The Daily Dose

Live by faith

Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, My soul (heart) has no pleasure in him.” Hebrews 10:38

I remember the time this verse actually made sense to me.  I had always thought it was a “no brainer” before that.  Of course the just live by faith, that is what being a Christian is, someone who has faith that God sent Jesus to save them.  Yet, I always felt a catch whenever I heard or read this phrase.  This isn’t the only place it is used in scripture, but I didn’t realize that either.  Finally one day, I was listening to a teaching message on giving every area of your life over to God and then letting Him direct your steps in all the places of your heart.  Not just the church part.  Then this verse was used:  The just live by faith, in every relationship in their lives.  In my relationship with God, I certainly do, right?  What about my relationship with my husband and children?  Do I govern all my words and responses to them in agreement with my faith in God?  What about my friends and neighbors, I’m talking about the ones that don’t go to church. Then there is the whole group of people I work with and the list continues.

The process of bringing all these connections before God, brought clarity and understanding into why some of my relationships needed some work.  Then I read the second part of the passage that says if anyone draws back (from living by faith) my soul has no pleasure in him.  When I keep any area of my life out of God’s reach, it does not please Him.  Not because He is nosy or controlling, it is actually quite the opposite.  God set it up so that He could only have access in the areas that I gave Him an entrance to.  This was all part of His “free will” plan.  God does not force His way into anyone’s life and He certainly doesn’t push people out of the way to get His will done for them.  It is a cooperative effort.  God wants to work with us to accomplish all the good plans He has for us.  His heart is to be invited into showing each one of us the direction to go and the choices to make.  Some are simple and we can follow His Word (scripture) to make them, others require a more intimate relationship with His Holy Spirit to guide you through the more difficult decisions.

The point is, God takes pleasure in us living by faith because we give His access into every area of our lives in that way we work together with Him as He leads us to the green pastures and living water.  God desires to intimately walk through life with each one of His children, but He gives you the choice to acknowledge Him in all your ways.

Today I want to encourage you to live by faith in every area of your life.  Don’t be fooled into thinking that because you go to church or read your Bible every day that you are actually walking in faith in all your relationships.  Make a conscience effort to invite your Heavenly Father into every compartment and ask Him to reveal to you if you are keeping Him out somewhere.  He will because it is His will that you walk by faith, and you cannot do that without being connected Him in all things.

Today’s scripture reading: Hebrews 10:26-39

Stay close to the Shepherd

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works. not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.  Hebrews 10:24-25

So there I was, just a little spark trying not to be extinguished as I continued to step further away from support and godly encouragement. A single mom, independent and motivated to work 2 jobs and take the next promotion wherever it would move me.  This particular advancement took me into the next state.  3 hours away from anyone I knew and basically forced me to start a whole new life with no accountability. It seemed like every time I tried a new church or to get involved somewhere, I was quickly distracted by work or play.  I was unstable and being tossed continuously and the worse part about it was, I didn’t know I was deceived, messed up and making continuous bad decisions.  I thought I knew better, but couldn’t handle being out there in the world on my own.

This is one of the oldest tricks in the book.  Luring away sheep from the flock so they can be devoured.  Like the wolf in the old cartoons, Satan always goes for the ones that have wandered from the group. This is exactly what todays scripture is talking about.  We need to be around other believers that will stir up love and encourage us to do good wherever we go.  Not to be self-focused and centered, but to be people focused and God centered.  Especially, don’t stop meeting together with other believers and meet even more often because there isn’t much time left.  Whether it is church services, small groups or special meeting and conferences, stay connected with the body and don’t make excuses when it is time to meet.  Meeting with other Christians is your lifeline and far more important than any other appointment or commitment you may have.  Coming together with the body of Christ is how His blood flows through us.  We, God’s children, are His body and if we do not stay connected into that body, our part of the body will die.  It needs the support and strength of all the other parts (people) to grow and thrive.

So many things you can do to be in that safe, connected place.  Commit to go to church every week instead of just when you feel like it, that is a good place to start.  Serve at your church and get to know people on the teams there.  Join a small group or lead a small group each week.  Listen to podcasts and audio books that encourage and train you to help others find freedom in Christ Jesus and send messages to those you know to encourage them to stay connected.

Today I want to encourage you to stay connected.  If you are actively involved in a congregation of believers, love and encourage those that you meet to do good to those around them and love others into the kingdom of Heaven.  If you have strayed to the edge of the flock and are no longer getting the love and support, turn around and get back to the safe place, right in the middle of the sheep where the Shepherd is.  Most of all, do not neglect coming together to meet regularly and do it more often as we see the day approaching.

