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Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Some One Greater {Hebrews 3}

About a month ago I attended a wedding.  I don’t know about you, but weddings are simply amazing to me.  You see the beautiful bride walk down the aisle with her father leading her to her soon-to-be husband – the love of her life.  But what I loved about this wedding was how the priest took the time to explain to, what appeared to me, was a lot of non-believers, how and why he had the couple kneeling towards the tabernacle.  The traditional readings were read (Genesis 2:24 and Mark 10:8). We see how the bride let’s go of her earthly father and is now joined together in marriage to this man.  He explained that this represents our marriage to the Lord Jesus (Rev. 19:7-10).  The priest mentioned how this girl’s father was someone she looked up to for her entire childhood, yet, here she’s looking up to and honoring her husband.  And as these 2 – this couple – focused their attention to what was in front of them – Christ – the center and focal point of marriage, that’s where we, the entire congregation were looking at as well, we all were drawn to the focal point of marriage.

Here in Hebrews 3, the writer is explaining that although Moses is important, a patriarch, as we move forward and listen to God’s Word, our growth and focus changes.  We come to know and trust Christ as our Savior.  We let go of the old and cling to the new.  Our focus should remain with the One that NEVER changes.  We need to acknowledge Him for who He is. (v. 3)

We receive warnings in this reading to remember those who grumbled and complained.  (vs. 16-18)  They were left to wander 40 years.  Are you feeling alone and wandering?  Are you feeling isolated?  Are you hearing “No” to a lot of your prayers and desires?  Perhaps you’ve lost your focus.  Are you holding onto something old?  A tradition or belief?  A habit or routine?  Guilt and shame from your past?  God is a God of love and mercy and He never leaves us alone.  Look forward.  Don’t look back, just as this couple had to let go of all those people who filled that church.  Their focus was on the One, Jesus Christ, who would show them the way to a blessed marriage.  He is the One who leads us all and we need to listen to Him and not let our hearts become hard because of the past or because of an unmet desire.  We need to put on righteousness and have the desire to become someone better so that those with unbelieving hearts will turn to Christ as well, just as I am sure, someone in that church that day did because that priest took an opportunity to speak the truth – the truth that sets you free – and pointed us all to Christ and why we were brought together that day because of Him.  He took the time to encourage everyone there that day (“today”) to not be hardened by deceitfulness and to “hold onto our original conviction to the very end” (vs. 12-15).

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