Daily Bible Devotionals

“Now the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on Him will not be put to shame, for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, since the same Lord of all is rich to all who call on Him.  For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  Hebrews 10:11-13 (HCSB)

Let’s revisit a point I briefly raised back in the Hebrews 6 devotional.  It is the notion that Israel’s deliverance into Canaan is symbolic of our fleshly deliverance through Jesus.  Just as Israel was commanded to drive out the land’s inhabitants, so are we commanded to drive out the former “inhabitants,” i.e., our old sinful patterns.  The “land symbolism” becomes clearer when we consider that Adam was created when God breathed into a handful of earthly dust.  We are, in a sense, God-breathed land.

Again, the former inhabitants of our “land” (our flesh) were the inward motivations of our “sin nature,” made evident by our sinful ways.  Sin always leads to self-destruction because it is always self-serving.  That is why it is urgent that we drive out those inhabitants by the power of God’s Spirit.  That is also why Jesus was unlike anything anyone had ever seen.  He was above all, yet chose to save us through serving instead of mandating we live up to an impossible standard.

Now, when Jesus offered Himself to atone for sin, His work was completed.  Sin was atoned for.  He does not need to get up and re-offer His sacrifice.  As evidence of God’s satisfaction for Jesus’ atonement, the Bible says Jesus is sitting at the right hand of the Father right now.

When we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord and receive His atonement, we are “delivered.”  Just as Israel was delivered into Canaan by God’s grace yet was commanded to drive out its enemies (the former inhabitants), we, too, must drive out the former inhabitants of our flesh once we have been delivered.

Now, if Jesus is sitting next to God, waiting for His enemies to be put under His footstool, who will do that work?  The Holy Spirit will accomplish this through the surrendered lives of believers.

Everyone has a “former inhabitant” (or several), which they are battling.  It has been given to us to drive out the old self, combining the strength we have with the desire and power of God’s Spirit.

Take courage, and submit to the Spirit’s leading!  Allow Him to manifest Himself in power in your life, driving out your former “sin self.”  What is impossible for us is easily doable with God.  There is no panic in Heaven.  Jesus is not worried about whether His enemies will be placed under His footstool.  He is only waiting.  Therefore, we should be confident in God’s Word, Jesus’ atonement, and the Spirit’s power to overcome.

“And just as it is appointed for people to die once – and after this, judgment – so also the Messiah, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.”  Hebrews 9:27-28 (HCSB)

The concept of reincarnation is attractive to people who are discontented with this life – which is to say, it is appealing to most people!  And understandably so.  It satisfies deep romantic needs to suppose that one might have been something or someone important in a past life.  Moreover, it builds upon the non-Biblical notion that only the soul is pure, and the body is unclean, inferior, and unworthy of being immortal.

The first half of today’s passage refutes the idea of reincarnation, which is found in most Eastern religions and incorporated into a number of recent Western imitations.  Reincarnation is based on the notion that, although the body is mortal, the soul is not.  So that after one’s body dies, the soul that was in it migrates (perhaps after an interval of time) to another body or organism.  But God has so organized the universe that human beings die once, not “many times.”  

Obviously, if God has appointed mankind to die once, it is impossible to be reincarnated.  You may say, “But what about people who were clinically dead, yet were revived by some medical procedure?  Didn’t they die twice?”  In short, no.  What modern medicine calls “impossibly dead” (that is, to be beyond recovery) is in no way limiting to God.  The only time we are “inches from death” is when we’re actually “inches from death.”  All other times, we just think we’re “inches from death.”  Plus, when those people are revived, they’re never revived to another body, butterfly, or whatever.

The second half of today’s passage deals with Jesus’ first and second comings.  His first coming was in relation to Isaiah 53: The suffering servant Who would atone for sin.  Being fully God yet fully man, He too (as a man) was appointed to die only once.  Good for us that He was blameless before the Lord (for He was the Lord, Himself) because once was all it took to atone for our sin!

By His sinless perfection (in that while He knew no sin Himself, He became the sin offering for us), Jesus rose from the grave so that He could appear a second time.  This “second coming” fulfills prophecies such as Isaiah 2:2-5 and 9:6-7, which say that Messiah will bring peace to the world and deliver His people Israel from oppression.

