Bible Commentary & Daily Devotional

 Hebrews 4 - Get Some Rest We need a good rest.  We need to recharge on the weekend from the toil, stress, and work of the week.  That is how God designed it.  We have a system where the seventh day is for our recuperation.  Rest. It is a gift of God to be able to enter His rest.  We follow God’s example and command when we rest on the seventh day (4:3-7).  As you know from a great night’s sleep and good food, rest is physical.  It impacts our ability to recover from sickness and recharge our mind and body.  But rest is also spiritual.  We need spiritual recharging, refocusing, and rest.  Spiritual battles are exhausting. This passage tells us that spiritual rest is not available if a person does not know Jesus (4:3).  It also tells us that the time to trust Jesus and enter His rest is today (4:7).  There’s no time like the present.  Jesus gives us a day of rest, but He also walks alongside us and lifts our spiritual yoke, our burdens, every day.  God gives us an overwhelming ben

 Hebrews 3 - Courageously Growing and Thriving Ben and his buddies, Sebatian and Lucas - about fifteen years ago at Camp Evergreen. I'm more and more convinced that North America (maybe elsewhere as well, I don't know) is poised for revival.  The Good News of God - that God has promised a new earth and new heaven - eternity with God - for His people who listen to him still stands today.  Millions more will hear God's voice and listen to Him.  They will not hear and rebel in disobedience.  Rather they will respond and trade the old for the new, the bad for the good.          An old praise song keeps coming to mind this week.  It is about making trades.  It talks about trading sorrows, shame, sickness, and pain for new life in Christ - "joy in the Lord."  We used to sing "Trading My Sorrows" with the kids when they were little.  I distinctly remember singing it at Greenbay Church Camp in Kelowna, BC.  I pray many sing that song today and really make the

 Hebrews 2 - The Cross of Our High Priest           It’s easy to want Chapter Two's second half and ignore the first half.  We want the helper, the merciful, forgiving High Priest.  But God says we will not be immune from consequences if we ignore the Great Cross of Christ (2:3).           Let’s talk about it for a second, for I believe it is a critical issue for the church's health and growth, and revival.           Jesus is our perfect leader.  By God’s grace, he tasted death for everyone.  And what a poisonous taste.  Thank God for His grace.  Thank God that everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God.  Every child of God defeats this evil world.  We achieve this victory through faith in Jesus (1 John 5:4).  Jesus makes us holy.  The Son of God (fully man, fully God) brings us salvation.           Jesus broke the power of the devil - He broke the power of death.  He sets us free from the fear of dying.  It doesn’t mean that we don’t suffer and th

 Hebrews 2:1-5 - Signs and Wonders - Miracles and Gifts I can shock myself at my inability to learn simple lessons.  They say just showing up is 90% of success.  Well, I’m confident inattentiveness, waffling, and ambivalence are keys to failure. In this passage, we hear yet again a warning to “listen very carefully” to God’s message or we run a real risk of total failure - drifting away from God (2:1).  With responsibility comes consequences.  Just ask any sentry, goaltender, place-kicker, or pilot.  You have a job to do - if you don’t do it well the results are clear.  So, let’s do it well. It’s the same as we develop and grow as Christians.  We have to make a decision to grow.  I've been reading about growthmindset lately and I think God is finally getting through to me.           It will not come as a shocker to any dad hooked on porn, a mom who has dabbled in an office romance, or the pastor who’s craftily swindled money from the church.  Christians can’t just casually li

  Hebrews 1 - The King It's a good day for  trading.  I’ve made a lot of bad trades over the years.  But there are good trades, nay, great trades available today.  A lot of us wait decades, clinging to our old ways - doubling down on what we know is unfulfilling.  I’m tired of my way; I want God’s way.  Give up sickness, so-called freedom (stubbornness really), selfishness, and pride - in return receive God’s way, the real good life, with wisdom, freedom in Christ, and joy.  I’m ready for that trade.  I’m ready to grow in Christ.  Please pour out your oil of joy in us Lord Jesus.  Please refresh our souls with goodness, kindness, and godly confidence. These final days - the church age if you will - spans from when Jesus finished His rescue mission on earth, and sat down in heaven (1:3), until His return to earth.  Some think that Jesus does not yet reign and that the final days are some far-off future time.  I have no doubt that Jesus reigns today (Revelation 19:6). Jesus is

 Hebrews 1 - The Son - Jesus Christ It is a blessing that God has revealed to us the relationship between the Father and the Son.  We understand family relationships - at least somewhat.  We understand how much we love our kids.   God wants us to understand who Jesus is because God wants us to understand how much he loves us.  God didn’t send His Son to die on the Cross for angels, He sent His Son to die for you.  And for me.           It is good for us to think deeply about the character of Almighty God.  Indeed, if we get God’s character wrong we are lost.  I believe God wants us to know Him more by using all of our faculties and abilities to do so.             There is a deep mystery in the relationship between God the Father and God the Son.  We hear God’s truth of that relationship in this passage (completely consistent with all of Scripture including Colossians 1:15, John 1:3, 1 John 1:2, Ephesians 1:4, 1 Corinthians 1:2, Romans 1:5, Acts 4:12, etc.).   The more we understand

 Hebrews 1 - Waiting on God's Timing God is not silent.  He speaks through Scripture; He displays His solemn majesty through creation.  I’m reminded of that this morning as I watched the purples and pinks of the sunrise.  Any mom can tell you the same thing.  They’ve seen God’s hand in the breath of their newborn - in the perfect eyelashes of their little one. We’re reminded in this passage to pause and reflect on the power and majesty of Jesus Christ.  Today, as we approach the celebration of the resurrection of our King, we patiently wait for God’s timing and we listen for what He is saying to us. Jesus is to be worshiped - by God’s angels (1:6) and by His followers (Matthew 16:16).  Jesus, our God and our Saviour, laid the foundation of this earth.  With his powerful and gentle hands, He made everything.  And with those same hands pierced by nails, he suffered to cleanse us from our sins.  And today, He reigns in Heaven and powerfully sustains everything by His command (1: