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What Impresses God

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: Hebrews 6
Meditation: Hebrews 6:10

“God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.”

Shift Your Focus… We are enamored with celebrity in our culture—even in the Christian world. We elevate TV preachers; we give special attention to pastors of mega-churches; we idolize Christian singers, entertainers and authors of best-selling books.

God doesn’t. He is not all that impressed. He isn’t enamored with celebrity, he does not elevate high profile Christians, he is not drawn to talented and successful believers any more than he is to ordinary ones.  God sees the little person—the one who faithfully and diligently serves behind the scenes in his kingdom, doing the things no one notices and rarely appreciates.  And he will not forget their sacrificial service.  In fact, he personally and joyfully receives our every act of service as an expression of authentic love.

To every usher who faithfully serves at their post; to every nursery worker who rocks a crying infant; to every senior citizen who stuffs a bulletin; to every volunteer who pulls weeds and plants flower at the church; to every choir member and musician who practices every week; to every Sunday School teacher who stays up late on Saturday night to polish their lesson; to every person who gives someone a ride…

God sees!  God remembers!  God is pleased!  God will not forget your work!  God will reward!

“The reward of being ‘faithful over a few things’ is just the same as being ‘faithful over many things’; for the emphasis falls upon the same word; it is the ‘faithful’ who will enter ‘into the joy of their Lord.’”  ~Charles S. Robinson

Prayer… Lord, I pray for a special blessing on all of the people in your kingdom who faithfully and sacrificially serve your church.  Bless them abundantly.  Show them a sign of your favor today.

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It’s Time To Grow Up!

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: Hebrews 5
Meditation: Hebrews 5:11-14

“We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. 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.”

Shift Your Focus… When I was just a kid, there was a family in our small country church who would bring their child and put him in a crib at the back of the sanctuary.  There was just one problem: he was nine or ten years old. The amazing thing was, he looked in every way like a toddler, even though he was a school-age boy.  He suffered from a condition that doctors call “failure to thrive.” He was physically unable to grow up.

Babies are cute—when they’re babies.  But they’re not meant to stay babies. God has designed them to grow and mature and become adults.  When they don’t, something is terribly wrong.

Likewise, God has designed those he has called into his family to grow from infancy into spiritual adulthood.  When they don’t, it signifies that something has gone terribly wrong.  Such was the case with these people the writer of Hebrews addresses—and it was quite disconcerting to him.

In pointing out the various ways they have remained in spiritual infancy, he also clearly benchmarks what spiritual maturity ought to look like for us. Here are five levels of spiritual maturity that you can use to diagnose your own growth as a believer:

Level 1:  You must be able to grasp more than just the basics of the faith. Hebrews 5:11 says,

“We have so much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn.”

God’s will is not just that we be saved, but that we grasp the height, breadth and depth of the faith—the deeper truths of the Christian walk.

Jesus never told his disciples to go save the lost.  He said we’re to go and make disciples of all people…teaching them to obey all that he commanded. Unfortunately, some of us never get beyond just the salvation stuff.  We never move beyond baptism, or tithing, or simple obedience…the “milk.”

Are you at a place in your spiritual life where you are grasping the deeper doctrines of the Word?  Grade yourself on this one.  Are you at a kindergarten level spiritually, or are you at graduate level learning?

Level 2:  You must be able to articulate what and why you believe. Hebrews 5:12 says,

“You have been Christians a long time now, and you ought to be teaching others.  Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things a beginner must learn about the Scriptures.”

Teaching here doesn’t necessarily involve standing before a classroom presenting a formal lesson.  Teaching is the ability to explain something so that others can understand it.  Can you explain to others the ABC’s of the faith?  Are you able to demonstrate from your life and your lips to a new believer what the Christian walk is all about?  If someone else’s walk with Christ depended on imitating you, what would their spiritual maturity look like?

Grade yourself on this one.  If you’re not comfortable with someone depending on you to lead them into spiritual maturity, then you’re not there yourself.

