THINK AHEAD, BUT DON’T FORGET!
HEBREWS 13:1-25
It is wrong for Christians to obsess about the past. The Apostle Paul gave us the phrase "forgetting those things which are behind." But this passage underscores certain behaviors we must strive to live out all the days of our lives:
SO, REMEMBER TO….
1. KEEP PRACTICING CHARITY TOWARD BROTHERS IN CHRIST (Hebrews 13:1)
“Let brotherly love continue.” (This is a 'thinking' kind of love that considers the well being of others and takes beneficial action toward them, according to truth.)
2. KEEP EXTENDING HOSPITALITY TOWARD STRANGERS (v 2)
“Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” (We live in a fearful and wary age. Wisdom considers this realistically and exercises care. But, nevertheless, a 'thinking' kind of helpfulness and goodness should not be neglected.)
3. KEEP EXPRESSING EMPATHY TOWARD THE SUFFERING (v 3)
“Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.” (Empathy is two hearts tugging at the same load. "Empathy is your pain in my heart.")
4. KEEP RESISTING IMMORALITY IN MATTERS SEXUAL (v 4)
“Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.” (Many deem marriage unimportant. God talks about it as an important covenant relationship. It entails uncompromising commitment. Proverbs 2:17.)
5. KEEP LIVING CONTENTEDLY IN LIFE (vv 5,6)
“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” ("Covetousness is a dry drunkenness." Proverbs says that the human eye is never satisfied.)
6. KEEP BEHAVING SUBMISSIVELY TOWARD LEADERSHIP (vv 7.17)
“Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation” (v7)
“Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.” (v17)
(In 1859 multitudes accepted Darwin's theory of evolution, thereby rejecting the authority of God's Word. It's been downhill ever since rejecting not only Bible's authority but all other authorities too. Acts 5:29 is how the early believers retained respect for civil authorities and absolute submission to God's authority.)
7. KEEP TRUE DOCTRINALLY, IN THE FAITH (vv 8,9)
“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines.” (When steadfastness to the truth is most difficult it is most necessary.)
8. KEEP PRAYING INTERCESSIONALY FOR OTHERS (vv 18,19)
“Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly. But I beseech you the rather to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner.” ("Talking to men about God is a great thing, but talking to God for men is greater still.")
- Dick Christen
ROOM IN THE INN
"And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn" (Luke 2:7).
How could one, even such a One as Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God, suffer such a lowly birth? The wealthy of that age didn't sleep in the inns, they stayed with friends or had special abodes reserved for them. Commoners stayed in the inns. There wasn't even room for Jesus in such a place. Rather, it was out in the barn and He was probably placed in a wooden feeding trough.
But the more important personal question is, do I have place for Him, a real abiding place, in the rooms of my heart?
One commentator remarked: "Without a doubt it is the same today. Every chamber of the soul is so filled with human interests that there is little room for Christ. There is little vital interest in Him. There is little, if any, time for Him. And this is so, simply because our time is demanded by a thousand other things, our interest in drawn off in a thousand other directions, and our life is crowded to the full with possessions and pleasures until, strange though it seems, there is no room for the Savior except in the stable."
So I must ask, is Jesus merely in a stable in my life? Have I failed to make Him the core of my earthly existence? Until He has entered the door and reigns upon the throne of my life I cannot regard myself as being in any better position than those who slept comfortably while Mary gave birth to the infant God in a stable.
- Dick Christen
"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world" (1 John 4:1).
In this verse the Apostle issues a stern warning! He tells us to be on the alert because error and false propagators are prolific. He says "many false prophets" will be on the scene.
We Christians must reject an easy and widespread indifference to proven wrong. We are to be willing to warily judge in this way: Statements or professions of faith must be held up to the light of Holy Scripture looking for cracks and dark spots of error. We must relentlessly maintain this readiness. And we must remember that when Jesus said "judge not," He was not speaking contrary to such a process or John's instruction in the above text.
It is true that we limited humans must not judge motives (we just don't know what is in the heart of another person) and must also refuse to impose upon others an unrealistic kind of perfectionism which in this lifetime is impossible to attain. And, if the fundamentals of the faith are intact, we readily agree that there are areas of doctrine wherein honest differences exist.The Almighty knows this and is often more patient with us humans than we are with our fellow humans. For instance: In Psalm 103:14 we are told: "...He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust." And, of course, we are 'dirt dust', not gold dust. God knows the limitations of His creatures, especially since sin entered the world. Therefore, we most certainly are not in the position to judge others with a haughty judgmental spirit. And so, Jesus warns us against such. We must not play God. He alone knows all and the Judge stands at the door. He's looking after everything perfectly so.
But, on the other hand, we must judge in this way: Check out all ideas and philosophies, especially those purporting to be Christian doctrine, by holding them up to the all-pervasive searching rays of Holy Scripture. We must reject the practice of judgmentally going after others but at the same time accept the need for judgment or judging in the light of Scripture, it being the very mind of God. So, interpreting Scripture carefully we let them, in effect, do the judging. God has spoken. Here is what He says about this and that. If anything is contrary to His clear Word, it is wrong. Using such Scripture we then proceed to "prove all things" or put them to the test, even as the Bible so instructs.
Yes, this makes for tensions and conflicts but the clash of ideas is the sound of freedom and price of doctrinal purity.
- dick christen
