Category: Morning Musings

Morning Musing: Hebrews 6:13-18

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“For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater to swear by, he swore by himself: I will indeed bless you, and I will greatly multiply you. And so, after waiting patiently, Abraham obtained the promise. For people swear by something greater than themselves, and for them a confirming oath ends every dispute. Because God wanted to show his unchangeable purpose even more clearly to the heirs of the promise, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Why do we trust in God? Have you ever really thought about that? Why would anyone place their trust in a God they cannot see? What motivates such a decision? At the end of the previous section of Hebrews, the author encouraged his readers to be counted among those who will inherit God’s promises with faith and perseverance. But why would we do such a thing? How can we trust these promises? That’s what the author endeavors to unpack in this next section. This is important stuff, but hang on tight because it gets thick as we go. Let’s talk about God’s promises and why we trust them.

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Morning Musing: Hebrews 6:11-12

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“Now we desire each of you to demonstrate the same diligence for the full assurance of your hope until the end, so that you won’t become lazy but will be imitators of those who inherit the promises through faith and perseverance.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

When I was growing up, one of my heroes was Jacques Vaughn. Vaughn was the point guard for the University of Kansas Jayhawks basketball team. The fact that he was 19 or 20 really didn’t register for me. I wanted to be like him. He was a tremendous player, but he was also a great student and by most accounts I ever heard a good person. I still remember a play when he was going for a contested layup, faked a pass behind his back as he closed in on the basket which the defender completely fell for, and cleared his own way for an easy score. I had his picture taped on the front of my school folder and had memorized his signature. Having heroes like that can be a very good thing. They motivate us to become more than we are right now. And Vaughn did that for me. I became more like him…as far as being a good student goes; I was terrible at basketball. As the writer of Hebrews finishes up this warning section, he concludes with an encouragement to find some heroes. Let’s talk about it.

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Morning Musing: Hebrews 6:9-10

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“Even though we are speaking this way, dearly loved friends, in your case we are confident of things that are better and that pertain to salvation. For God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you demonstrated for his name by serving the saints — and by continuing to serve them.”
— ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭6:9-10‬‬

Forgetting is hard. Now, maybe your memory works like mine, and you’re a little skeptical of that statement. After all, I forget things all the time…just ask my wife. I am getting better, though. But that’s not what I mean. It’s hard to forget things that are done to and for you. On the “to” side this can be a challenge since we are better off forgetting some of the things that are done to us. But remembering things done for us can be a great benefit because of the gratitude it develops in our hearts. As much as we struggle with forgetting, God doesn’t forget either. Let’s talk this morning about why that can be a very good thing.

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Morning Musing: Hebrews 6:9-10

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“Even though we are speaking this way, dearly loved friends, in your case we are confident of things that are better and that pertain to salvation. For God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you demonstrated for his name by serving the saints — and by continuing to serve them.”
— ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭6:9-10‬‬

Forgetting is hard. Now, maybe your memory works like mine, and you’re a little skeptical of that statement. After all, I forget things all the time…just ask my wife. I am getting better, though. But that’s not what I mean. It’s hard to forget things that are done too and for you. On the “to” side this can be a challenge since we are better off forgetting some of the things that are done to us. But remember things done for us can be a great benefit because of the gratitude it develops in our hearts. As much as we struggle with forgetting, God doesn’t forget either. Let’s talk this morning about why that can be a very good thing.

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Morning Musing: Hebrews 6:1-3

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“Therefore, let us leave the elementary teaching about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, faith in God, teaching about ritual washings, laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And we will do this if God permits.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Living things grow. All of them. If there is something that is living, that something is growing. Now, what growth looks like isn’t the same for every living thing. Our oldest has grown something like eight inches in the last eighteen months (we’re taking up a collection for clothes and shoes…). His growth has been hard to miss. I haven’t gained an inch of height in decades (although I have gained a bit about the midsection). My growth looks different from his. But we’re both living and so we’re both growing. As the author of Hebrews begins a section that is perhaps the most infamously uncomfortable of the whole letter, he continues the argument we looked at yesterday that a living faith must be a growing faith. Let’s start here and then next week we’ll continue working through these challenging verses together.

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