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. I never cease to be amazed at how God allows me to see little things that I never before noticed as I read the Word. For instance, today's Hebrew's passage says, "10 He also says to the Son,

'In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth
and made the heavens with your hands.
11 They will perish, but you remain forever.
They will wear out like old clothing.
12 You will fold them up like a cloak
and discard them like old clothing.
But you are always the same;
you will live forever.'"

Then, this chapter (that we are fortunate to read on the same day) gives the Old Testament perspective of the same truth: "25 Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth
and made the heavens with your hands.
26 They will perish, but you remain forever;
they will wear out like old clothing.
You will change them like a garment
and discard them."

Now, isn't it amazing that the One who created us will someday discard the heavens like old clothing, but hang on to us to enjoy intimacy with Him for eternity. I am in awe!

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?