October 30

Today's Reading

Lamentations. Got troubles? Meditate on this! "22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
His mercies never cease.
23 Great is his faithfulness;
his mercies begin afresh each morning.
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance;
therefore, I will hope in him!”

25 The Lord is good to those who depend on him,
to those who search for him.
26 So it is good to wait quietly
for salvation from the Lord.
27 And it is good for people to submit at an early age
to the yoke of his discipline."

Hebrews is one of my favorite books in the whole Bible. A reason, perhaps, is that it does so much to help us interpret the Old Testament in the light of the New Testament. The entire Old Testament looks forward to the coming of Messiah, God's Anointed One, who was to save the world. The New Testament says, "He's here!" Hebrews gives great insight into how Christ (same word as Messiah) is the fulfillment of all those hopes, dreams and prophecies.

Hebrews does something else that I love. It pulls back the veil between physical reality and spiritual reality, giving us opportunities to peek inside. For instance, "14 Therefore, angels are only servants—spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation."

Finally, Hebrews can be confusing. Scholars have settled on four different ways to interpret the book. Whatever way one chooses, it needs to stay consistent throughout the book. I believe that Hebrews was written to a group of Christians who were in danger of losing their destiny. Like Israel in the days of Moses, they have been delivered out of Egypt (slavery to the world). But, like Israel, they are in danger of confinement in a spiritual wilderness rather than enjoyment of the Promised Land (abundant, Christian life). They -- we -- must choose to believe God and step into the face of the enemies in the Land. Or we must stay rooted in spiritual infancy.

Psalms: no matter how bad things seem, God is in control. He loves us and will cause it ALL to work together for good!

Proverbs: I find it way too easy to lean and and listen intently when someone gives me bad news about a person I don't care for. God forgive me!

How is He speaking to you today?