Level 3:  You must be able to feed yourself. The last part of verse 12 says,

“You are like babies who drink only milk and cannot eat solid food.”

As cute and sweet as babies are, they’re a lot of work.  You have to tend to their every need, clean them, clothe them, bathe them, prepare their meals and feed them. They can’t do it on their own. Eventually, though, good parents will train their children to eat solid food and then teach them to feed themselves, otherwise, they’ll always be sucking on a bottle and never able to eat solid food.

Whenever I hear someone complain about not getting spiritually fed in church, 99% of the time it’s because they haven’t grown up enough to feed themselves. So where are you on this one?  Is your spiritual nourishment coming primarily from your own efforts…or are you mostly depending on someone else for it?

Level 4:  You must be able to make Godly decisions. Hebrews 5:13-14 says,

“And a person who is living on milk isn’t very far along in the Christian life and doesn’t know much about doing what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature, who have trained themselves to recognize the difference between right and wrong and then do what is right.”

We judge levels of maturity by the wise or foolish decisions people make. Mature believers have developed the ability to make god honoring decisions. That’s an end product of maturity.

How are you on this one:  Is your life characterized by wise decision-making, or do you find yourself falling into sin over and over again?  Are there godly patterns of living or is there a track record of sinful habits.

Level 5:  You must be willing to fully submit to God. You will have to look at Hebrews 6:1-3 for this one. It says,

“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.  You don’t need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.  And so, God willing, we will move forward to further understanding.”

What the writer is saying is that the problem wasn’t a lack of knowledge, but a lack of obedience.  At some point, people who are growing in their faith begin to apply their knowledge of scripture. They begin to live out their faith in every area of their lives.  They don’t compartmentalize their lives so Jesus is Lord over some areas but not others. They become fully devoted to God.

Grade yourself in this area.  Are you fully submitted to God in your private life?  Your thought life?  Your financial life?  In your relationships?  What about your speech? God wants you to grow.  He designed you to grow.  It is honoring to him when you grow.

So, are you growing?  If you cannot point to growth, the writer of Hebrews would say to you, “grow up!”

Make a commitment to growth and start doing the things that growth requires.  You will make God very happy—and you’ll enjoy it too!

“I want deliberately to encourage this mighty longing after God. The lack of it has brought us to our present low estate. The stiff and wooden quality about our religious lives is a result of our lack of holy desire. Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth. Acute desire must be present or there will be no manifestation of Christ to His people. He waits to be wanted. Too bad that with many of us He waits so long, so very long, in vain.” ~A.W. Tozer

Prayer… Lord, I desire to grow into a fully mature saint.  I commit myself to spiritual growth—I will give it my best efforts.  Keep me from complacency and self-satisfaction in this arena.  I pray, afflict me with holy discontent in my spiritual formation so that I might constantly strive for Christ-likeness in every dimension of my being.

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He’s Got Your Back

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: Hebrews 4
Meditation: Hebrews 4:14-16

“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Shift Your Focus… What a difference it makes just knowing you have someone in high authority who’s got your back! You live more confidently, act more courageously, risk faith more often, let go of your failures more easily, seek forgiveness more readily, sleep more peacefully, worry a whole lot less, and wake up ready to face the day with more energy than you’ve ever known before.

That’s the privilege Christ-followers enjoy—or should—and that includes you! After paying the price for your sins by dying on the cross, Jesus entered eternity to begin his heavenly ministry as your very own personal high priest. Now, he stands before the Father night and day to represent you. He intercedes on your behalf. He is praying for you. He is rooting you on.

He understands your fears—he faced some pretty overwhelming stuff when he was here. He understands your temptations—all of them. He faced them, too. He knows your weaknesses—he had to overcome them one by one. He knows what it is like to be rejected, disappointed, persecuted, to go without, to have no place to call home, to be misunderstood. He even knows the heaviest weight a human being carries—the reality of one’s own death. Jesus has been there, done that.

