Author: admin

Before you begin today’s reading and reflection, take a few minutes to create or find a “sacred space”. If you’re in your room, make yourself a small space with as few distractions as possible. Put aside any books, music, magazines; turn off your phone; get away from your email/facebook; turn off your music; etc.

Now, pull out your Bible, and as you take some deep breaths, pray this short prayer: “Lord, help me be still and listen to your voice now and throughout this day and the next. Amen.”

(You can choose to read the whole chapter, or just the passage that is shown)

¹ Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. ² For by it the people of old received their commendation. ³ By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

³² And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— ³³ who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, ³⁴ quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. ³⁵ Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. ³⁶ Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment.³⁷ They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— ³⁸ of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

³⁹ And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, ⁴⁰ since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.

Reflection

1. Chapter at a Glance: Faith is more clearly expressed in the way people live than in what they claim to believe. The nature and value of faith are revealed and illustrated in this honor roll of Old Testament saints. (If time allows, read all Hebrews 11, recall the stories as each name comes up.)
   1. To many today, faith seems insubstantial for it is persistently holding on to notions that can’t be proven. In Scripture, the reverse is true. Faith is confident expectation that what we cannot see is more solid and real than the material universe.  The root of this kind of faith is our conviction that “the universe was created by the word of God”.  God has priority over things we can taste, touch, see and feel.  God is more real than they are, because God is the source of their existence.
   2. Faith does not guarantee anyone a life free of stress or pain.  Many have suffered and even died for their faith.  Yet faith won for each the commendation of God. Faith wins even more for us. The Old Testament saints looked forward to a salvation they could not understand. We look back to a salvation assured by the cross on Calvary. And through the Spirit of God we enjoy a relationship with the Lord which can be more real to us than to the Old Testament saints.
   3. Listen to this song and pray for the faith you need in your life right now to do God’s will and that God will find you faithful.  “Find us Faithful” by Steve Green, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zesV09UAytk

Prayer & Journaling:

If you have a prayer journal, as you listen to God, write down a few thoughts, questions, words, names, drawings, or anything that has come to your mind during this time.

Proverbs for Today 26:24-28

²⁴ Whoever hates disguises himself with his lips
    and harbors deceit in his heart;
²⁵ when he speaks graciously, believe him not,
    for there are seven abominations in his heart;
²⁶ though his hatred be covered with deception,
    his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.

²⁷ Whoever digs a pit will fall into it,
    and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling.
²⁸ A lying tongue hates its victims,
    and a flattering mouth works ruin.

Before you begin today’s reading and reflection, take a few minutes to create or find a “sacred space”. If you’re in your room, make yourself a small space with as few distractions as possible. Put aside any books, music, magazines; turn off your phone; get away from your email/facebook; turn off your music; etc.

Now, pull out your Bible, and as you take some deep breaths, pray this short prayer: “Lord, help me be still and listen to your voice now and throughout this day and the next. Amen.”

(You can choose to read the whole chapter, or just the passage that is shown)

¹⁹ Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, ²¹ and since we have a great priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. ²³ Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, ²⁵ not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

²⁶ For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, ²⁷ but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.²⁸ Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses.²⁹ How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? ³⁰ For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” ³¹ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Reflection

1. Chapter at a Glance: Repeated Old Testament sacrifices could not make worshipers perfect.  But we are made holy by the sacrifice of Jesus.  We must hold firmly to our hope in Christ, resist to sin deliberately and persevere in doing good till Jesus comes.
2. Both v23 mentions: “hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering”.  Many Christians feel the tension of being Christians in this secular society and find it difficult to share (confess) their faith with others.  When was the last time you felt free to express your faith in Jesus Christ and the hope that this faith gives you?
3. Christians don’t achieve holiness alone.  We achieve holiness as we share our lives with others, give and receive encouragement, spurring one another on to love and to good deeds. God has given us Christ’s church for support and assistance. Christian fellowship and gatherings provide opportunities for believers to care for one another, encourage one another, etc.
4. This week, share in your cell the difficulty you have in sharing your faith with others.  Ask the other members to pray for you and to encourage each other.

Prayer & Journaling:

If you have a prayer journal, as you listen to God, write down a few thoughts, questions, words, names, drawings, or anything that has come to your mind during this time.

