Hebrews chapter 8 is awesome in that it dives into some verses we read recently in the book of Jeremiah about the new covenant! Verse 3 stands out: “And since every high priest is required to offer gifts and sacrifices, our High Priest must make an offering, too.” What was the offering Christ made for our sins? Verse 13 stands out too: “When God speaks of a new covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and ready to be put aside.” Something I learned recently – the old / first covenant referred to in this chapter is the “Sinaitic” covenant and not the Abrahamic covenant – the difference being not the promise to Abraham that his descendants will outnumber the stars in the sky and God will be our God and we his people (the Abrahamic covenant) – but the “Sinaitic” covenant are the laws given to Moses on Mt. Sinai and in the desert for how the Israelites were to live – including how priests would make sacrifices for sin. The Abrahamic covenant still stands today – the Sinaitic covenant is now out of date and ready to be put aside because it was completed by the new covenant of Jesus Christ. Our High Priest who offered His life for our lives.
Worship Video: Today’s readings in Hebrews reminded me of Matthew West’s song “Save a Place for me:”
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you from today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!
Grace, love, peace, and joy! Mike
p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
Hebrews chapter 7 verse 27 teaches us today: “Jesus does not need to offer sacrifices every day like the other high priests. They did this for their own sins first and then for the sins of the people.” I hadn’t really thought a lot about this before. In the Old Testament the Levitical priests had to offer sacrifices first for their own sins – and then they would be clean / pure enough to offer sacrifices for others sins. The good news of course in the New Testament and in this chapter is that we now have the perfectly clean and pure High Priest of Jesus Christ – who does not need to purify himself first! He never sinned. Will you take your sins to Jesus, your High Priest?
Worship Video: Today’s readings reminded me of Casting Crowns wonderful worship tune called “Lifesong.” Let this be our prayer today – “Let my lifesong sing to you!”
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you from today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!
Grace, love, peace, and joy! Mike
p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
Hebrews Chapter 7 is fascinating! It’s basically an argument for why Jesus is our High Priest today – even though he is not from the tribe of Levi – the tribe of priests. Instead, the author of Hebrews argues that Jesus is immortal and is a priest in the line of Melchizedek. Most commentators I have read have said that Jesus is not Melchizedek nor vice versa. Basically, the author is making the case for the New Covenant – New Testament – that the Levitical priesthood line is completed by Jesus who is instituting a new covenant with Jesus as our High Priest. We need no other. We can go directly to God through Jesus. Do you believe this? Do you practice this? Do you pray in Jesus’ name? The name of our High Priest in heaven!
Worship Video: Today’s readings reminded me of TobyMac and Blessing Offur’s song “The Goodness:”
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you from today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!
Grace, love, peace, and joy! Mike
p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
Hebrews Chapter 6 verse 1 definitely stood out today: “So let us stop going over the basics of Christianity again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start all over again with the importance of turning away from evil deeds and placing our faith in God.” I think sometimes we can get too caught up on the basics of Christianity and then never really grow in our faith. I do believe God is calling us first and foremost to come into relationship with Him through faith in his son Jesus. But, after that, let us grow! Let us no longer conform to our worldly ways and passions, even though we now have faith in Jesus. Let us become saints. Let us love and serve God, other people, and the poor more and more with each passing day. Let us go on and become mature in our understanding! Let us move forward from always being “disciples” to becoming “apostles.” How is your spiritual growth these days? Are you growing? Do you want to grow?
In verses 7 & 8 today we read: “When the ground soaks up the rain that falls on it and bears a good crop for the farmer, it has the blessing of God. But if a field bears thistles and thorns, it is useless. The farmer will condemn that field and burn it.”
Verse 18 is awesome: “Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can take new courage, for we can hold on to his promise with confidence.” Have you fled to Jesus for refuge? Are you holding on to God’s promise with confidence?
Worship Video: Today’s readings reminded me of the Aaron Shust song “To God Alone be the Glory:”
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you from today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!