But he did all that for you! That’s why he is a faithful, empathetic high priest. And that is why you can come into the very throne room of Father God with complete confidence, walk right up to that throne and ask him for what you need: Help, provision, healing, forgiveness—whatever.

You can do that because of what Jesus has already done—he paid the price for you to do that. That is now your right, your privilege, and your responsibility. You can also do that because of what Jesus is doing right now—he is standing alongside you with his arm around your shoulder before the Father bringing your case before the only One who has the power and authority to do anything about it.

You’ve got a friend in high places—the highest place. That ought to make a difference in how you live today. So get out there and give ‘em heaven!

“Our peace and confidence are to be found not in our empirical holiness, not in our progress toward perfection, but in the alien righteousness of Jesus Christ that covers our sinfulness and alone makes us acceptable before a holy God.”  ~Donald Bloesch

Prayer… Father, I stand before you in the righteousness of Jesus Christ to ask you to meet all of my needs today.  I pray that you would keep me pure, give me power, ensure my success, and make me useful to your kingdom.  Work in me and through me today, and when I lay my head down on the pillow tonight, may I know the joy of having been totally pleasing to you this day.

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Spiritual Arteriosclerosis

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: Hebrews 3
Meditation: Hebrews 3:13

“Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”

Shift Your Focus… Why is sin so destructive? Well, for one thing, sin is repugnant to a holy God. Isaiah wrote, “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” (Isaiah 59:2) Furthermore, sin has consequences. The prophet declared, “Why do you cry out over your wound, your pain that has no cure? Because of your great guilt and many sins I have done these things to you.” (Jeremiah 30:15) Worst of all, sin, un-confessed and un-repented will send a soul to hell. Ezekiel 18:20 clearly states, “The soul who sins is the one who will die.” All that is true, which is precisely why sin is so destructive.

Now that is not to say that sin can’t be forgiven—it can. God “forgives all of ours sins,” Psalm 103:3 declares. And to ensure that, God sent Jesus to pay the price for the forgiveness of our sins.

But arguably the greatest danger of sin is its subtle deceitfulness—and that, as much as anything, is what makes it so destructive. Sin lulls us into a hardness of heart where, at some point, we no longer care to ask forgiveness, where we no longer worry that it is offensive to God, where we no longer are restrained by its consequences, where the reality of hell becomes just a fading thought in our conscience.

The ugly danger of sin is that it causes the hardening of our spiritual arteries. Every time we sin, we flirt with reaching that tipping point—the point at which our arteries clog just a little more and our heart is no longer able to receive the life-giving word of the Holy Spirit calling us to repent and turn back to God.

I have known a few people who suddenly experienced shortness of breath and tightness in their chest—their arteries had become clogged. Suddenly, they needed angioplasty…or heart bypass surgery. But in reality, it wasn’t all that sudden. Rather, slowly, imperceptibly, day-by-day, harmful forces were at work in their bodies until the day came when one little sticky piece of plaque was the straw that broke the camel’s back, and they were now facing the reality of the serious trouble that had been brewing for some time.

That’s exactly why sin is so powerfully destructive. Little by little it does its damage, until one day we no longer care about what God cares about. Sin has deceived us into a spiritual lassitude from which we may not recover.  A great Christian thinker, Dallas Willard, offers some sage advice in this regard:

“It is the responsibility of every Christ follower to carve out a satisfying life under the loving rule of God, or sin will start to look good!”

If sin is starting to look good to you, then I guarantee, your arteries have begun a dangerous build up of sin-plaque.

What is the cure to this spiritual arteriosclerosis? Change your habits. Get your spiritual exercise—daily Bible reading, devotions, prayer, tithing, church attendance, personal ministry. Watch what you eat—stay away from junk that fills your flesh but rots your spirit—severely restricting your media intake would be my advice. Nurture spiritual relationships—accountability, support, and Christian fellowship have always been the key to healthy spirituality—which is exactly what Hebrews 3:13 is preaching. And dramatically alter your entire life—live every moment like it could be the last one before you stand in the presence of a loving but holy God.

