William Kurelek, artist.
Luke 2
1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register. 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.
Hebrews 3
1 Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest. 2 He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God's house. 3 Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. 4 For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. 5 "Moses was faithful as a servant in all God's house," [a] bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future. 6 But Christ is faithful as the Son over God's house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory.
7 So, as the Holy Spirit says:
"Today, if you hear his voice,
8 do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion,
during the time of testing in the wilderness,
9 where your ancestors tested and tried me,
though for forty years they saw what I did.
10 That is why I was angry with that generation;
I said, 'Their hearts are always going astray,
and they have not known my ways.'
11 So I declared on oath in my anger,
'They shall never enter my rest.' " [b]
12 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called "Today," so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. 14 We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold firmly till the end our original conviction. 15 As has just been said:
"Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion." [c]
16 Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? 17 And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed (disbelieved)? 19 So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.
Footnotes:
a.Hebrews 3:5 Num. 12:7
b.Hebrews 3:11 Psalm 95:7-11
c.Hebrews 3:15 Psalm 95:7,8
Scripture for today blogspot does not have a sermon series, there are about 9 different Eccumenical sites, I pray and choose one before it is read. The readings for the approach of Christmas, and into the Advent season, are really pointing out to me the importance of keeping Jesus Christ in Christmas.
Today is an interesting idea, we are always able to substitute our own name when Israel is the subject in the Bible. These are not pagans the Lord speaks of, but people on a journey called forth by God. They had seen with their eyes the glories of the Lord. They are people like us, people with choices. They were free only because of the Lord's miracles. Just like Mary and Joseph, they could have done their own thing, but chose instead to be the Lord's. Today is a reminder, we all have choices, it is necessary and important to fix our thoughts on Jesus if we are to stay and belong to Him.
We belong to such a loving Church family; we are all pretty open about the choices needed to be made in college, and raising a young family, to return with a teachable heart and make the choice to be part of a church community. What I'm trying to say is, being a college student or an adult for the first time gives us freedoms, we have all tried and abused our mature choices and fledgling choices ~ it is important to continue to pray for each other.
Proverbs 16:18
Pride goes before destruction,
a haughty spirit before a fall.
1 Corinthians 10:11-15
These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! 13 No temptation [or testing] has overtaken you except what is common to us all. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted [tested] beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
I pray each day for God to deliver, protect and captivate my family with His love. May you share in that prayer for the ones you love and for ourselves.
Merry Christmas!!
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1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register. 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.
Hebrews 3
1 Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest. 2 He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God's house. 3 Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. 4 For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. 5 "Moses was faithful as a servant in all God's house," [a] bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future. 6 But Christ is faithful as the Son over God's house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory.
7 So, as the Holy Spirit says:
"Today, if you hear his voice,
8 do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion,
during the time of testing in the wilderness,
9 where your ancestors tested and tried me,
though for forty years they saw what I did.
10 That is why I was angry with that generation;
I said, 'Their hearts are always going astray,
and they have not known my ways.'
11 So I declared on oath in my anger,
'They shall never enter my rest.' " [b]
12 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called "Today," so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. 14 We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold firmly till the end our original conviction. 15 As has just been said:
"Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion." [c]
16 Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? 17 And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed (disbelieved)? 19 So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.
Footnotes:
a.Hebrews 3:5 Num. 12:7
b.Hebrews 3:11 Psalm 95:7-11
c.Hebrews 3:15 Psalm 95:7,8
Scripture for today blogspot does not have a sermon series, there are about 9 different Eccumenical sites, I pray and choose one before it is read. The readings for the approach of Christmas, and into the Advent season, are really pointing out to me the importance of keeping Jesus Christ in Christmas.
Today is an interesting idea, we are always able to substitute our own name when Israel is the subject in the Bible. These are not pagans the Lord speaks of, but people on a journey called forth by God. They had seen with their eyes the glories of the Lord. They are people like us, people with choices. They were free only because of the Lord's miracles. Just like Mary and Joseph, they could have done their own thing, but chose instead to be the Lord's. Today is a reminder, we all have choices, it is necessary and important to fix our thoughts on Jesus if we are to stay and belong to Him.
We belong to such a loving Church family; we are all pretty open about the choices needed to be made in college, and raising a young family, to return with a teachable heart and make the choice to be part of a church community. What I'm trying to say is, being a college student or an adult for the first time gives us freedoms, we have all tried and abused our mature choices and fledgling choices ~ it is important to continue to pray for each other.
Proverbs 16:18
Pride goes before destruction,
a haughty spirit before a fall.
1 Corinthians 10:11-15
These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! 13 No temptation [or testing] has overtaken you except what is common to us all. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted [tested] beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
I pray each day for God to deliver, protect and captivate my family with His love. May you share in that prayer for the ones you love and for ourselves.
Merry Christmas!!
<><
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