Month: February 2024

Hebrews 12:22 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 

Yesterday’s verses were a reminder of the terrible place they were NOT. Today’s verses are a look at Mount Zion, where they are: City of the living God, heavenly Jerusalem. Thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly. The church of the firstborn. The spirits of the righteous made perfect.

Hebrews 12:23 to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 

However, arrival at Mount Zion is not a guarantee. Verse 25 tells us, “See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks.” We have choices, and we can choose poorly. But we can’t say we didn’t know.

Hebrews 12:24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for Your Word, for Your encouragement, for Your reminder of the choices we have. Help me to choose You again and again and again. Amen.

Hebrews 12:25 See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven?

Have a blessed day.

Hebrews 12:18 You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm;  

As the image in today’s verses gets progressively more bleak, I have to keep coming back to verse 18: “You have NOT come to….” This is NOT the reality of where you are. These verses are set up for contrast, and they seem to provide maximum contrast pretty effectively.

Hebrews 12:19 to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them,

This terrifying place of burning and fire, of darkness, gloom, and storm, of trumpet blasts and begging and terror–this is NOT where you are. “You have not come to….” Thank You, Jesus, because this place sounds terrifying.

Hebrews 12:20 because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.” 

Precious Savior, Thank You for using contrast to so effectively show us where we are not. The mountain You describe sounds terrifying. Thank You that with You, that is not where we are. Help us to stay far, far from that horror. Amen.

Hebrews 12:21 The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”

Have a blessed day.

Hebrews 12:14 Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. 

God’s stepping on my toes hard with verses 14 & 15. That bitter root seems to be growing out of control at the moment. Everything feels personal and petty. As you would imagine, it’s a great headspace to hang out in.

Hebrews 12:15 See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. 

The devo I read each morning contained this gem today: “As your circumstances consume more and more of your attention, you are losing sight of Me. Yet I am always with you….” I allow myself to be consumed by my circumstances, by the everyday pettiness that is just a part of life, and I forget that Jesus is right there with me. I become bitter about the inconvenience instead of being thankful for my Savior’s presence.

Hebrews 12:16 See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. 

Precious Savior, Forgive me for my shortsightedness. Forgive me for allowing the chaos and pettiness of life to consume my focus and attention. Thank You that You are with me always. Help me to focus on You instead of all the little annoyances of life. Amen.

Hebrews 12:17 Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done.

Have a blessed day.

Hebrews 12:11a No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful…. 

Precious Savior, Help us to lean into Your word, to look and listen for You, to seek and see You on every page. Help us to strengthen our feeble arms and weak knees by carrying out Your word to the best of our ability every day.

Hebrews 12:11b …Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Loving Father, Help us remember that we are Your deeply, fiercely, completely loved children, that You love us so much that You lay down Your life for us. When we are stung by Your discipline, help us to remember that it is training us, leading us, guiding us so that we can live a more godly life for You.

Hebrews 12:12 Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. 

Heavenly Father, Thank You that Your word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Help us, even as we stumble along, even when the path is steep or rocky or seemingly insurmountable, to know that You are with us, guiding us, protecting us, loving us. Always. Amen.

Hebrews 12:13 “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.

Have a blessed day.

Hebrews 12:7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?   

I’m not going to lie–today’s verses make me profoundly uncomfortable. And I’m not even sure why since, as a parent, I know that discipline is necessary to help children know boundaries–what’s acceptable, what’s not, how to navigate the two–and knowing and keeping healthy boundaries is essential for a good life.

Hebrews 12:8 If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. 

I think it is the word discipline–which, apparently, has a very negative connotation for me. It strikes me as harsh, belt or switch in hand, severe punishment. And my Savior is not harsh or severe. He is loving and merciful. He wants what is best for me. He wants me to live a good life, a godly life, and He will help me stay on track by guiding and instructing me, not by harsh punishment.

Hebrews 12:9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live!

Precious Savior, Today’s scripture has brought up some interesting baggage for me. Thank You that I see You as a loving parent, guiding, instructing, showing mercy and grace and not as a harsh disciplinarian, punishing, hurting, negatively disciplining. Thank You that no matter how I view it semantically, You are with me to guide me on Your path. Thank You. Amen.

Hebrews 12:10 They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness.

Have a blessed day.

Hebrews 12:3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Lord, It is so easy to grow weary and lose heart. The daily grind wears us down until we feel raw and fragile and prickly. Help us, even when our edges are sharp, even when we are just over it all, to keep our eyes on You, the author and perfecter of our faith.

Hebrews 12:4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 

Father, When we are in the middle of the struggle, it is overwhelmingly easy to be consumed by the fight, to feel that it defines us, devours us. Help us to cling to You. Help us to gain perspective that can only come from being close to You. Help us to persevere.

Hebrews 12:5 And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,

Precious Savior, Thank You that we can come to You when we are weary. Thank You that we can lay our burdens at Your feet and wrap ourselves in Your peace. Help us to be more like You. Help us to cling to You. Help Us, precious Savior. Amen.

Hebrews 12:6 because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”

Have a blessed day.

Hebrews 12:1a Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.

When you are driving a car, the wheel unintentionally skews in the direction you are looking. Look left for more than a second, and you’ll notice the car beginning to drift toward the left. Look right, same deal. It’s a fascinating fact, and more than a bit scary, as looking too long can impact your trip in a very negative way.

Hebrews 12:1b And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us…  

Our faith is like that as well. If we keep our eyes on Jesus, we’ll be fine. We’ll live a life that is aligned with Him. But if we get distracted, looking to the right or the left, we’ll start to drift off course, and the longer we look, the more certain we change our intended course.

Hebrews 12:2a …fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

Precious Savior, Thank You for the reminder to fix our eyes on You. The world won’t fall apart if we don’t, but we’ll keep drifting farther and farther away, leaving us somewhere we really don’t want to be. Help us to focus on You, to cling to You. Always. Amen.

Hebrews 12:2b …For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

Have a blessed day.