Thanks to the 21 men who attended either the Wednesday or Friday bible studies this week! As Buffalo Springfield said … "there's something happening here."
Heb13:1-8
1 Let mutual love continue.
2 Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels.
3 Be mindful of prisoners as if sharing their imprisonment, and of the ill-treated as of yourselves, for you also are in the body.
4 Let marriage be honored among all and the marriage bed be kept undefiled, for God will judge the immoral and adulterers.
5 Let your life be free from love of money but be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never forsake you or abandon you."
6 Thus we may say with confidence: "The Lord is my helper, (and) I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?"
7 Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
----------------------------
This is packed full of instruction for Christian living:
- V1 - reminder on one of the two great commandments of the new testament.
- V2 - makes me wonder when I might have declined to entertain an angel.
- V5 - money has it's place, but God gives us everything we truly need
- V6 - the Lord is with us, there is no reason to fear. I think I need this tattooed on the inside of my eyelids.
Verses 7 and 8 are a great follow up to the "great cloud of witnesses" passage from Hebrews 12. We are told to remember the spiritual leaders who spoke the word of God to us -- consider how their lives played out, and imitate their faith
I've had (and continue to have) several people in my life who have taken the time to speak the word of God to me, and to teach me his ways. Those individuals have lived as lights to me. I was attracted to each of them because I could see that they were different, and that I wanted to be like them. Eventually I learned why -- they were committed to Christ, and they lived their lives in a way that demonstrated that commitment. None are perfect, but they all live with integrity, and none of them are afraid to give the reasons for the joy they have (1 Peter 3:15).
As I think about those people, I have indeed imitated them. So it is with us. If we live as lights, people notice, and they watch us. Praise the Lord for allowing us to bring his light to others. The Lord is our helper, and there is no reason to fear.