Grace, love, peace, and joy! Mike
p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
Hebrews chapter 5 verse 10 today tells us this about Jesus: “And God designated him to be a High Priest in the line of Melchizedek.” Who is Melchizedek? He first appeared in Scripture in Genesis 14:18-20: “Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.” Melchizedek was clearly important, as Abram gave him a tenth of everything. And Christ is a “High Priest in the line of Melchizedek.” The thing to keep in mind is that most Bible scholars do not believe that Melchizedek was literally Christ. So, for us today, it’s fine history to know. But, Christ is our High Priest, as this chapter of Hebrews makes clear.
Verses 11 – 14 today are a great reminder that as Christians we must learn to become “self-feeders.” We can’t rely only on pastors and teachers and mentors to provide us with spiritual nourishment. We must learn to grow our relationship with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit through our own study and prayer as well. I submit that the One Year Bible is one great way to feed yourself spiritually daily! How else are you feeding yourself spiritually these days?
YouTube: Today’s readings remind me of the Casting Crowns song “Slow Fade,” which was in the movie Fireproof. Here’s the video for the song:
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on three verses of Scripture today:“In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” Hebrews 5:12-14 (NIV)
Prayer Point: Pray that you are a self-feeder of God’s Word and Truth. Pray that you are not dependent on others to feed you, but that you are mature and can feed yourself, distinguishing good from evil.
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you from today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!
Grace, love, peace, and joy! Mike
p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
Hebrews chapter 4 verse 12 of course makes a One Year Bible blogger’s heart happy 🙂 – “For the word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are.” Do you believe that the Word of God is full of power? Not just power, but Living power? Does it cut deep into your innermost thoughts and desires – and expose the condition of your heart? Does the Bible expose you for who you really are? Do you believe that the Word of God can do this? Will you let the Word of God do this?
This chapter opens up with a beautiful verse: “God’s promise of entering his place of rest still stands.” On a busy day, doesn’t God’s place of rest sound nice? I like that! God has promised us a place of eternal rest if we will simply have faith in his Son. His Son whom verse 14 today tells us: “That is why we have a great High Priest who has gone to heaven, Jesus the Son of God. Let us cling to him and never stop trusting him.” Are you clinging to Jesus as your High Priest? Do you trust Him? Are you longing for your eternal rest with Jesus?
Worship Video: Today’s readings in Hebrews 4 reminded me of the Third Day song “Lift Up Your Face:”
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today:“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 (NIV)
Prayer Point: Pray that God’s Word is living and active in your life! Pray that God words penetrates to your soul and spirit, joints and marrow. Pray that God’s Word judges the thoughts and attitudes of your heart each and every moment of your life!
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you from today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!
Grace, love, peace, and joy! Mike
p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
Hebrews chapter 3 today is a great look at the lives of Moses and Jesus. The text today doesn’t really dive into this point, but something I heard recently that is worth remembering – Moses introduced to Israel the Old Covenant (testament) via the Ten Commandments and laws. Whereas, Jesus ushers in the New Covenant to Israel and all of the world. So, this chapter goes into why Jesus is greater than Moses. Probably this Old Cov v. New Cov point alone would prove this to be true – but, obviously Jesus is also God in the flesh. Moses was simply a man. (albeit a great man in many ways!)
Today in Hebrews 3:13 we read: “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” When was the last time you encouraged someone in their walk of faith? Will you encourage someone today? How does encouragement help us avoid sin’s deceitfulness? Do you realize that sin is indeed deceitful? (sin sells you nothing but lies) Do you realize that sin can harden your heart? Do you realize that one of the best ways to be free of the bondage of sin and a hardened heart is through encouragement of others in your church community? Sin is too strong for us to battle on our own. We need Jesus. We need each other. We need to be actively involved in a church community each week. Don’t attempt to make a go of this life alone. . . it’s far too risky.
Verse 15 is repeated twice in today’s readings, so it probably is something important for us to remember – “But never forget the warning: “Today you must listen to his voice. Don’t harden your hearts against him as Israel did when they rebelled.”” Are you listening to God’s voice? How is the soil of your heart toward God? Will you let him plant new life within you? Will you let him pull the weeds that need to be pulled?