Proverbs for Today 26:20-23

²⁰ For lack of wood the fire goes out,
    and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.
²¹ As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire,
    so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.
²² The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;
    they go down into the inner parts of the body.
²³ Like the glaze covering an earthen vessel
    are fervent lips with an evil heart.

Before you begin today’s reading and reflection, take a few minutes to create or find a “sacred space”. If you’re in your room, make yourself a small space with as few distractions as possible. Put aside any books, music, magazines; turn off your phone; get away from your email/facebook; turn off your music; etc.

Now, pull out your Bible, and as you take some deep breaths, pray this short prayer: “Lord, help me be still and listen to your voice now and throughout this day and the next. Amen.”

(You can choose to read the whole chapter, or just the passage that is shown)

⁶ These preparations having thus been made, the priests go regularly into the first section, performing their ritual duties, ⁷ but into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the unintentional sins of the people. ⁸ By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing ⁹ (which is symbolic for the present age). According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper, ¹⁰ but deal only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation.

²³ Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. ²⁴ For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. ²⁵ Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own,²⁶ for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. ²⁷ And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, ²⁸ so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

Reflection

1. Chapter at a Glance: The focus of Old Testament worship was the blood sacrifice offered on the Day of Atonement.  However that repeated sacrifice was unable to cleanse worshipers.  Christ’s blood, on the other hand, cleanses us and brings us forgiveness.  His one sacrifice brings full salvation.
2. There was a kidney patient, whose dialysis machine kept him alive.  Yet he dreaded the process.  The kidney dialysis machine that kept him alive also reminded him of his illness.  He was not free, but bound to return to the machine to have his blood purified again and again.  Away from it, his sickness quickly took hold on his body, and sapped all his strength.
3. That’s just what this chapter says about the Old Testament system (vv 6-10).  The repeated sacrifices of the Old Testament system reminded worshipers of their continuing desperate condition.  But, the one sacrifice of Christ reminds us of His total victory (vv24-25).  The blood of Christ has cleansed us from all sin!  By the once for all sacrifice of Jesus, we are forgiven, made well, and have the assurance that the victory we need in life has already been won!
4. Does the fact that Christ died to take away your sins free you to serve him more? Or make you spiritually “lazy”?  Why?

Prayer & Journaling:

If you have a prayer journal, as you listen to God, write down a few thoughts, questions, words, names, drawings, or anything that has come to your mind during this time.

Proverbs for Today 26:17-19

¹⁷ Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own
    is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears.
¹⁸ Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death
¹⁹ is the man who deceives his neighbor
    and says, “I am only joking!”

Before you begin today’s reading and reflection, take a few minutes to create or find a “sacred space”. If you’re in your room, make yourself a small space with as few distractions as possible. Put aside any books, music, magazines; turn off your phone; get away from your email/facebook; turn off your music; etc.

Now, pull out your Bible, and as you take some deep breaths, pray this short prayer: “Lord, help me be still and listen to your voice now and throughout this day and the next. Amen.”

(You can choose to read the whole chapter, or just the passage that is shown)

⁸ For he finds fault with them when he says:

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah,
⁹ not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt.
For they did not continue in my covenant, and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord.
¹⁰ For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
¹¹ And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.
¹² For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”

¹³ In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

Reflection

1. Chapter at a Glance: The ministry of Jesus Christ as our High Priest involves a better covenant, a better sanctuary, and a better sacrifice.  Christ has instituted the promised new covenant which brings forgiveness and renewal to all who believe.
2. The old system of Law didn’t work and was “becoming obsolete and growing old”.  The New Covenant is superior for two things:  First, it provides total forgiveness for all our wicked acts (v 12) and God no longer holds us accountable for our sins.  Second, the New Covenant operates to “put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts”.  The Old Covenant engraved standards on tablets of stone that men were unable to meet.  The New Covenant engraves the desire to please God in our heart and moves us to what Law demanded, but could not produce.
3. Do you function better under external restraint (the law) or inner constraint (God’s Spirit) (v. 10)? Why?
4. What happens to you when you say to God, “Thank you for forgiving and forgetting my sin”?

Prayer & Journaling:

If you have a prayer journal, as you listen to God, write down a few thoughts, questions, words, names, drawings, or anything that has come to your mind during this time.