However, speaking of “Israel,” since “not everyone who is descended from Israel are Israel” Romans 9:6, only those who eagerly await Jesus’ return can have assurance they will be delivered in His second coming.

“For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion for a second one.  But finding fault with His people, He says: Look, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah – not like the covenant that I made with their ancestors on the day I took them by their hands to lead them out of the land of Egypt.’”  Hebrews 8:7-9a (HCSB)

I have been in the record business my entire adult life.  A few years ago, I began making arrangements for my 16th commercially released music project.  The terms of my first recording agreement outlined that (if the company wished) I was obligated to record six albums.  Well, they DID wish, and I ended up recording eight projects for them.  I was blessed.

Most artists record one or two successful projects, but typically, their music sours in the marketplace by album #3.  Every artist dreads that phone call from the record executive when they are politely “dropped” from the label.

It has been said that a record deal is like borrowing money from your grandmother.  If your record is a flop, “granny” won’t make you pay her back.  But she’ll also probably never loan you money again!  Very few record companies would endure long-term market failure just because they loved the artist and wanted them to grow and succeed on a personal level.  After all, it’s not “show friends;” it’s “show BUSINESS.”

In music industry terms, God is the world’s most benevolent A&R guy!  (Artist & Repertoire)      

A covenant is a contract, and there are MANY covenants in the Bible.  Here’s a short list:  Edenic, Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, Covenant with Lot, Caananic, Davidic, National, Personal, and, of course, the NEW Covenant.

If God were a record company, and mankind’s existence was based on market performance, we’d have all been dropped from the label long ago!!  But all those covenants, taken as a whole, paint a compelling picture of a Holy God’s desire to have a personal relationship with His human creation.  

Let’s praise the Lord that our redemption through His “New Covenant” is not based on our performance/faultlessness but on Jesus.  There is indemnity/security in our salvation because Jesus Himself is the guarantor.

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Hebrews 7. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

“For God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you showed His name when you served the saints – and you continue to serve them.  Now we want each of you to demonstrate the same diligence for the final realization of your hope, so that you won’t become lazy but will be imitators of those who inherit the promises through faith and perseverance.” Hebrews 6:10-12 (HCSB)

When my grandfather died, he left my mother some property in rural Arkansas.  We were all excited!  I recall driving down a maze of dirt roads to view her “estate.” What we found was 30 acres of dense forest, swallowing some rickety old shack.  My mom shook her head and said, “Not worth it,” so we drove away.  To my knowledge, nothing has ever been done with that land.

Sometimes, dreams and reality collide with damaging consequences.  Seldom are we told that we will have to work hard at things we’ve been given by grace.  When this reality sets in, people often lose interest.

This was the case with Israel after they entered the Promised Land.  God had sworn to deliver them, and He was faithful to His Word.  But once Israel crossed over, it was their job to “dispossess the land’s former inhabitants.” This, too, God promised would be completed if Israel boldly went forth, trusting Him as before, to drive out their enemies.  He did not need their labor to accomplish His purposes, but He gave them opportunities to be faithful so they could experience His faithfulness to His Word.  Hence, the pedestrian Israelite was given limited participation in fulfilling God’s promise.   God intended to use their hard work, empowered by His Spirit, to reach goals outlined in His Word.  God chose to elevate Israel’s faith through faith-stretching tasks.  

Some of the tribes obeyed, driving out the former inhabitants.  Others compromised and made their enemies slaves.  Still, others cowered, so they never took hold of what God had promised.  Once they had been delivered, by grace through faith, discipleship stalled.

The author of Hebrews (scholars cannot agree on its author) was drawing a parallel of the deliverance of Moses-era Israel with salvation through the Messiah, Jesus.  While we are saved by grace, apart from works, once we have been delivered (i.e., are saved), we must bear the armor of God and dispossess those former “inhabitants” (attitudes, influences, thoughts, and actions) that once controlled our lives.

Our command to fight does not diminish God’s saving grace.  The Lord still delivers us, but under the condition that we remain vigilant and diligent.  Again, God gives believers limited participation in things He doesn’t need us to do to experience His faithfulness.  Why?  Because He loves us and has chosen to show Himself faithful through our faithfulness.

Let us strive to be imitators of those “who inherit the promises, through faith and perseverance.” Again, we are not saved by faith and works; instead, by faith that works.

“Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God’s revelation again.  You need milk, not solid food.  Now everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness, because he is an infant.  But solid food is for the mature – for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish good and evil.”  Hebrews 5:12-14 (HCSB)

I started working full-time when I was in 8th grade.  My poor kids have that to live up to!  I held the “cart boy” position at the Fianna Hills Country Club, and working at the club taught me two important things: 1) NEVER wear plaid polyester pants!  2) Money doesn’t buy class.

From my “caddy shack” vantage point, I observed men yelling at their wives during tennis matches, marital infidelity, binge drinking, gambling away expensive cars…and so on.  Being educated and affluent doesn’t make you classy or mature.

Likewise, just because a person attends a church doesn’t necessarily make them a mature believer.  Maturity comes when we apply the Bible’s teaching and move beyond being “hearers” of the Word to being “doers” of it.  If we fail to employ the Biblical teaching we learn, our maturity as believers is stunted.  

Imagine my adult son eating the same baby formula as an 8-month-old.  How pathetic would that be at a barbecue?  It’s the same image Paul uses for believers who refuse to faithfully employ Biblical teaching.

How did Jesus mature as a young Jewish man?

“Though He was God’s Son, He learned obedience through what he suffered.” Hebrews 5:8 (HCSB)

In our efforts to make our churches more attractive and “relevant,” have we, perhaps, missed the most important lesson of faith?  Faith must be employed for a person to realize its worth.  Only after we have chosen to trust God, endured the conditions of our calling, and been delivered through various trials can we truly say we were faithful.  

The problem with the world is not that they don’t have access to the Gospel or good preaching.  With the internet, we have more access to Gospel answers and good preaching than ever in History.  The problem is that people don’t have VALUE for the Gospel preached.  Those who value the Gospel will be willing to suffer for it.

The author of Hebrews begged his disciples to share in his suffering.  He knew faith-in-action moves “Faith in Jesus” from theory to reality.  Maturity grows, faith upon faith.  Our challenge is to press on faithfully, transcending intellectual ascent and striving to obtain the life that makes suffering worthwhile.  This moves from milk to meat, training our senses to distinguish good from evil and obeying the Spirit’s leading.

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tested in every way as we are, yet without sin.  Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time.” Hebrews 4:15-16 (HCSB)

There is an unwritten rule: Men don’t ask for directions.  Maybe it’s our primal hunter/warrior instinct.  Maybe it’s our stupidity, but it’s hard to get men to admit they don’t know where they’re going.  It threatens both their manhood and their on-time arrival.  

Women generally ask for help.  In contrast, women’s lateness is more related to getting dressed than getting lost!  Arriving in style often trumps arriving on time.  

At the risk of further over-generalizing, I have observed gender-specific trends when it comes to spiritual directions, as well.  It is hard to get men motivated about Bible study.  We would rather compete, joke around, or build something.  On the other hand, women can put together a Bible study group with a few phone calls.  

While women may be more inclined to congregate, image-shattering honesty is often missing from the group.  If you could ever get men together, they’re usually pretty open and honest about challenging one another.  As I said, I’m over-generalizing, and I’m sure none of this applies to you…Ha!

Bottom line: We all have weaknesses.  Just because we don’t share the same weakness doesn’t make one gender superior or inferior.  It simply means we’re different yet equal in our need for mercy and grace.

People tend to gravitate to communities of faith that support their moral strengths and deemphasize their weaknesses.  This is not a healthy approach to seeking a church family.  Nobody wants to be judged all the time, but part of a loving community is the honest assessment of our spiritual conditions, which leads to a plan of healing.  As they say in recovery, “The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem.”  

Satan uses the fear of “being exposed” to keep many Christians “in neutral” when God is calling them to “go forth” boldly.  Today’s passage is an empowering challenge for us to take courage and approach the throne of mercy and grace with boldness!  Jesus is familiar with our weaknesses and has overcome them all.  He is sympathetic, which means He relates to us on the level that He knows how it “feels” to be us.  

By virtue of His sinless victory over fleshly weakness, we can trust Him to lead us out of our bondage into the life He has prepared for us.