Worship Video: Hebrews 3:13 today reminds me of the Jonny Diaz song “A More Beautiful You.” Here’s his thought provoking video for the song:
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today:“But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” Hebrews 3:13 (NIV)
Prayer Point: Pray that you are an encourager to others in your life. Pray for encouragement in your life too, from a community of Believers, the church. Pray that your heart will never be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you from today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!
Grace, love, peace, and joy! Mike
p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
Hebrews chapter 2 starts strong with the first verse: "So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it." This is powerful. We must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we’ll drift away from it. My thoughts here are that listening carefully in this sense also means listening often to the truth. Or reading often of the truth. Reading the Bible often. Say, every day? 🙂 I think our human nature is such that we’ll oftentimes hear something and it goes in one ear and out the other. We need repetition. We need a routine. We need the truth. Please don’t drift away from it! On this topic of drifting away from God, Tim Challies over at challies.com (a blog I read frequently) wrote up a very interesting post titled "The Folly of Solomon". This is a very interesting look at Tim’s thoughts on why Solomon drifted away from God in his later years and how you and I must be vigilant in our lives to not drift away – please read Tim’s post on this topic at this link.
Verse 12 is beautiful: "I will declare the wonder of your name to my brothers and sisters." Here Jesus calls those who believe in Him his "brothers and sisters." What a great thing! To be brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ! And in the gospels Jesus also calls those who believe in Him his "friends." This is incredible to consider. Who better is there to be your brother and your friend than Jesus? And verse 18 is a great reminder that "Since he himself has gone through suffering and temptation, he is able to help us when we are being tempted." We all will go through temptations in this life. Don’t feel bad if you are "tempted." Jesus himself was tempted by the devil in the gospels. The problem comes when we give into temptation and commit the sin. However, when in the midst of temptation, this verse reminds us to turn our minds to Jesus when we are being tempted – and he will help us! He has been there – he has been tempted. Another great tool to combat temptation is bringing Scripture to mind. In fact – this is exactly what Jesus did with the devil in the desert. Each temptation the devil threw at Jesus, Jesus combated with Scripture. What a holy sword Scripture is in the midst of temptation! To help us in the midst of temptation, memorizing Scripture regularly is a very wise practice. Do you memorize Scripture? Do you think it would help you in the midst of temptation?
Worship Video: Today’s readings remind me of the Casting Crowns song "East to West." Enjoy this live version of the song:
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today:“Because he (Jesus) himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” Hebrews 2:18 (NIV)
Prayer Point: Pray immediately for Jesus’ help, whenever you are being tempted. Pray that Jesus will strengthen you in your sufferings and temptations and lead you to everlasting victory.
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you from today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!
Grace, love, peace, and joy! Mike
p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
Today we begin the book of Hebrews! What a wonderful book. I read somewhere that this book is a “letter of encouragement.” I do pray this book will encourage you. There is so much in this one! The author of the book of Hebrews is unknown. For many centuries, it was thought to be Paul. However, around the time of the Reformation it was thought that this letter was not from Paul, because the writing style is so different from his other letters – and because in all of his other letters, he identifies himself as the writer of the letter. Some now think that either Barnabas or Apollos were two of the potential writers of this letter. It was likely written before the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in A.D. 70, because the temple is referred to as if it still exists in this letter. What I love about Hebrews is the multitudes of references back to Old Testament scriptures. As you read through Hebrews, I would encourage you to take note of how many OT scriptures this book is referring back to. Below is an image of Barnabas’ life – a potential candidate for authorship of Hebrews. You’ll see Barnabas caring for Paul on the left after Paul was stoned and you’ll see Barnabas on the right assisting Paul in his ministry.