Whatever you do, do not let the deceitfulness of sin harden your spiritual arteries.

“One great power of sin is that it blinds men so that they do not recognize its true character.”  ~Andrew Murray

Prayer… Dear God, I repudiate all the sin in my life.  Forgive me for each one that I have committed.  Cleanse me from all of them.  Keep me from evil, and from the evil one today.  May I live pure and blameless in your sight today…and each and every day until the day you take me home to be with you.

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May I Have Your Attention Please

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: Hebrews 2
Meditation: Hebrews 2:1

We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.

Shift Your Focus… I fly a fair amount these days. Thankfully, every takeoff is uneventful. So are the landings. In fact, I would have to say both takeoff and landing are quite boring, which, unless you are an adrenaline junkie, is the way sane people like them to be. I’m sure you would agree: Nobody wants an eventful experience on a flight!

Something else catches my attention when I am flying: Nobody pays attention during preparation for takeoff when the flight attendant dutifully calls the passengers to pay attention to the safety instructions for enjoying a safe and pleasurable trip. He or she gives some warnings of what might happen if we neglect their directions and what we could do to survive if, perish the thought, disaster should strike. Now the flight attendant never actually uses the word “disaster”, but we know what they mean by “in case of an emergency.” “In case of a water landing” sounds so much more comforting than “in case we crash and burn!”

No matter what flight I am on, the same percentage of people are paying rapt attention to those pre-flight instructions. Any guesses what that percentage is?  Zero, to be exact, except for me. I always take copious notes of everything that is said—not! Truth is, the flight attendant might as well have been invisible as far as the passengers are concerned at that part of the flight.

With such vital life-saving information being disseminated, why wouldn’t everybody be listening as if their very existence hung in the balance? Over-exposure to the message, I think, is the primary culprit. Airline apathy has set in, and people just don’t pay attention anymore to these basic instructions before leaving earth.

Now here’s the deal: What we might get away with on an airplane, we must not be guilty of on the most important trip of our lives—our journey from here to eternity. That’s why the writer of Hebrews is pleading with us to pay attention! He is saying, “don’t you dare neglect so great a salvation!”

Are you paying close attention in your spiritual journey to the clear instructions and warnings that God has graciously provided for you in his Word, the Bible (Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth)? Maybe you have heard those instructions so often that they no longer cause you to sit up and take notice. If you were honest, perhaps you would have to admit that apathy has set in, dulling your spiritual acuity and taking the sharp edge off your discernment toward the temptations and trials that can derail you on along the way.

If that is you, Hebrews 2:1 is calling you to not only pay attention, and not just to pay careful attention, but to “pay more careful attention.” Have you ever said to your child, or perhaps your parent said to you, “Now listen up…look at me when I’m saying this…repeat back what I’ve just told you…are we clear on this?” That’s what we’re being told here: “Let me have your undivided attention please…there will be a test…your spiritual life depends on this!”

Take a moment to go through your “takeoff instructions” today, being careful to pay very close attention. Check to see if there are any sins that need to be confessed, any promises that need to be claimed, any commands that need to be obeyed, any ministry assignment that needs attention, any person who needs your witness, or any relationship that needs to be healed.

Our plane is taking off soon, bound for heaven. So pay attention. Read and know your Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth—especially as it relates to your salvation. And make sure your seat belt is buckled, your tray table is in the upright and locked position, your seat back is forward…

And enjoy your flight!

“If you continue to love Jesus, nothing much can go wrong with you, and I hope you may always do so.”  ~C.S. Lewis (one month before his death)

Prayer… Lord, show me every area that needs attention for the flight home.  On that day when we take off and reach our destination, I don’t want be unprepared in one single aspect of my life.  Make me ready for the trip Lord, ‘cause one of these days soon, I’m coming home.

