Hebrews_1

Scripture:Hebrews 1:3³ 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. Observation:I liked this breakdown from Enduring Word’s commentary.https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/hebrews-1/

1. Heir of all things: This begins a glorious section describing Jesus, first as the heir of all things. This is the idea that Jesus is preeminent. It is connected to the Jesus’ standing as firstborn over all creation (Colossians 1:15).
2. He made the worlds: The ancient Greek word translated worldsis aion, from which we get our English word “eons.” It means that Jesus made more than the material world, He also made the very ages – history itself is the creation of the Son of God.
3. The brightness of His glory: Jesus is the brightness of the Father’s glory. The ancient Greek word for brightnessis apaugasma, which speaks of the radiance that shines from a source of light.
   1. In this sense, Jesus is the “beam” of God’s glory. We have never seen the sun, only the rays of its light as they come to us. Even so, we have never seen the God the Father, but we see Him through the “rays” of the Son of God.
   2. The ancient Greek philosopher Philo used the word apaugasmato describe the Logos, the being or intelligent mind who ordered the universe. The writer of Hebrews explained Jesus in terms that made sense to both first-century Jews and those familiar with Greek philosophy.
4. The express image of His person: The idea is of an exact likeness as made by a stamp. Jesus exactlyrepresents God to us.
5. Upholding all things by the word of His power: The idea behind the word translated upholdingis better thought of as “maintaining.” The word does not have the idea of passively holding something up (as the mythical Atlas held up the earth), but of actively
   1. In His earthly ministry Jesus constantly demonstrated the power of His word. He could heal, forgive, cast out demons, calm nature’s fury all at the expression of one word. Here we see that His word is so powerful that it can uphold all things.
   2. “The tense of the verb ‘upholding’ is significant of Christ’s constant work in relation to the world (Colossians 1:17).” (Griffith Thomas)
6. Himself purged our sins: From the previous description, we know that the Son of God is a being of great power and wisdom. Now we know He is also a being of great love, who purged the guilt and shame of our sins. He did this Himself, showing that no one else could do it for us and we could not do it for ourselves.
7. Sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high: This is a position of majesty, of honor, of glory, and of finished work. This position of Jesus sets Him far above all creation.

Understanding:I just love the picture represented in this verse – the visual of God’s radiance shining through Jesus.I love the character and expanse of Jesus.  This person – God incarnate, all God but in human form, all powerful yet wisely and selectively unleashing His power on Earth during His brief but eternity-bending time here. I especially love knowing that “His earthly ministry…constantly demonstrated the power of His word.  He could heal, forgive, cast out demons, calm nature’s fury all at the expression of one word.https://youtu.be/qKWi6vqFb-0And then, when the work was done (the work being purification from our sins…for generations to come), again taking his seat at the right hand of Majesty in heaven. It’s beautiful but a little crazy to wrap your mind around. Life Application: All I can do is sit in gratitude.  Gratitude for the love of our Father.  Gratitude for the choice that Jesus made to stay on mission, completing the task at hand.  Gratitude for eternity being made possible because of these choices.  Gratitude that we can still live and walk in power as children of God.Rei

Philemon_

Scripture:  Philemon 1:4-6  “I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints; and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective [d]through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ’s sake.” Observation-What does it say?  This is another letter written by Paul.  It was most likely written while he was imprisoned in Rome and at the same time as other letters, such as Colossians or Ephesians.  Philemon was likely a member of one of these churches and a convert directly under Paul.  Philemon owned a slave, Onisemus, who may have stolen from him and run away.  An offense which was punishable by death in the society of the time.  Paul appeals to Philemon’s hospitality and good character to encourage him to forgive Onisemus and accept him back as a Christian brother. Understanding-What does it mean?  We have all had those people in our lives who we feel have done something to us that we feel is unforgivable.  Whether it be a parent, a friend, some other family member, or even an enemy.  Sometimes that action may have even occurred when we were not living in Christ’s love and forgiveness.  And one of the most challenging things in life can be letting go of the pain of being hurt by someone who was close to us.   I feel as though, even in my most difficult times, God has always been extremely gracious to me and I have been extremely blessed.  To be sure, at the moment it was not always fun.  Being in a wheelchair, on crutches, not having enough money to pay my bills, struggling through a time of insecurity, these were not fun.  But looking back, I see that God was directing my steps to where I am now.  Which makes it easier to find trust in God for the future.  Now, I find myself in a place where I can share the things I have with more and more people.  But, where the rubber hits the road is when I am asked to share the blessing with the people who have hurt me. In Luke 14, Jesus challenges us in this exact area.  He asks us to use our blessing to reach people who are less fortunate than us.  “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, otherwise they may also invite you in return and that will be your repayment.  But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” (Luke 14:12-14)  God gives us the opportunity to invest in others in order to harvest a great crop for him, especially when it comes to forgiving those who have hurt us.
Life Application:  Jesus, help me to see opportunities to bless others.  Give me eyes to see those around me with your eyes, with the love and compassion.  Help me to be sacrificial in my giving.  Thank you for forgiving me and allowing me to see what this looks like.  Thank you for giving me the knowledge of your love, so I can pass it on to others. 

 

-Tyler Galloway

Jeremiah_25

Scripture - What stood out?

Jeremiah 25:37  The peaceful meadows will be laid waste because of the fierce anger of the Lord.Observation - What does it say?Jeremiah is explaining to the various nations what is about to happen to them because they have not listened to God. It's not very pleasant sounding. This is a chapter that highlights God’s wrath and His fierce anger.Understanding - What does it mean?A God of fierce anger...Is a tough pill to swallow for many of us Christians. We find it hard to imagine because we have seen what fierce anger, we have seen what wrath looks like and it is not pretty. We can’t imagine a just, merciful, loving God inflicting horrible pain and/or passing judgement on people. (See the book of Job)May I encourage you however with the wise words of a pastor who has taught me a thing or two about God of both the old and new testament. He taught me that God is an infinitely powerful, all-knowing being without a speck of evil in Him.The wrath, the fierce anger that you and I have seen and relate to is predominantly based on our experiences with people- with people of anger.  But that is not God’s wrath and that is not God’s anger. (See the book of Job again) Life Application - How can I apply this to my life today?I propose that God’s anger is actually perfect. Because God is perfect. His love is pure. His anger is pure. The closest thing I have experienced to God’s perfect anger is getting disciplined by my father growing up. I was punished (it always hurt). The reason for my punishment was explained to me. But then my dad would always end those sessions with a hug and a kiss, sometimes there were tears in his eyes as he explained it hurt him to discipline me, and he tried his hardest to communicate his love for me.As you read about the God of wrath in the old testament I pray that you would be open to that same God of love. That perhaps His ways aren’t your ways. And that even in His judgement and discipline there are things to learn from an all-knowing, all-powerful God that is always good.

May I never stop believing and trusting in your ways O Lord. In the name of Jesus, amen.

 

-kenneth lee