Tag Archives: hebrews

I do because He did.

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Happy Friday!

giphy

As promised, tonight’s post is another school-inspired idea.

If you read my last post, my kids got to retake a test.

As for me, their teacher, I expect them to work hard now. I explained how the retake is a one-time thing. They are supposed to work hard for the rest of the year.

I will also work hard for them. That is what school is all about. Working hard.

hard-work

Transition to the spiritual. So now I am forgiven. What is the next step?

We get to work for God now. That is the next step.

It is pretty simple.

We work because God has already worked.

I live in a region of the country that is steeped in a “works-based” faith.

Simply put, salvation is earned. You do enough good things to outweigh the bad and heaven is all yours.

Sorry to be blunt but this is absolutely wrong. The bible is clear on this.

Good works should never be used to try and earn something from God.

I strongly believe that our good works should be a response to what God has already done for us.

The writer of Hebrews said it this way;

“1In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. 3The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”  Hebrews 1:1-3

Check out the underlined part. That describes the work God did. He sat. That is what I like to do after I work.

There is nothing you or I can do that will earn God’s acceptance.

So stop trying to work for it!

stop it sign

Instead, let your works point people to God.

That is the purpose of good works.

I do stuff because of God, not for God.

I do because He did.

 

 

 

Lent, pt. 36

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Long day for me.

long day meme

It was one of those days that was full. Nothing bad, just full.

I watched my daughter get honored in a D.A.R.E. graduation.

There was a board meeting at church.

I also waited tables at the Olive Garden.

All of this made for a crazy day.

So now, I just sat down on the couch to write this blog.

Feels good to sit down.

Resting here reminds me of someone else who sat down.

“1In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. 3The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” Hebrews 1:1-3 NIV Underline mine

These are some of my favorite verses.

In short, Jesus did his work and then he sat.

Sat down at his place in heaven.

In my opinion, this means that the work is complete.

Purification from sins…that is what Jesus did.

That makes me happy.

Thank you Jesus and good night!

 

The letter J is a tough one.

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God is Jealous! God is Just. God is Jolly? So there are not as many J words to choose from as there are for other letters. But even when I decided on this word, there was still a doubt in the back of my mind. Jealous and Just were both the leaders for a while. In fact, the word I am blogging about here almost did not even make the list. Why?

There was simply too much information about Jesus.

Yep. Jesus.

The Word – Jesus

The Worth – There have been thousands of books written about Jesus. In my life alone, I’ve heard hundreds or even thousands of sermons about him. Millions, perhaps billions of conversations have revolved around Jesus.

What am I going to add in two minutes? Not sure but here goes!

In John 8:58, Jesus says this confounding statement, “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” NIV, Underline is mine. 

Here is a link to the whole chapter for more context.  John 8

These are the thoughts about Jesus that I gather from that passage.

 

  • The Creating Jesus was at the beginning of the world. The Old Testament contains numerous verses about this Jesus.
  • The Crucified Jesus is illuminated in the New Testament specifically Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. He died and was then risen from the grave.
  • The Current Jesus is in heaven preparing a place for us right now. See John 14.
  • The Conquering Jesus is found in Revelation. When He returns, watch out bad guys! There will be a great battle but Jesus will be victorious!

God can be misunderstood. He can be unclear to us. We don’t always agree on what God is, does, or looks like.

So in order for us to have a better picture, God gave us Himself…

…in the form of Jesus. And He was born as a baby. That way we could completely identify and understand who Jesus is.

If we understand Jesus, then we can understand God.

God is Jesus. Jesus is God. I like how it is stated in Hebrews 1:3, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being…”

The Work – Action must be taken now that we know God gave us His son. Jesus died for us. We must choose Him or deny Him. Access to our hearts can be granted or denied. Remaining neutral is not an option. If I am not choosing to grow and move forward in Jesus, then I am declining or going backwards.

When I started writing this, I was not sure how it was going to end. Apparently, I have brought a challenge to all who read this blog. I myself am included in said challenge.

Let the timeless Jesus whom I have briefly described overtake your heart and mind. Allow Him to soak into your dry soul. Give Him the key to every closet in your life.

You will never regret opening your heart to Him.

Thanks for two minutes of your time. See you soon for the letter K.