Proverbs for Today 26:13-16

¹³ The sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road!
    There is a lion in the streets!”
¹⁴ As a door turns on its hinges,
    so does a sluggard on his bed.
¹⁵ The sluggard buries his hand in the dish;
    it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth.
¹⁶ The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes
    than seven men who can answer sensibly.

Before you begin today’s reading and reflection, take a few minutes to create or find a “sacred space”. If you’re in your room, make yourself a small space with as few distractions as possible. Put aside any books, music, magazines; turn off your phone; get away from your email/facebook; turn off your music; etc.

Now, pull out your Bible, and as you take some deep breaths, pray this short prayer: “Lord, help me be still and listen to your voice now and throughout this day and the next. Amen.”

(You can choose to read the whole chapter, or just the passage that is shown)

¹⁸ For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness ¹⁹ (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.

²⁰ And it was not without an oath. For those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath, ²¹ but this one was made a priest with an oath by the one who said to him:

“The Lord has sworn
and will not change his mind,
‘You are a priest forever.’”

²² This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant.

²³ The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, ²⁴ but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. ²⁵ Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

²⁶ For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. ²⁷ He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. ²⁸ For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.

Reflection

1. Chapter at a Glance: Christ’s high priesthood is superior to the Levitical one, and is of a totally different order. Therefore elements of Mosaic law and its mortal priesthood are replaced by Christ’s priesthood.
2. The author quoted Ps 110:4 to indicate that God provided us a Priest who could guarantee us salvation, for He made an oath that “You are a priest forever”.  Jesus Christ being the Priest forever means that God guarantees that the purposes He had in mind in Christ’s death will be fulfilled, “a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God”.
3. We are not just saved by Jesus from punishment for our sins.  We are being saved from sin’s insidious control of our thoughts and actions daily. Jesus is the source of our forgiveness and the source of our transformation as well.
4. What does it mean to you that Christ is able to save you “to the uttermost”?  Think about it for a little while.  Then praise God for giving you a high priest over all in Jesus Christ.

Prayer & Journaling:

If you have a prayer journal, as you listen to God, write down a few thoughts, questions, words, names, drawings, or anything that has come to your mind during this time.

Proverbs for Today 26:9-12

⁹ Like a thorn that goes up into the hand of a drunkard
    is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
¹⁰ Like an archer who wounds everyone
    is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard.
¹¹ Like a dog that returns to his vomit
    is a fool who repeats his folly.
¹² Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes?
    There is more hope for a fool than for him.

Before you begin today’s reading and reflection, take a few minutes to create or find a “sacred space”. If you’re in your room, make yourself a small space with as few distractions as possible. Put aside any books, music, magazines; turn off your phone; get away from your email/facebook; turn off your music; etc.

Now, pull out your Bible, and as you take some deep breaths, pray this short prayer: “Lord, help me be still and listen to your voice now and throughout this day and the next. Amen.”

(You can choose to read the whole chapter, or just the passage that is shown)

¹³ For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, ¹⁴ saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.”¹⁵ And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. ¹⁶ For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. ¹⁷ So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, ¹⁸ so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. ¹⁹ We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, ²⁰ where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

Reflection

1. Chapter at a Glance: To reach maturity, Christians must build on the foundation of God’s salvation and leave the elementary teachings and press on to maturity. When we are rooted in faith, we will produce the fruit that accompanies salvation.  The author concluded this warning with a word of hope to his readers – We are rested on the unbreakable promises God has made to us in Jesus Christ.
2. God took an elaborate way to reassure Abraham of His faithfulness in fulfilling His promises to him (v13, ref Gen. 22:15-18).  He is doing so to us as well. God, who doesn’t lie, has not only promised to bless us.  God sealed His promise with an oath, which is executed in the blood of His one and only Son. God wouldn’t lie in the first place. But God would never ever consider violating an oath that He made at such unimaginable cost.
3. Why did God take such pains to confirm His promise? Because He knew how vulnerable we are to fear and doubt. He knew how weak our faith becomes at times. And so, not because He needed to, but as an anchor for the hope we have in Christ, God promised, and He swore His oath – to reassure us.
4. What a gracious God we have. And how little cause we have to doubt Him. In Jesus we have “a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul”.
5. How does Jesus fulfill your deepest aspirations and help you to go on to maturity in your faith journey?

