Hebrews

I read Hebrews whenever I need to remember Jesus. Not Who he was or what city he was born in. Or even how he was born. All those details are easy to recall. No the book of Hebrews, Especially the first 4 chapters, reminds me of the greater Jesus. Or at least the Jesus who was more than man, but still fully man. The Jesus that has a greater name than any of the angels. The Jesus that defeated death and in that action won freedom for all who would receive it. The Jesus that is our great high priest.

It is the same reason I read Isaiah. If you ever want to remind yourself of the power and presence and might of God just spend some time in Isaiah. The reminders God speaks through Isaiah about himself are chilling. When God mocks the idea of building a image made out of stone, crafted by man's hand, to worship the greatness of God is clearly contrasted to the insanity of worshiping lifeless symbol. Of course you can make the argument that the stone is just an image of something more. It even makes sense. Sure i put up notes to remind me to do things. I even hang pictures to help me remember the great times I have spent with loved ones and family. What is the difference between that and worshiping and image? I don't worship the photos. Could a statue help remind you to pray to whatever? Sure. But how is honoring it going to help. I guess I never understood the idea of idol worship.

That whole point being that Jesus is greater than all those things. When God speaks of himself as being greater than any man made statue or sculpture of some other deity. We find the same sense of different nature that we find when the author of Hebrews speaks of Jesus. From this point forward i will simply call the different nature of God and Jesus as their Holiness. The Holiness of Jesus in Hebrews, and the Holiness of God in Isaiah are similar. While God is being contrasted to foreign deities Jesus is contrasted with other beings inside the Jewish\Christian worldview.

The effect is the same. Christ is far superior to any living thing. He has wrested control of this world from the very hands of Satan. He has dominion over all things. To that end we can have faith that whatever tries to destroy us from either within or without we have a far greater negotiator. He has the power and ability to grant us hope over all things.

Hebrews is a wonderful and frightening look into the power and glory of Jesus. It is a reminder that even though we may go through intense hardship. We may be tempted beyond what we think we can bear. All is not and never will be lost. We have a great high priest who has wrested the power of death from one who would hold it over our head. We have a intercessor in the very throne of God.

We must remember that Christ is our hope. He is our salvation. We must not let ourselves slip away from him. Our one and only hope is to hold onto Christ and his promise and pray that he will grant us the faith to continue to hold on.

Keep the faith.

Need

My life is a sea.

The ebb and flow of devotion to you.

The Tempest brings need

The calm delays surrender

My life is moved by the moon

Its direction and rotation seem to guide my waves

leaving only absence of life

Neither death nor life, nothing

My eyes forget

That the moon is only a reflection

The light from another source

The real creator of life

Life needs the sun

The moderator of seasons

Of life and death

Renewing creation eternally

My life needs the Son

Shining on my darkness and light

Reviving a dead heart

Eternally renewing flesh and death to spirit and life

Rich young ruler

Give up on your life. How could I? My life it was all I really had. Sure I owned stuff. Possessions, some of them worth quite a bit. But my life? That price was something I could not pay. My life is all I really have. Even if I were to loose everything else I would still have my life. When I loose it I loose everything else as well. You truly can't take it with you.
So to give up my life? Who would even ask that price? To assume that it is worth such a price. To give up all my desires, My dreams, and aspirations such a price was beyond reason. Who would even dare to ask? Much less expect that of a single person, even more all of his followers? Such a man would have to be insane. Who would want to follow him? He must be proposing something beyond imagination to even tempt such a response.
Who is this man? He comes from a small town in the middle of a back woods area. He spouts such euphemisms. Peace? Joy? Hope? These words vibrating the strands within every heart. Was he pedaling wares trying to get a large following? If so he was quite successful. But to listen one could not help but be stirred by the passion and authority with which he spoke. This man could change the hearts of man if he so choose.
I used to sit and listen to his claims. Oh to be able to dream of half of the things he promised. Some of them of course blasphemous. But even more to claim he is in the father? He has a direct link with the untouchable? Such ideas were ludicrous. Even to think such things. The man must be crazy.
To think that he would require that we give up our lives. To follow him would be death. Who desires that? No one worth being a follower. Surely not those who have money. Not those with stature and intelligence. Only those who would choose to follow would be anyone that had already lost their life in some way or another.
I Have life and it is good. Sure there are struggles, but I am a good person. I do good things and I have possessions. I don't mean to brag, but God has smiled on me. Giving me such gifts. It is not right for me to throw them away. Especially for such a man that claims he is the son of God. Foolishness.