“For who heard and rebelled?  Wasn’t it really all who came out of Egypt under Moses?  And who was He provoked with for 40 years?’  Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?  And who did He swear to that they would not enter His rest, if not those who disobeyed?  So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.”  Hebrews 3:16-19 (HCSB)

I love mountain biking.  I love the equipment, the trails, and the magazines.  I even love Power Bars and the Camel Back full of Gatorade—one problem.  I don’t actually like to RIDE mountain bikes!

Several years ago, my “extreme” friends bought mountain bikes, and so did I.  I was really excited about joining the extreme sports culture…until they took me out on a trail ride.  Screaming down narrow trails, inches between tree limbs and the ends of my handlebars, was no treat for me.  It was my third fall that convinced me my new Gary Fisher bike had just become a monument to impetuousness, on permanent display in my garage!  

It is easy to get into the culture of mountain biking.  But you have to be committed to being an actual mountain biker.

Similarly, it can be easy to get into Christian culture, but it’s often difficult to live the life of a Christian.  I am not talking about our salvation, which is by God’s grace alone, through our faith in Jesus.  I’m talking about living out your faith once you have received salvation.

Following Jesus is more than saying a prayer, signing a card, lifting a hand, or walking an aisle.  Those action items may be methods of “crossing the line of faith,” but the acts themselves are only external indicators of an inward transformation.  Jesus calls us to a life of faith and service, not just a one-time decision.  To paraphrase the old preacher, D.L. Moody, “New believers are to be weighed, not counted.”  If your last act of following Jesus was your decision to follow Him, maybe it’s time to examine your life to see whether the gospel you received was the real thing.  We are not saved by faith and works.  Instead, we are saved by faith that works.  Salvation is less about a moment of decision and more about generating momentum for a disciple.  Belief is a starting line, not a finish line.

For the Israelites, simply leaving Egypt didn’t mean they were ready to follow God in obedience.  All but two men of that generation were unable to enter the Promised Land because of unbelief.  Similarly, salvation in this generation comes only through belief in Messiah, Jesus.  Simply leaving the World and attending a church is not necessarily an indicator that we have entered a saving relationship with Jesus.  It never hurts to examine our spiritual lives to ensure we know the difference between “leaving” and “following.”  The indicator that we have received the real thing is most often found in how we worship God in those “desert” seasons of our lives.

“We must, therefore, pay even more attention to what we have heard, so that we will not drift away.  For if the message spoken through angels was legally binding, and every transgression and disobedience received a just punishment, how will we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?”  Hebrews 2:1-3a (HCSB)

One of my friends used to own a home on Lake Michigan.  In the summers, my family would drive over to their house to ride jet skis.

Lake Michigan has waves and moods, just like an ocean.  It’s not as much a lake as it is an inland sea.  It ebbs and flows.  At times, it can be quite treacherous.  Many large ships have sunk in Lake Michigan storms.  Gordon Lightfoot’s song, “The Wreck of The Edmond Fitzgerald,” is about one such Lake Michigan shipwreck.

One summer afternoon, I was pretty far out in the lake when I decided to jump off my “water hog” and swim around a bit.  No big deal, I just hopped into the lake.  Very quickly, my jet ski began drifting away.  I had to paddle like crazy and was almost completely exhausted before I caught it!

It can be that way sometimes with the gospel.  When we turn our attention away from the gospel, we quickly drift away.  That is why Godly community is so important.  Hanging around worldly people to minister to them is important.  But a steady diet of worldliness will dull your sensitivity to sin.  Often, we don’t even realize it.  

Have you known people who have drifted away from the church community?  Have you been one of those people?  I have.  

We know we are drifting when we begin to feel uncomfortable around fully devoted believers.  Their proximity makes us feel convicted because of the difference in their attitudes and lifestyles, exposing our sin.  Those awkward encounters are gifts from the Lord because true believers cannot find sustained joy outside of Godly fellowship with other believers.

We must keep a sharp spiritual focus.  If we drift from the life Jesus calls us to, we neglect the parameters He has set up to protect us.  When we disengage from spiritual community, we risk becoming completely disenfranchised.  This is how Satan picks us off one by one.

If we reject the Lord’s provision, especially that of salvation through faith in Jesus, there are always negative consequences.  If we neglect God’s grace, how will we escape our just punishment?  Praise the Lord that salvation is offered freely to all who would turn from their sin and receive Jesus as Lord and Savior!