Prayer & Journaling:

If you have a prayer journal, as you listen to God, write down a few thoughts, questions, words, names, drawings, or anything that has come to your mind during this time.

Proverbs for Today 26:5-8

⁵ Answer a fool according to his folly,
    lest he be wise in his own eyes.
⁶ Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool
    cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.
⁷ Like a lame man’s legs, which hang useless,
    is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
⁸ Like one who binds the stone in the sling
    is one who gives honor to a fool.

Before you begin today’s reading and reflection, take a few minutes to create or find a “sacred space”. If you’re in your room, make yourself a small space with as few distractions as possible. Put aside any books, music, magazines; turn off your phone; get away from your email/facebook; turn off your music; etc.

Now, pull out your Bible, and as you take some deep breaths, pray this short prayer: “Lord, help me be still and listen to your voice now and throughout this day and the next. Amen.”

(You can choose to read the whole chapter, or just the passage that is shown)

⁷ In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. ⁸ Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. ⁹ And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, ¹⁰ being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.

¹¹ About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. ¹² For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, ¹³ for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. ¹⁴ But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

Reflection:

1. Chapter at a Glance: With Jesus as our High Priest, we can approach God’s throne with confidence.  The author once again warned against apostasy and encouraged them to grow into maturity.
2. The author was upset that his readers had not realized what a wonderful High Priest they had in Jesus and gone on to maturity.  He explained that the way to become mature in faith is by constantly using the truth God has revealed to distinguish good from evil.
3. The difference between “milk” and “meat” is not between a little knowledge and a lot.  The difference is found in the way we process Scripture.  For those who hear but do not apply Scripture, the truths they know are milk. But to those who hear and apply the Word of God, the same truths become solid and sustaining meat.
4. How would you describe your spiritual appetite now?  Why?  How would you improve your spiritual appetite?  Pray for a sustained hunger for God’s word to satisfy your spiritual development.

Prayer & Journaling:

If you have a prayer journal, as you listen to God, write down a few thoughts, questions, words, names, drawings, or anything that has come to your mind during this time.

Proverbs for Today 26:1-4

¹ Like snow in summer or rain in harvest,
    so honor is not fitting for a fool.
² Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying,
    a curse that is causeless does not alight.
³ A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,
    and a rod for the back of fools.
⁴ Answer not a fool according to his folly,
    lest you be like him yourself.

Before you begin today’s reading and reflection, take a few minutes to create or find a “sacred space”. If you’re in your room, make yourself a small space with as few distractions as possible. Put aside any books, music, magazines; turn off your phone; get away from your email/facebook; turn off your music; etc.

Now, pull out your Bible, and as you take some deep breaths, pray this short prayer: “Lord, help me be still and listen to your voice now and throughout this day and the next. Amen.”

(You can choose to read the whole chapter, or just the passage that is shown)

⁸ For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. ⁹ So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God,¹⁰ for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.

¹¹ Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. ¹² For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. ¹³ And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

¹⁴ Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. ¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶ Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Reflection:

1. Chapter at a Glance: The promise of entering God’s rest still stands for us as it did in the time of Moses, Joshua and David.  We enter that rest through a faith expressed in obedience to God’s living and active Word.
2. “But you don’t understand” are perhaps the most common words we are likely to say or to hear. Each of us has a tendency to think that our troubles, our temptations, are unique. They’re not. We are tempted through the same avenue – through relationships with others, through vulnerability to pain, through pressures beyond his or her control, etc.
3. Jesus also went through our experiences. In His humanity Christ experienced every kind of temptation – every vulnerability of mankind. He felt the pain of rejection, the pangs of hunger, the hostility of the crowds, the fear of His coming death. And because He knows exactly how painful it is to be a human being, He is able to “sympathize with our weaknesses”.
4. Next time when you are hurting, think about Jesus, remember how completely He understands. Then, without hesitation, come confidently to the throne, where God dispenses grace, and receive the mercy and help He is so eager to pour out on you.

Prayer & Journaling:

If you have a prayer journal, as you listen to God, write down a few thoughts, questions, words, names, drawings, or anything that has come to your mind during this time.

