Hebrews 5:9–10 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, called by God as High Priest “according to the order of Melchizedek,”
When Jesus died and rose again, He became our High Priest. But notice that Jesus’ priesthood is “according to the order of Melchizedek”. Why the Melchizedek priesthood? The Melchizedek priesthood gives to man (whereas the Aaronic priesthood takes from man). We see this when Melchizedek gave bread and wine to refresh a tired Abraham after his battle with the enemy kings. (Genesis14:14–20) So if Jesus’ priesthood is according to the Melchizedek order, then it is one in which we can come boldly into His presence to receive from Him! (Hebrews 4:16) Moreover, the first word from Melchizedek’s mouth was “Blessed”—“Blessed be Abram…” (Genesis 14:19) The Melchizedek order is just that—blessings. In other words, Jesus’ priesthood is one which blesses and never curses us! So are we conscious of Jesus our High Priest giving to us every day? Are we alert to all His blessings coming from heaven toward us on earth? Now, it is easy for us to believe God for His blessings in creation. For example, we have no difficulty believing that the sun will rise every morning. But while we have no problems believing the work of creation, we have problems believing the work of redemption. We sometimes find it hard to believe God for healing, provision, favor, protection or restoration—blessings that Jesus died to give us. We don’t really believe that every day, the Lord will take care of us, keep our bodies healthy and provide for all our needs. Yet, creation is fallen. It can be a blessing as well as a curse. Sometimes, a storm arises, and powerful winds and rains destroy thousands of homes and lives. Sometimes, dark clouds hide the sun and make the whole day gloomy. My friend, we can’t put our trust in creation, but we can certainly put our trust in redemption. And unlike creation, the blessings of redemption are all good! The work of Jesus is not subject to the weather or anything else. The work of redemption is as sure as Jesus Himself. He died and rose again to be our High Priest who daily showers us with blessings! Isaiah 54:10
'Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet My unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor My covenant of peace be removed,' says the Lord, who has compassion on you. - Sometimes we pass through a season of shaking. - It's a time when things seem unsure or even hopeless. - Even in this the Lord promises to continue being faithful to us. - His 'unfailing love' and His 'covenant of peace' remain. PRAYER: Lord, You hold my life in Your hands. You know my heart and You call me by name. You undertake to always be faithful and compassionate towards me. Amen. “I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.” Psalm 27:13 A divorce or any other major crisis in your life will shake your faith. But it is your faith and your trust in Christ that’s going to get you through it. David, after suffering great loss, including the loss of a child, wrote in Psalm 27:13, “I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living” (NASB). He would have given up if he hadn't believed in the goodness of God. Even in those situations where life stinks and it seems dark, believe that God is a good God. Even when everything is going wrong in your life, believe in the goodness of God that can pull you through. Believe that God’s plan for your life is greater than the problem you’re going through. Then, you can also share your faith in God’s goodness with your friends when they are going through a crisis. Friends strengthen their friends’ faith. How do you get that kind of faith? The Bible tells us there’s only one place to strengthen your faith. Faith comes from knowing the Word of God. If you know the Bible well, you’re going to have great faith. If you know this book a little, you’re going to have a little faith. If you don’t know this book at all, you’re not going to have any faith. Did you know that in the Bible there are more than 7,000 promises made to you? But you can’t claim them if you don’t know them. If you want to increase your faith so you’re able to handle the rogue winds of life, you’ve got to know the Bible through study, meditation, and memorization. "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the see’ and it will obey you."(Luke 17:6. NIV)
A mustard seed is a very small thing. But when it’s planted, it grows into a huge tree. In the same way, Jesus is saying in this verse that a little bit of faith can bring tremendous results! Think about this: As a believer, you already have enough faith on the inside of you to overcome any obstacle. It doesn’t matter if you grew up in church or not; it doesn’t matter what you know or don’t know; God wants to work in your life today. You may not see how things will work out, and that’s okay. All you have to do is believe God. With God, all things are possible! Today, put your faith into action by declaring that your trust and hope are in Him. Thank Him for working behind the scenes in your life. Use your mustard-seed faith, and it will go stronger and stronger. Always remember, you have everything you need when you have mustard-seed faith! Father, thank You for mustard-seed faith. Thank You for equipping me to live in total victory. I choose to trust You, knowing that You have good things in store for my future in Jesus’ name. Amen.— Joel & Victoria Osteen GENESIS 8:4 Then the ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat.