~ Hebrews ~ Author: Uncertain Place: Uncertain Date: A.D. 60-69 Content: This important letter was written to Jewish Christians who were perhaps thinking of returning to their old ways in Judaism. It was designed to show that now because Christ has come, there remains nothing in Judaism for the believer. The time of fulfillment has arrived and it would be futile to return to the old life which was inherently inferior to the new life found in the Gospel. This is justified by showing that in every way Christ is better – he is superior to angels, to Moses, and to the Old Testament priest. He mediates a better covenant and offers a better sacrifice. The life of faith that the Christian lives is also better than the old life, proof of this coming from the lives of Old Testament saints who showed the way by their lives of faith. Theme: The overall superiority of Christ and the Christian life is the central theme of this book. Other religious systems have value, no doubt, but they cannot compare with the work that God has done in Christ. Not even Judaism, which has the Old Testament, can compare, great as it was. Christ is the very essence of God, who did God’s work on earth by dying for our sins. What God requires of us now is trust in him. If we have faith then we have entered into the promises of God – fullness of life now and eternal life to come. (Above commentary is from Tyndale Publishers “The One Year Bible Companion” p. 31) A great overview of the book of Hebrews by Daniel Wallace isat this link.
In Hebrews chapter 1, the first 3 verses set the stage incredibly well for this book – “Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. But now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he made the universe and everything in it. The Son reflects God’s own glory, and everything about him represents God exactly. He sustains the universe by the mighty power of his command. After he died to cleanse us from the stain of sin, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God of heaven.” Wow… great stuff. We have indeed been reading recently about God speaking through Jeremiah in our One Year Bible readings. And here we are reminded that God is now speaking to us through Jesus. How do these 3 verses above speak to your heart? Has Jesus cleansed you from the stain of sin?
The remaining verses in today’s reading refer to several OT scriptures that tell us Jesus is God. He is not an angel, but is God’s only Son who formed the earth and everything in it. One very amazing thing about our One Year Bible readings today is that we get some verses here in Hebrews 1:10-12 that correlate with our readings in Psalm 102:25-27: “Lord, in the beginning you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. Even they will perish, but you remain forever. They will wear out like old clothing. You will roll them up like an old coat. They will fade away like old clothing. But you are always the same; you will never grow old.”
Worship Video: Today’s readings reminded me of the wonderful worship song “Great is Thy Faithfulness, ” sung here by Donnie McClurkin. This video is over 12 minutes long! But trust me, it is worth the time! Enjoy!
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today:“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” Hebrews 1:3 (NIV)
Prayer Point: Pray in thanksgiving that Jesus has provided the purification for your sins and that He now sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven! Worship Jesus for his radiance and glory! Pray in thanksgiving that Jesus sustains you by his powerful Word.
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you from today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!
Grace, love, peace, and joy! Mike
p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
~ Philemon ~ Author: Paul the apostle Place: Rome Date: A.D. 60 or 61 Content: A slave named Onesimus, who was owned by a Christian in Colosse named Philemon, had run away, ultimately making his way to Rome. Here he heard the gospel from Paul and became a believer. This letter was written by Paul to encourage Philemon to take Onesimus back, this time as more than a servant, indeed, as a Christian brother. There is a play on words in verse 11 where Paul says that now Onesimus (the word means “useful”) will in fact be Onesimus – useful both to Philemon and the ministry. Theme: This short book is quite important in many ways. Two things stand out. First, we see the way in which the gospel worked. No one is beyond the reach of God. If anyone will trust in Jesus, he will become a new person. Second, the ancient barriers of class hatred are being broken down by the gospel – Philemon and Onesimus are now Christian brothers. (Above commentary is from Tyndale Publishers “The One Year Bible Companion” pp. 30-31) A great overview of the book of Philemon by Daniel B. Wallace isat this link.
Verse 4 stands out to me in Philemon today – “I always thank God when I pray for you, Philemon…” How often do we tell our family or friends that we thank God for them? How often do we tell them that we pray for them? How often do we actually do both of these things?
Worship Video: Today’s readings remind me of the Paul Baloche song “Above All,” sung here by Michael W. Smith:
Comments from you – What verses or insights stand out to you in today’s readings? Please post up by clicking on the “Comments” link below!
God bless, Mike
p.s. I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
New Testament in a Year 