Proverbs for Today 25:25-28

²⁵ Like cold water to a thirsty soul,
    so is good news from a far country.
²⁶ Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain
    is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.
²⁷ It is not good to eat much honey,
    nor is it glorious to seek one’s own glory.
²⁸ A man without self-control
    is like a city broken into and left without walls.

Before you begin today’s reading and reflection, take a few minutes to create or find a “sacred space”. If you’re in your room, make yourself a small space with as few distractions as possible. Put aside any books, music, magazines; turn off your phone; get away from your email/facebook; turn off your music; etc.

Now, pull out your Bible, and as you take some deep breaths, pray this short prayer: “Lord, help me be still and listen to your voice now and throughout this day and the next. Amen.”

(You can choose to read the whole chapter, or just the passage that is shown)

⁷ Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice, ⁸ do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, ⁹ where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty years.  ¹⁰ Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways.’  ¹¹ As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest.’”

¹² Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. ¹³ But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. ¹⁴ For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. ¹⁵ As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”

¹⁶ For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? ¹⁷ And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? ¹⁸ And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? ¹⁹ So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

Reflection:

1. Chapter at a Glance: The author continues his argument that Jesus is supremely great. He is greater than the angels, the author of a great salvation, and great enough to become man to accomplish it. Now, the author turns his attention to Moses, regarded by the Jews as the greatest of men.  The author accepts Moses’ greatness but shows that as great as he was, Jesus was greater by far.  Next, the author pointed out that the generation Moses led failed to respond to God’s voice, and as a result was unable to enter God’s rest.
2. These verses warn against two enemies of the spiritual life: a hardened heart (v8) and unbelief(v12).  The Exodus generation heard God’s word through Moses.  However, they would not trust God and refused to obey Him.  As a result, they found neither rest nor peace.
3. This is the same with us today.  When we heard and responded to the message of Jesus, we are invited to experience a rest and complete inner peace.  However, if we are not willing to trust God completely and refuse to respond to God’s voice, then we will not experience this peace of God.
4. Stay quiet before the Lord and reflect: Are you saved yet miserable?  Do you believe God but still anxious?  Have you repented yet unresolved?  Could it be that you have hardened your heart, and are unwilling to obey God?  Ask for guidance and a willing spirit to trust and obey God.

Prayer & Journaling:

If you have a prayer journal, as you listen to God, write down a few thoughts, questions, words, names, drawings, or anything that has come to your mind during this time.

Proverbs for Today 25:23-24

²³ The north wind brings forth rain,
    and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.
²⁴ It is better to live in a corner of the housetop
    than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.

Before you begin today’s reading and reflection, take a few minutes to create or find a “sacred space”. If you’re in your room, make yourself a small space with as few distractions as possible. Put aside any books, music, magazines; turn off your phone; get away from your email/facebook; turn off your music; etc.

Now, pull out your Bible, and as you take some deep breaths, pray this short prayer: “Lord, help me be still and listen to your voice now and throughout this day and the next. Amen.”

(You can choose to read the whole chapter, or just the passage that is shown)

¹ Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. ² For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, ³ how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, ⁴ while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

⁵ For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. ⁶ It has been testified somewhere,

“What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him? ⁷ You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, ⁸ putting everything in subjection under his feet.”

Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. ⁹ But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

Reflection:

1. Chapter at a Glance: This chapter begins with the first of several warnings found in Hebrews.  Christians must heed Jesus’ message.  It reveals the destiny God gives us through Jesus who took on humanity to break the enslaving grip of death and Satan on human.
2. The image of “drift away” pictures an ancient sailing ship, anchored near shore.  As the sailors sleep, the wind picks up, and the anchor begins to drag slowly across the sandy bottom.  By the time the sailors awake, the ship is pitching dangerously in heavy seas.
3. God’s word is a sure message, confirmed by witnesses who heard Jesus teach and saw His miracles, and confirmed by the continuing work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  Yet it is so easy for us to neglect.  Unless we give constant heed to Christ’s word, we can drift unaware from our moorings and lost our way in life.
4. Have you neglected God’s word?  Have you ever found yourself drifting away from God?  How did you get back to God?  Ask the Holy Spirit to strengthen your commitment to give Scripture your constant attention and make sure to put God’s Word into practice.

Prayer & Journaling:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell me.  Then write down any thought and/or prayer in the  “Spiritual Journal” book.