Today’s scripture reading: Hebrews 10:19-25

Saved by God’s grace

But in those sacrifices, there is a reminder of sins every year.  Hebrew 10:3

Reminders.  They are good, especially if you need to remember something important like, anniversaries and birthdays.  Many people keep a calendar of important dates to remember and other keep a schedule to keep track of meetings and other appointments.  Then there are those reminders that are not so good like memories of hurts and pains from your past, or when a “friend” or family member reminds you of mistakes and blunders you have made in your life.  Really?  Do we have to go there?

That’s what the old testament sacrifices did.  They reminded people every year about all the transgressions and sins they had committed.  They had to bring a spotless animal to the priest so He could examine it and offer it for the sin of all the people.  In doing this ritual, the people were reminded that they were sinners and needed to pay the penalty for their sin by giving of their own livestock.  Sin had to be paid for.

Now we have a new and far better connection to our heavenly Father.  He sent the perfect payment for the sin of the world for all time.  Vs. 12 of this chapter says: But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God.  Now, we and God do not look at sin anymore.  As far as He is concerned we are brand new and complete in the payment that removed the barriers between us and our Father.

So when you hear someone say:  “I’m just an old sinner saved by grace?”  You can go ahead and remind them that according to this passage, the old testament way was to remember sin, but the new and better way is to separate from the memory of it.  It would be better to say: “I was just a sinner, but then I got saved by God’s grace and now, He remembers my sin no more.  Therefore, I am no longer a sinner, I am a child of God!” 

Hebrews 10:9 says: “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” He takes away the first (old covenant) that He may establish the second (new covenant). Then in verse 17 it says: “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” He never brings it up again in fact, once it is under the blood of Jesus, He considers it to have never existed.  I have been made a new creation in Christ Jesus.  That old sinful person died and I was raise up a new created being (part of God’s family) that never existed before!  Glory to God!

Today I want to encourage you to put away the old mindset that you have to beat yourself up every time you miss the mark.  Jesus has already been “beaten up” and punished for all the sin you have committed and ever will.  Instead, thank your heavenly Father for making a provision for those failures and choosing to remember them no more.  If He remembers it no more, it would be rude to keep bringing it up as a blockage from moving forward in life.  Reminding yourself of your sin is like saying Jesus blood was not enough to eradicate it.  That just isn’t true.  Jesus blood and sacrifice is more than enough to remove every spot and stain and make you clean for all eternity. Receive this truth today and walk in the newness of life that He died to give you!

Today’s scripture reading:  Hebrews 10:1-16

Total remission

And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.  Hebrews 9:22

Remission.  It’s not a word that is frequently used.  However, probably the most common use of the word is when cancer goes into remission in a person.  It is in reference to being healed, cured or the cancer has been removed from the body in some way.  It is a good thing for sure when you hear of a loved one who is given a diagnosis of their cancer being in remission.

Today’s scripture is referring to a different type of remission, but it is similar in concept.  It is the remission of sin.  The passage talks about sin can only be removed or remitted when blood is shed.  This is probably the clearest passage that explains why Jesus had to die in such a brutal way.  His blood was poured out for the sin of the world.  Not just to cover or make a provision like the blood of calves and goats did, His blood was necessary for cleansing both heaven and earth.

Now, we have total remission or removal of the cancer of sin!  Sin, like a disease or stain, has been totally removed from every born again believer.  It doesn’t mean that sin doesn’t exist anymore, it just doesn’t exist in the body of Jesus, the church.  Sin is a dis-ease in the world and it has been totally removed from God’s family by the blood of His perfect One, Christ Jesus!  Like a disease, sin tries to stick to and get inside of every person.  However, when you belong to God, sin cannot hold on to you.  You become “slippery” so even though sin tries to get all over you in the world, it cannot stain or attach itself to your life because the blood covers and protects you from it.

This portion of Hebrews goes on to say that each person has their appointment with death and after that they will face judgement.  Everyone will stand before the eternal God to be examined for the stains of sin.  The only way to escape that judgement is to be in remission under the cleansing blood of Jesus.  Those who are in Christ Jesus will not have to go under the scrutiny of God’s eternal judgement of every evil done.  In His provision of salvation, God made a way for all to escape the punishment for sin and to be purged through the cleansing blood.  This is true remission, total and complete in Him.  No longer do we carry the weight and stains of sin in life, we have been set free from the cancer of sin that plagues this world.  You can be too!  If you have never received the gift of salvation in the blood of Jesus, invite Him into your heart and life today.

