My helper - your helper!

"So, we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. 
What can mere mortals do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6 and Psalm 118:6)

Taking a scripture verse out of its context can be a dangerous thing, as we don't allow it to speak to us with the whole weight of the words either side of the verse. 

Take today's reading as an example. The message is clear enough in that we can affirm that God is our helper and therefore, we don't need to be afraid of the threats of other people. However, this is only half the truth - there is a lot more to glean from the verse...

...verse 6 starts off by stating: "So, we can say with confidence...". We should be asking, what is the "SO" referring to? And to get the answer we need to read the preceding verses, particularly verse 5.

"For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (NKJV)

Our confidence comes from this amazing promise: God says he will never leave us, nor forsake us, which opens our hearts and mouths to proclaim with great confidence: 

God has got my back and so I don't need to be afraid of the hollow threats of people.

Living in grace

D3LM3 

Wisdom has no expiry date - it remains a gift throughout the generations

Wisdom is something that is timeless. And when we read the Bible, we note that there are thousands of words of wisdom, instruction, good news and grace. The book of Hebrews ends off offering the early believer's wisdom about contentment and money. In my opinion these words are timeless. They have spoken the Truth to countless generations of Christians, and they will continue to speak long after we have gone. 

Hebrews 13:5 - "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 
“Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6, Joshua 1:5)

I have left the Old Testament references in this post, because the readers of Hebrews would have known Deuteronomy and Joshua off-by-heart. This challenge was not something new to them, it was just that they were struggling to live it out. The same can be said for us. Knowing something to be wise and true, is one thing - but living it out, is the hard part!

Thought: Are you wrestling with contentment at the moment? How do the quotes from Joshua and Deuteronomy help you?

"Wisdom has no expiry date!"

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Putting things together

As his final words to the first century Hebrews, the writer reminds them that God is the one who can put all things together. This is something we also ought to remember - when it seems that all is lost, we must remember that Christ is the one who can make us whole again. In Him, all things can be made new.

"May God, who puts all things together, makes all things whole,
Who made a lasting mark through the sacrifice of Jesus,
    the sacrifice of blood that sealed the eternal covenant,
Who led Jesus, our Great Shepherd, up and alive from the dead,
Now put you together, provide you with everything you need to please him,
Make us into what gives him most pleasure, by means of the sacrifice of Jesus, the Messiah.
All glory to Jesus forever and always!" - Hebrews 11:19-21 (The Message)

"You don't need another person, place or thing to make you whole. God already did that. Your job is to know it." - Maya Angelou

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Keep on loving one another

In his final charge to the Hebrews the writer makes a number of profound statements in chapter 13. The very first words he utters are: "Keep on loving one another" (v.1). While these words may not seem earth-shattering for us, they are still very important for all believers to hear. 

Jesus had already told his disciples that the world would witness our love for each other and know that we belonged to him. He said: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35)

Sometimes I feel that if we could just put this into practice more often, our communities would be very different. I like what C.S. Lewis says about loving each other:

"Do not waste your time bothering whether you 'love' your neighbour,  act as if you did! As soon as we do this, we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him.” 

Action: Who is God calling you to love today? 

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees

In sharing on Hebrews 12 this week, I definitely feel that verse 12and 13 are my highlights. I offer them to you and pray that they may be a blessing to you.

"Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. 13 “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. (NIV)

"So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong. (NLT)

"So don’t sit around on your hands! No more dragging your feet! Clear the path for long-distance runners so no one will trip and fall, so no one will step in a hole and sprain an ankle. Help each other out. And run for it!" (The Message)

I pray that God would strength your tired hands and shaky knees. May you know his strength as you walk forward in faith. 

If you would like to listen to the audio podcast of the Bible Study, you are welcome to click here.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Robert Falcon Scott and the Apostle Paul

On this day (12th November) 1912, the diary and body of Robert Falcon Scott were found in Antartica. He had been dead for 8 months already, but no one could retrieve his body because of the extreme weather conditions. 

One of the intriguing things about Scott is how he faced his last few days on earth with fortitude and bravery. There was a certain peace in his heart about the inevitability of death. These are some of his last words, as longed for his loved ones to be taken care of:

"We shall stick it out to the end, but we are getting weaker of course and the end cannot be far. It seems a pity, but I do not think I can write more. For God's sake, look after our people."

His words remind me a little of the writings of St. Paul. Even when Paul was in prison, he wrote letters filled with hope and always thought of others. Take for example these words from the first chapter of Philippians.

"I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. 8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus."

Thought: Do you find it easy to pray for others even when you are going through tough times yourself?

Living in Grace

D3LM3

P.S. Just out of interest, you may like to know that my maternal grandfather's name is also Robert Scott. Perhaps that helps explain why I am interested in this bit of historical trivia today :) 

Remembrance Day and the 1000-year-old Rose

The 11th of November is marked as Remembrance Day and most of us are aware of the history attached to this auspicious day. It is always a good practice to pause and remember the impact of war; to be thankful for the freedom's won; to mourn the millions of lives lost; to ponder whether we have learnt anything from these cataclysmic events; to pray that we will never allow them to occur again.

I recently finished a remarkable book on the Second World War, and I came to learn about the 1000-year-old rose (see the picture attached). This rose is also known as the Rose of Hildesheim, and it grows on the apse of the Hildesheim Cathedral, a Catholic cathedral in Hildesheim, Germany. Some scholars believe it may have been alive even as far back as 815 AD which is truly phenomenal. 

The reason I am mentioning this remarkable rose is because during the Allied bombing of Hildesheim in 1945, a large portion of the Cathedral was destroyed, including the visible part of the rose. All seemed to be ruins, until a while later, the rose began to grow and blossom again. It stands over 20 meters tall to this day. 

As a Christian, I believe that we should reflect on the tragedy of war, death and disaster with a different perspective. Of course, we are not immune from the pain and heartache of this broken world, but we should always hold onto the hope of the New Life in Christ. The Resurrection speaks to this truth, every day of our earthly existence.

Let us remember, that just when all seems to be lost, Christ can still bring renewal and life. 

Titus 3:5 - "He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit." 

Living in Grace

D3LM3