Watch out for the Esau syndrome: trading away God’s lifelong gift in order to satisfy a short-term appetite. You well know how Esau later regretted that impulsive act and wanted God’s blessing—but by then it was too late, tears or no tears. Hebrews 12:16-17 (TM)

Sometimes I’m discouraged at how our culture, and me as a part of it, are so distracted by short-term appetites. We are so absorbed by spiritual junk food that clogs the Body’s arteries and does nothing to satisfy our hearts.

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Flickr photo courtesy of awrose

Each one of these people of faith died not yet having in hand what was promised, but still believing. How did they do it? They saw it way off in the distance, waved their greeting, and accepted the fact that they were transients in this world. People who live this way make it plain that they are looking for their true home. If they were homesick for the old country, they could have gone back any time they wanted. But they were after a far better country than that—heaven country. You can see why God is so proud of them, and has a City waiting for them. Hebrews 11:13-16 (TM)

I read the chapter this morning and these verses jumped up off the page, reminding me of why I named this blog what I did – why we’re all just ‘wayfaring strangers’.

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Bible, Chapter-a-Day, Hebrews, Faith, Wayfaring

Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching. Hebrews 10:24-25 (TM)

I was meeting with my friend, Mike, at Panera the other day. He got up to get a cookie. "Oatmeal or Chocolate Chip?" he asked me. I asked for chocolate chip. He then turned to the stranger sitting at the table behind us, working on his laptop. "Oatmeal or Chocolate Chip?" he asked. The stranger looked shocked, but when the question was posed a second time he asked for chocolate chip. The cookies were delivered and nothing more was said. Nevertheless, by the time we left, Mike had the opportunity to introduce himself to the man and talk a little bit about who he was and what he did for a living.

How inventive is that? It cost Mike $1.29 to show love to a stranger, and just maybe have the opportunity to share more of the love of Christ with him. What have I done to be "inventive" in loving others? You?

Technorati Tags: Hebrews, Christianity, Love, Evangelism Flickr photo courtesy of Tiarafoto

Everyone has to die once, then face the consequences. Hebrews 9:27 (TM)

People are surprised when I tell them I’d rather preside over a funeral than a wedding almost any day of the week. Weddings anymore are huge distractions. Trying to navigate all the trappings to find any real meaning in the ceremony is difficult, and even when the meaning is there you can be sure that no one is listening. The bride is freaking out about every detail, the groom is thinking about the wedding night. Women are thinking about their own weddings, the bride’s dress, the flowers, etc. while men are wondering how long it will be until they can get on to the reception and the food.

When you’re at a funeral, and there’s a dead body in the room, there’s little escaping the truth of today’s verse. It’s not that I have some sadistic joy at seeing people’s grief. The way I see it, if the person who died was a believer, then this is actually a joyous event. They are better off than we can possibly imagine. If there are non-believers at the funeral, this may be one of the few times in their lives that they contemplate the reality of their own impending death and it will force them to consider their eternal standing with God. That’s an opportunity for The Message to take hold and forever change their life…and that’s a hopeful thing.

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This time I’m writing out the plan in them, carving it on the lining of their hearts. Hebrews 8:10 (TM)

It’s encouraging to know that God has a plan for me. It’s not a mysterious thing that I have to hunt for. It’s not some coded message. It’s a plan that He reveals in me, day-by-day as He lives in me and walks with me. I may not see the plan fully, but I know the Master planner.

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