Today I want to encourage you to rejoice!  Rejoice that sin is in remission in your life!  Rejoice that the blood of Jesus cleanses every sin and stain that once covered you.  Celebrate the goodness of God to send us our healing and escape from the curse that this world is under and glorify God for His tender mercy and loving kindness!  God has total remission for you today so let Him remove the sin from your life and live free from the cancer of sin for all eternity.

Today’s scripture reading: Hebrews 9:22-28

God’s living will

Now when someone leaves a will, it is necessary to prove that the person who made it is dead. The will goes into effect only after the person’s death. While the person who made it is still alive, the will cannot be put into effect.  Hebrews 9:16 & 17

A few years ago my husband and I took a trip out of the country. Before going we decided the responsible thing to do would be set up a Living Will. Not that we expected anything to happen but in the event that something did happen to us, we wanted to have things in place to make it easier on our family. That will is still in existence today, but serves no purpose as long as my husband and I are alive. It can only be enforced after we are gone from this world into the next. Since we returned safely from our trip there was no reason for that will to be opened.  A will is only useful and needed after the owner of the property in the will is dead.  When the will is then read and released, only then can the recipients claim the dead person’s belongings.  The owner of the assets retains possession as long as they are living here in this world.

When we consider a will and the items being release to either family member or close friends, the reason the deceased owner named these people in their will is because they wanted to bless them when they no longer needed their earthly possessions. 

This is what God did for us.  He had a new covenant and plan He wanted to release into the world for all people to receive.  However, it was only possible to pass these things on through the death of the owner.  This is why He send Jesus, His only Son, to represent Him in death, so that He could get the things to us that He had planned for us.  Things such as forgiveness of sin, eternal life through salvation, the love of God, grace, the joy of the Lord, the peace that passes understanding, longsuffering, healing, lovingkindness, gentleness.  The list is endless and we can have all of eternity to explore God’s gifts to us through the death of His Son, Jesus.

The good news is, Jesus didn’t have to stay dead!  He is alive and well with His Father in heaven.  Sitting at His right hand for all eternity.  His death released the provision of salvation that God needed to get to us, but death couldn’t hold Him because now He has the keys to death. (Rev. 1:18)

Today I want to encourage you to first of all receive your inheritance as a child of God through salvation in Christ Jesus.  If you have never invited Jesus to be the Lord of you life, do that right now by praying this prayer:   

 God in heaven, I know I’m a sinner and I need a Savior.  I want to turn away from my sinful life to the life You have planned for me.  Please forgive me for my sins, cleanse me from my past, and make me new.  I know your Son, Jesus died for me.  I believe in my heart that You raised Him from the dead.  At this very moment, I accept, confess, and proclaim Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior . . . to be Lord of my life from this day forward.  I now have a right relationship with God my Father. I also ask for Your Holy Spirit to guide me and to empower me to do the things that You have planned for my life in Jesus name, Amen

Now that you have received the blessing of salvation that God planned for you, begin to explore the depth, the width, the height and the broadness of His good plan and provision in His salvation. There is no limit and no end to His goodness, so take time today to ask God to show you the things He has prepared for you as you begin to walk out the plan He made for your life. Jesus died to get it all to you, but now He lives to make sure you get it.

Today’s scripture reading: Hebrews 9:16-22

Not about rules

It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience— concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation.  Hebrews 9:9 & 10

How different God’s relationship with people was before Jesus came.  In the wilderness, God set up structure for how to worship and how to give offerings.  It became all about the rules and regulations because they needed structure and governed as a nation.  God gave them laws and ordinances to keep, so that they could live together as a nation of people.  He made provision for their sin and breaking the laws by offering up a payment/sacrifice for their transgressions.  This was a good thing for them and established the boundaries they needed for coming together to form the nation of God.  Without God’s laws, they would not have been able to live together as one nation that has lasted for thousands of years. 

However, this is not what God had planned for His family.  The nation of God became God’s people when God made a covenant with Abraham, but it wasn’t until His Son came to pay the debt of sin that God was able to have His family back.