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Simply The Best

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: Hebrews 1
Meditation: Hebrews 1:1-4

In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. 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. So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.

Shift Your Focus… If you picked up and began to read the book of Hebrews for the first time, you may never get past chapter one. If you don’t understand the writer’s purpose, it would be easy to get confused and discouraged and give up. But you would then miss out on a marvelous piece of the New Testament story. In a nutshell, the writer is simply showing us how Jesus is superior to everything else and therefore, all-sufficient for our lives. He is simply the best.

You see, in the Old Testament era, God primarily used the prophets, the law of Moses and angelic beings to deliver his word to people. But they were the B-Team, and their work was only the pre-game warm-up to what God really had in mind—Jesus Christ.

Throughout the Old Testament, God was giving glimpses of what would soon be revealed. And when that revelation fully came in the person of Jesus, the law, the prophets and the angels had to step aside—their assignment was over. The Revelation of all revelations was here. Jesus is the prefect expression of the invisible God; he “perfectly mirrors God, and is stamped with God’s nature, holding the entire universe together by his own powerful words.” (Hebrews 1:3)  So when you know the Son, you know the Father. When you received Jesus, you’ve received God.  Jesus is it—he is all—he is the very best and there is no other!

So here’s the deal:  Why would you want to go back into Old Testament law and live by it to gain right standing with God? It was only holding things together until the real deal arrived in Jesus Christ. Why base your faith on Old Testament prophetic utterances? They are only pointing to a New Testament reality that was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. And for heaven’s sake, why would you need angelic visitations to make you feel somehow spiritually superior? They are inferior to what God has already given in Jesus Christ. When you’ve got Jesus, you’ve simply got the best.

That’s the message of this New Testament letter known as Hebrews. And the writer’s purpose is that as you read this book, it will be very clear to you that Jesus is superior to everything else.  He is all-sufficient for your life!

Try to remember that as you go about your life today—it will make your day much better.

“Jesus was God and man in one person, that God and man might be happy together again.” ~George Whitefield

Prayer… Jesus, you are my all in all. Apart from you I have nothing; in you, I have everything I need. You are everything to me!

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Just The Beginning

5×5×5 Bible Plan

Read: Acts 28
Meditation: Acts 28:30-31

Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him.

Shift Your Focus… If you take the time to read this last chapter of Acts in its entirety, which is the culmination of a story that began back in Acts 21, you will notice a curious thing:  It has no ending.

Other historical accounts in the Bible bring the story they tell to an obvious conclusion.  Not Acts.  The author, Luke, adds no “the end” or “that’s all folks” to this history of Christianity in the first century.  He simply leaves Paul in Rome, performing miracles along the way, trying to convince the Jews that Jesus was the fulfillment of Old Testament promise, and preaching the Good News to the Gentile world.

I think Luke was intentional and strategic in leaving us hanging in Acts 28.  Rather, I think the Holy Spirit, who inspired him to write this account, had a specific reason for preventing Luke from bringing this ship into the harbor.  He wanted us to realize that we, the church, the people of God, are the continuing story of the Acts of the Holy Spirit.

You see, there are still miracle stories waiting to be recorded.  God is still working among his people, Israel, through the likes of you and me.  The world is still waiting to hear the Good News of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.  The Kingdom of God is still waiting to advance and reclaim territory now held by Satan that rightfully belongs to the Creator God.

We are the story! We are the next chapter—Acts 29!  We are to take up Paul’s mantle and do the stuff of the Kingdom wherever we are. This is a story that is to be continued.

So give it your all. Your testimony will not be recorded in the Bible, but it will be written down in heaven’s record, and celebrated by God himself, along with heaven’s hosts for all eternity.

You are the story!

“Every story ends…and that is just the beginning!”

Prayer… Father, I want my part of the story to bring great glory and pleasure to you!