Proverbs for Today 25:19-22

¹⁹ Trusting in a treacherous man in time of trouble
    is like a bad tooth or a foot that slips.
²⁰ Whoever sings songs to a heavy heart
    is like one who takes off a garment on a cold day,
    and like vinegar on soda.
²¹ If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat,
    and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,
²² for you will heap burning coals on his head,
    and the Lord will reward you.

Before you begin today’s reading and reflection, take a few minutes to create or find a “sacred space”. If you’re in your room, make yourself a small space with as few distractions as possible. Put aside any books, music, magazines; turn off your phone; get away from your email/facebook; turn off your music; etc.

Now, pull out your Bible, and as you take some deep breaths, pray this short prayer: “Lord, help me be still and listen to your voice now and throughout this day and the next. Amen.”

(You can choose to read the whole chapter, or just the passage that is shown)

¹ Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, ² but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. ³ He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, ⁴ having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

⁵ For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”?

Or again, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son”?

⁶ And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.”

⁷ Of the angels he says, “He makes his angels winds, and his ministers a flame of fire.”

⁸ But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.
⁹ You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”

¹⁰ And, “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; ¹¹ they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, ¹² like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.”

¹³ And to which of the angels has he ever said, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”?

¹⁴ Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?

Reflection:

1. Chapter at a Glance: The author makes a vital point that we can trust the Old Testament, for God spoke to man through the prophets of old. But we can trust the New Testament even more, for the agent of that revelation was God the Son!  God did not merely speak to us through men, He became a man, and spoke to us directly. The author drew on the Old Testament to show that Jesus the Son is superior to angels in His nature and in His mission.
2. Everything of Christianity hinges on Jesus. The author of Hebrews tells us clearly and unmistakably who Jesus is. Jesus, the Son, is the “heir of all things”, the visible expression (the radiance) of God’s glory, an exact imprint of God’s nature. Jesus, the Son, upholds the universe, while His word alone enables it to exist. Jesus, the Son, having dealt decisively with the problem of sin, sat down at the right hand of God, the place of power and authority.
3. Spend time meditating on the passage.  How incredible it is that Jesus is to be like a mirror to reflect God’s image to the world!  Then consider the monumental act of holding everything together.   He is indeed the backbone of human history!  Is your knowledge of God different from what is described here?
4. Ask God for the courage and guidance to help you mirror Jesus to the world, reflecting him as you go about every day.  Consider how you might reflect Jesus today – and do it.

Prayer & Journaling:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell me.  Then write down any thought and/or prayer in the “Spiritual Journal” book.

Proverbs for Today 25:15-18

¹⁵ With patience a ruler may be persuaded,
    and a soft tongue will break a bone.
¹⁶ If you have found honey, eat only enough for you,
    lest you have your fill of it and vomit it.
¹⁷ Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor’s house,
    lest he have his fill of you and hate you.
¹⁸ A man who bears false witness against his neighbor
    is like a war club, or a sword, or a sharp arrow.

Before you begin today’s reading and reflection, take a few minutes to create or find a “sacred space”. If you’re in your room, make yourself a small space with as few distractions as possible. Put aside any books, music, magazines; turn off your phone; get away from your email/facebook; turn off your music; etc.

Now, pull out your Bible, and as you take some deep breaths, pray this short prayer: “Lord, help me be still and listen to your voice now and throughout this day and the next. Amen.”

(You can choose to read the whole chapter, or just the passage that is shown)

⁸ Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, ⁹ yet for love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus— ¹⁰ I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment.¹¹ (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.) ¹² I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart. ¹³ I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel, ¹⁴ but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord. ¹⁵ For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, ¹⁶ no longer as a bondservant but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother—especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

¹⁷ So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me.¹⁸ If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. ¹⁹ I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. ²⁰ Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.

REFLECTION

1. Paul asked Philemon to stop seeing Onesimus as a runaway slave, and to begin seeing him as a dear brother.  The gospel makes the same request of each of us. We’re to see everyone as individuals of infinite worth and value, for whom Christ died. And we are to see Christians as dear brothers/sisters and to love them as members of our family.
2. Are there one or more Christians that you have a hard time accepting as brother or sister in Christ?  Why is it hard to think of this Christian this way?  Is it the background, ethnicity, behavior, cultural or theological difference, or something else? What would need to change in you in order to accept this person as a Christian brother or sister?
3. Talk to God about your struggle of accepting others.  Thank God that He accepts your and sees you and other believers as no less than His very own children.  Ask God to help you see others with the same eyes.
4. As you encounter people this week who are different from you, remind yourself that God sees them with the label “my children” – and that means you too.

Prayer & Journaling:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell you.

If you have a prayer journal, as you listen to God, write down a few thoughts, questions, words, names, drawings, or anything that has come to your mind during this time.

Proverbs for Today 25:11-14

¹¹ A word fitly spoken
    is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.
¹² Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold
    is a wise reprover to a listening ear.
¹³ Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest
    is a faithful messenger to those who send him;
    he refreshes the soul of his masters.
¹⁴ Like clouds and wind without rain
    is a man who boasts of a gift he does not give.

Before you begin today’s reading and reflection, take a few minutes to create or find a “sacred space”. If you’re in your room, make yourself a small space with as few distractions as possible. Put aside any books, music, magazines; turn off your phone; get away from your email/facebook; turn off your music; etc.

Now, pull out your Bible, and as you take some deep breaths, pray this short prayer: “Lord, help me be still and listen to your voice now and throughout this day and the next. Amen.”

(You can choose to read the whole chapter, or just the passage that is shown)

¹ Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, ² to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.³ For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. ⁴ But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, ⁵ he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, ⁶ whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷ so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.⁸ The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.⁹ But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. ¹⁰ As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him,¹¹ knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.

REFLECTION

1. This letter is full of ethical admonition and moral exhortation. Yet, Paul in closing reminded us again that we do good works not in order to win the favour of God, but because God’s favor has been graciously given to us in Christ. Therefore, we ought to live like it. We are to live disciplined, purified, spiritually committed lives – lives that put faith into practice – not in order to get somewhere with God but rather, because of the mercy of God.
2. In doing what is good, which are you more motivated by: the call of duty? Fear of judgment? Hope of Christ’s return? Gratitude for what God has done for you? Desire to work for peace in your relationships? Needs of others?
3. Read vv4-6 again slowly.  What do you know about God’s grace?  How does this knowledge affect your desire to do good? Tell God about it.

Prayer & Journaling:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell you.

If you have a prayer journal, as you listen to God, write down a few thoughts, questions, words, names, drawings, or anything that has come to your mind during this time.

Proverbs for Today 25:8-10

What your eyes have seen
⁸     do not hastily bring into court,
for what will you do in the end,
    when your neighbor puts you to shame?
⁹ Argue your case with your neighbor himself,
    and do not reveal another’s secret,
¹⁰ lest he who hears you bring shame upon you,
    and your ill repute have no end.

¹ But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.² Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.³ Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, ⁴ and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, ⁵ to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.⁶ Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled.⁷ Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, ⁸ and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us. ⁹ Bondservants are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, ¹⁰ not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.

¹¹ For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, ¹² training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, ¹³ waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, ¹⁴ who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

¹⁵ Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.

REFLECTION

1. Paul exhorts Titus to “speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine.”  Such things include the proper conduct expected of Christians, both male and female, young and old, and of those who are servants.  Even Titus was to present himself as an example for others to follow.
2. Paul then writes of the grace of God that brings salvation to all men.  Grace teaches us about the way we live, for grace teaches us to reject sin and to do good. Jesus Christ redeemed us from sin. But he has a purpose for us beyond that: he wants to purify us, to eliminate the sin, and to create in us a desire for good behavior “so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior”.
3. People often judge the gospel by the way Christians live. The way we live, the way we work, the way we treat our families and neighbors, all make a difference in how receptive people will be to the message we share.  Do you make the gospel look good, or do you give people reasons to complain?

Prayer & Journaling:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell you.

If you have a prayer journal, as you listen to God, write down a few thoughts, questions, words, names, drawings, or anything that has come to your mind during this time.

Proverbs for Today 25:4-7

⁴ Take away the dross from the silver,
    and the smith has material for a vessel;
⁵ take away the wicked from the presence of the king,
    and his throne will be established in righteousness.
⁶ Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presence
    or stand in the place of the great,
⁷ for it is better to be told, “Come up here,”
    than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.