Now, in Christ Jesus, our salvation brings us back into God’s family.  He becomes our Father and we become His children!  This is hard to get my head around.  Yes, I can say I’m a child of God and I believe it, but I don’t actually get it!  I am part of the family of God.  I have been adopted in, but I have to remind myself that I was created by Him first.  Rather than adoption, I think a better description would be ransomed.  Jesus said in Matthew 20:28 He didn’t come to be served but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many.  I was created by God to be in His family, but I was stolen away from Him when sin entered into the world.  Satan deceived people out of the dominion and authority in the world and thereby people became subject even prisoners of a thief and God’s enemy.  As devastating as that was, God was determined to rescue us and get us back.  No price was too high and no cost was too great.  God gave His best, His One and only Son to get back many.  Such a beautiful picture of the great love that He has for us, yet how many of those around us have no idea?

Today, I want to encourage you to tell someone about this great love our Creator and Father has, not only for those who have come back to Him, but also for those still to come.  We have rules and laws to follow for our safety and protection and they are good for us, but beyond that is a personal relationship with the loving God and Father who created a family to love and hold forever.  Think about Him today and meditate His promises and the great love that He has for you.  Then share it with someone in your life.  We are God’s greatest creation and He wants us all back safe in His arms of love.

Today’s scripture reading: Hebrews 9:7-15

The Holiest of All

Behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All. Hebrews 9:3

As I read through the first section of Hebrews chapter 9, I can see such a clear picture of how the old testament tabernacle represented the people of Israel’s relationship with God.  They worshiped in the outer court/sanctuary, but only the high priest could go beyond that point in to the holiest place.  The high priest represented the entire nations of people to God in heaven.  Then he ministered back to the people what he experienced behind the veil in the most Holy place with God!

It makes me appreciate my salvation in such a new light.  I now have a high priest that opens up the way for me to go to that Holiest of places into the presence of my loving Heavenly Father.  In Christ Jesus we have access to the very throne of God (Heb. 4:16)  I have my own relationship with my Father in heaven.  I no longer have to go through a man here in this world, that veil of separation has been removed and now I have a relationship with God, not an obligation to offer of sacrifice for my sin.  NO!  That obligation has been satisfied, that debt has been paid and that ritual has been removed.  Jesus has cleansed us, made us whole and in our salvation in Him, we are in a right relationship to go directly to our Father without a covering between us.  Glory to God!

This is where I want to live and this is where I want to run to every chance I get, to be with my Father.  Getting to know Him more, learning more of His character through His Word and growing in His love that never ends.  I am so thankful to be living in this time!  They had trouble in the world then and we still have trouble in the world today, but now we have the upper hand!  We are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus who saved us and removed the veil from the Holiest of All.

Today I want to encourage you to thank God for the access He has given us to Himself!  Thank Him one more time for His great salvation in His Son Jesus.  Thank Him that you can come boldly to His throne and meet with Him there at any time and Worship Him in His presence as Kind of kings and Lord of lords.

Today’s scripture reading: Hebrews 9:1-6

  Remember no more

“For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” Hebrews 8: 12

Can God forget something?  Can the God and Creator of the universe Who knows all things, has all power and is everywhere present, not remember all things too?  According to today’s scripture, He can and does forget somethings and that is our sins and lawless deeds.  This is very good news to me because I do not want to have to revisit the sinful and lawless ways of my past when I meet Him face to face.  My Father in Heaven chooses to remember no more the messes I have made in life. 

There is one stipulation, though.  This verse is connected to the previous verses that say you have to be part of His new covenant that He gave us in Christ Jesus.  It is not an automatic thing, you have to come to Him through the blood and sacrifice of Jesus and give that sin over to God for Him to be able to remember it no more.  Psalms 103:12 says:  As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.  Micah 7:19 says:  He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities.  He will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.  The way to have your sin remover and cast into the sea of forgetfulness is to give it to God for Him to put it there.  It must be an intentional thing. 

It means that you must confess your sin to get rid of it.  1 John 1:9 says:  If we confess our sin He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse (wash us clean) us from all unrighteousness.  Our Father does not want to hold anything against us, He wants a clean and unbroken relationship with us.  Holding onto secret sin, puts a barrier between your loving Father and yourself.  His desire is to remove it all from the both of you never to be brought up again.

After you confess your sin, if it come back to your memory, recognize that it is not God reminding you of your faults and failures.  It is the enemy of your soul trying to cause you to stumble and fall back into that pit.  When that happens, go ahead and tell him that God, Your Father has buried that sin in the bottom of the ocean and removed it as far as the east is from the west and it no longer exists to you.  Then go ahead and thank your Father for cleansing you from all unrighteousness.

