets the day we call “Today” and expects us to open our hearts to Him and all He would have us do. Only someone who had hardened their heart against Him would do otherwise.

Unfortunately, the Old Testament Israelites had done just that. They stopped giving thanks for each day the Lord gave them, instead rebelling and disrespecting Him. He had delivered them from terrible situations, displaying His loyal devotion to them but they weren’t anywhere near as faithful to Him.

And so they turned away to chase after their own desires for their days and enlisted the help of worthless idols through worship. They allowed the enemy to drag their hearts away from the Lord who was with them and for them, the Lord who loved them and wanted to provide the best.

Friends, so many people go through the motions every day and being a Christian doesn’t somehow make you automatically immune. As we covered in yesterday’s message on God’s call to rest, there’s a lot of Christians who have allowed the world and its ways to dictate their actions and behavior, turning away in disobedience from the Lord who demands their full compliance with His wishes.

Maybe you are in this category as you read this and if so, there’s good news for you because the power of today also includes the strength to change your way of thinking and living. No matter what you may have done before now, you have the chance to start fresh and new, recommitted to be who the Lord wants you to be and do what He wants you to do.

My prayer for you is that you will do so on this day that He has blessed you with, a day full of budding potential to do something wonderful by the Lord’s bidding. Trust me when I say, you’ll never regret it and, frankly, I know you’ll find that a daily approach to seeking and carrying out the Lord’s ways will result in a life filled with more satisfaction, joy, and fulfillment than you ever dreamed possible.

It’s His hope for you today and every day.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

ENTERING REST

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Therefore, since the promise of entering His rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed. Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said,

“So I declared on oath in My anger, ‘They shall never enter My rest.’”

And yet His works have been finished since the creation of the world. For somewhere He has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “On the seventh day God rested from all His works.” And again in the passage above He says, “They shall never enter My rest.”

Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience.

For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from His. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.

Hebrews 4:1-6, 8-11

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

I have a confession to make.

I have people very close to me in life that bring me constant worry and concern because they don’t seem to realize that they can’t run wide open all the time. They seem to be in a constant state of exhaustion because they take little time for self care, seemingly believing that their minds and bodies will simply endure the punishment they impose day after day after day. And unfortunately, they fail to realize that their behavior is actually sinful, in violation of God’s command to rest. You may remember these words from Him found in the 20th chapter of Exodus:

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but He rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” Exodus 20:8-11

Ask yourself this:

How well have I done in resting on the seventh day of every single week of my life?

If you’re like me and really being honest, you’re afraid to really answer the question because you know you’ve failed badly in being obedient to what God commanded.

When we go all the way back to the beginning and everything was made, we read where God did all the creation work in six days and then He rested on Day 7 (Genesis 2:1-3), blessing the day and declaring it “holy”.

In other words, the 7th day of every week is to be treated as sacred but here’s what has happened. Christian believers have become acclimated more to the world and its ways than to the command of the Lord God Almighty. This simply means that a majority of Jesus followers have willingly chosen to treat God’s directed holy day just as if it was any other. Unfortunately today, you can’t even recognize the Sabbath because it’s not a day of distinction as it should be.

Now, I’m not writing this to enter into some kind of sword fight over whether Saturday or Sunday is the true Sabbath. God didn’t designate a specific day per se. He said the 7th day so if this is observed on Saturday or Sunday, that’s all that matters. As the popular marketing slogan proclaims, “Just do it!”

So we know God rested on the seventh day and He called everyone who follows Him to do the same. As for God, He really didn’t need to rest. He is omnipotent and never tires so we need to know that He didn’t do it for Himself but rather for us. Before we were even made, God knew we would need to pause from our labors and spend a day free from work, a day where we could refresh our bodies and minds, a day where we could dedicate ourselves to quality time with family, a day when we could set aside time to worship and honor Him in church.

Look at the issues we’re having in our world today in the Christian community in regard to people burning out their lives and relationships within, and I can almost guarantee you that you’ll find a general disregard for the rest God commanded, a rest that Satan wants to keep the Lord’s people from because he knows how harmful and destructive it is to be without respite and relaxation.

Simply put, we all need to enter into rest and do so every seventh day at a minimum. God demanded it and so it’s not an option. All Christians need to stop, self examine, and make whatever corrections are needed to assure this.

Now, before I close this important message, one more thing to say about the Sabbath and resting. For there is still a day to come, the day when all Christians enter into the eternal life promised to them through the redeeming work of Jesus on Calvary’s cross. On that day, we will leave all our labors and troubles of this world behind and guess what we will gain?

That’s right. Rest...forever (Revelation 14:13).

In Heaven, we will be in a constant state of worship and adoration, abiding with our Father God and His Son Jesus for all eternity. It’s a time I find myself looking more and more forward to every day but until that day comes, there’s still much work the Lord has for me to do for the cause of the Gospel.

Except for the seventh day, of course, the holy day appointed by God for rest.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.