For 40 days and nights, it rained so hard that the whole world perished, except for Noah and those who were with him in the ark. At the end of 150 days, on the 17th day of the seventh month, the ark rested on the mountains of Ararat. In Hebrew, the word “Ararat” means “the curse is reversed”. The waters of judgment receded, causing the ark to rest on the mountains of Ararat, on new ground where the curse is reversed. And it happened on the 17th day of the seventh month on the Feast of Firstfruits—the exact date that Jesus rose from the dead 4,000 years later! When Christ rose from the dead, we were raised together with Him. (Colossians 2:12). We who are in Christ our true ark stand on resurrection ground where the curse has been reversed (Galatians3:13), where diseases, poverty and failures have no right to operate! A church member shared how God delivered him from cervical spondylosis, a medical condition which causes the neck section of the spinal cord to deteriorate. An X-ray taken four to five years back showed that that area of his spinal cord was deteriorating fast. He was in pain and had to take medicine to manage the condition. And whenever he had a relapse, he would get depressed. During his last relapse, he went to the doctor, trusting God that he was already healed, had another X-ray taken and was given some medication. He took the medication, still believing God that he was healed. The following morning, the pain in his neck was gone and he was able to turn his head. When he finally collected his X-ray results a week later, his doctor actually told him that his spinal cord looked better than the doctor’s own! The doctor was very surprised because patients with this condition usually don’t get better. God had reversed the curse of cervical spondylosis for him! My friend, as a believer, you are on no-curse ground. You stand in the blessings zone where it is very easy for God’s blessings to rain all over you! A fit of anger. Uncontrolled debt. A guilty conscience. Icy relationships. Alarms in your life. When they go off, how do you respond? Be honest, now. Hasn’t there been a time or two when you went outside for a solution, when you should have gone inward? Ever blamed your plight on government? Blamed your family for your failure? Called God to account for problems in your marriage? Your circumstances may be challenging, but blaming them is not the solution. Nor is neglecting them.
Consider David’s prayer in Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a new heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” In Romans 12:2 Paul says, “Fix your attention on God. You will be changed from the inside out.” Heaven knows you don’t silence life’s alarms by pretending they aren’t screaming. But heaven also knows it’s wise to look in the mirror before you peek out the window! When you stand at the edge of the overlook, gazing across at the mighty Niagara Falls, listening to its liquid thunder, you can't help but be impressed with its majestic beauty and its tremendous power. But, that's as close as I want to get. A person who somehow fell into those churning waters would have little to no chance of survival. That didn't seem to bother the famous tightrope walker known as the Great Blondin. No, back in 1859, he made history when he crossed the gorge of the Niagara River on a tightrope! At one point, he executed a back somersault. His next tightrope trip across the Falls, Blondin crossed on a bicycle, walked across blindfolded, pushed a wheelbarrow, cooked an omelet in the center, and made the trip with his hands and feet manacled. Then came his ultimate performance. He announced he would carry a man across the Falls on his back. Most folks believed he could do it. No one wanted to be the one on his back, though. Except his manager, who climbed on the back of the Great Blondin and, to the amazement of all who watched, arrived safely on the other side. "The 'Do You Really Believe?' Test." So many people said they believed that the Great Blondin could carry a man on a tightrope across Niagara Falls. But none of them was willing to trust his life to Blondin. Except that one man, his manager. In reality, he was the only one who really believed in the Great Blondin, because he staked everything on his trust in that man. So many people say they believe in Jesus Christ. They say they believe that He died on the cross to rescue us from the death penalty of our sins. That He didn't stay dead. He rose from the dead. That's believing with your head, which the Bible doesn't accept as the kind of faith that will get you to heaven some day. Romans 10:10 insists that "it is with your heart that you believe and are justified," or made right with God. And believing with your heart is more than agreeing with all the facts about Jesus or saying you believe that He can save us. It's climbing on his back and saying, "Jesus, I'm putting my total trust in You and nothing else. Only You can erase my sins from God's book. Only You can carry me across to heaven." The issue in whether or not you have a relationship with God is not what beliefs you agree with or what meetings you go to. The whole issue is, "Where are you placing your trust to get you to heaven?" In your Christianity? In your Christian religion or rituals? In your Christian upbringing or your Christian knowledge? Or even trying to live like a Christian? None of those can save you from the awful death penalty for our sinful rebellion against God. It's got to be Jesus - all Jesus - only Jesus. Do you really believe? "Then He said, 'Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.' And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice." (1 Kings 19:11-12)
The young man had lost his job and didn't know which way to turn. So he went to see the old preacher. Pacing about the preacher's study, the young man ranted about his problem. Finally he clenched his fist and shouted, "I've begged God to say something to help me. Tell me, Preacher, why doesn't God answer?" The old preacher, who sat across the room, spoke something in reply -- something so hushed it was indistinguishable. The young man stepped across the room. "What did you say?" he asked. The preacher repeated himself, but again in a tone as soft as a whisper. So the young man moved closer until he was leaning on the preacher's chair. "Sorry," he said. "I still didn't hear you." With their heads bent together, the old preacher spoke once more. "God sometimes whispers," he said, "so we will move closer to hear Him." This time the young man heard and he understood. We all want God's voice to thunder through the air with the answer to our problem. But God's is the still, small voice... the gentle whisper. Perhaps there's a reason. Nothing draws human focus quite like a whisper. God's whisper means I must stop my ranting and move close to Him, until my head is bent together with His. And then, as I listen, I will find my answer. Better still, I find myself closer to God.o edit. Psalm 32:1
What happiness for those whose guilt has been forgiven! What joys when sins are covered over! What relief for those who have confessed their sins and God has cleared their record. - You can be free from the weight of sin and condemnation. - HE came to forgive and set you free. - When we confess, He is faithful to forgive us. - Nothing needs to stand in the way, and you can be forgiven. PRAYER: Lord, I confess that I don't always do the right thing. But what a joy it is to know that You are ready and willing to forgive me so that I can be free. Amen. |
Ana & Andre Schoonbee God uses us to motivate and encourage the body. Authors
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