Today I want to encourage you to get rid of sin and lawless deeds in your life by confessing them to your loving Heavenly Father.  Ask God to remind you of any unconfessed sin and when you remember them, go ahead and turn them over to be cast far from you.  Do not try to justify or make excuses for why you did something, just go ahead and admit it, quit it and forget it with God’s help.  He will make you whole and pure, simply by turning all things over to His hands.

Today’s scripture reading: Hebrews 8:7-13

His ministry

But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.  Hebrews 8:6

I like this: a “more excellent ministry”.  Other translations say “far superior”, but what is its meaning?  Obviously, I have been struggling with this question for a few days now.  I was getting hung up on the subject of “priesthood” in the passage.  I have a lot of head knowledge on the subject, but I just wasn’t getting anything from my heart.  Finally I began to meditate the first line of today’s key verse.  As I recited it several times, considering each word, I finally came to the conclusion that the passage is about His ministry not His Priesthood.  You may be thinking, “Well yeah, why did that take so long to figure out?”  To which my answer would be, sometime you already have preconceived ideas about what a passage is talking about and don’t take time to consider the real topic of the reference.

So let’s talk about the ministry of Jesus vs. the ministry of the priest of Moses’ day.  This portion of scripture says the high priest of Moses’ time offered up gifts and sacrifices.  They were in position to atone for the sin and uncleanness of the people.  It was a continual work that could never satisfy the debt of living in a fallen, sinful world.

In contrast, the ministry of Jesus is far superior because it removed the blockage of sin from “breaking” the connection to the Father in heaven.  He reconnected us to our Father and now He holds the door open so we can come to our Father at anytime.   He offers a renewed relationship with our creator and Father and promises that we will have this relationship for all eternity! Glory to God!

Now I want to remind us that this was all God’s idea and plan.  Not because he felt pity or responsibility for us (although He did) but because He loved and wanted us more and before we ever knew He existed. We are His creation that was stolen by His enemy and He went to the greatest measure to get His family back into a right relationship with Him!

Today I want to encourage you to meditate on the ministry of Christ Jesus.  There are so many parts to it that you could think about it all day long.  First His ministry in the world.  He was born, lived, taught, inspired, healed, rescued and paid the debt of sin.  Then He came back to set free the captives, save and send out messengers of this good news.  Next He sent the Holy Spirit to be our comfort, guide and empowerment to get the rest of God’s plan finished.  Now He sit next to our Father mediating our new covenant with God and will forever live to intercede and lift up our praise, worship, requests and thanksgiving to our loving Heavenly Father! Truly the most excellent ministry of all!

Today’s scripture reading: Hebrews 8:1-6

Saved to the uttermost

Therefore, He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.  Hebrews 7:25

This is for all those who think we are just getting into heaven by the skin of our teeth.  Like God in His great mercy has allowed us through Jesus to slide into heaven despite our sinfulness.  Yes, it is true that God has great mercy and made provision for us to be with Him for all eternity, but we didn’t just barely make it in.  This passage says we are saved to the uttermost!  To the greatest extent possible, Jesus saved us.  We don’t have to wait until the sweet by and by either.  Jesus paid the price so that we could operate within the kingdom of Heaven right here and now.  He is in heaven interceding for us today and always, to the uttermost.

When Jesus was on the earth, He taught His disciples to pray:  “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  That doesn’t sound like its for some day beyond this world.  No, that is for right here and now.  God’s will be done here in the world, just like it is in heaven.  How is it in heaven?  Well, we know there is nothing in heaven that steals, kills and destroys.  Jesus told us in John 10:10 that the thief/enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy.  So now we know that these things are not God’s will, but rather the plan of the enemy.

This is how we live life saved to the uttermost?  By praying God’s will be done here, where we live each day, just like it is in heaven.  Living by faith in the salvation Jesus died to give us in every area of our lives right here and now is being saved to the uttermost.  Not just some day beyond eternity, but today right where you are, Jesus is interceding for you.

Today I want to encourage you to pray: “Father in heaven, Holy is your name!  Your kingdom come, Your will be done today in my life just as Your will is done in heaven today.”  Then go ahead and pray for God’s will to be done in your family, in your finances, pray for God’s will in your protections and your health.  God’s will is good and He has saved you to the uttermost!  Now it is up to you to trust Him for it today and everyday!

Today’s scripture reading: Hebrews 7:20 – 28