peaches

Looking at verses 4 and 5, it struck me that the author emphasizes sexual purity and being careful not to love money. There are other societal ills that plague us today, but these two issues are prominent destroyers of relationships. They change people into something they never thought they would be, and cause them to do things they never thought they would do. But inspite of all of our inconsistencies, Jesus never changes. What's significant is that God knows there will be times when we don't choose to honor Him. He understands our plight as weak human beings, thus the reason Jesus died on the cross. God is not a man that He should lie; He will perfect the work He began in us; while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us; do not be deceived, God will not be mocked. When we are unfaithful, He is faithful. Though we may mess stuff up, God will still carry out His plan, as He will not allow someone or something else to get the glory only He deserves.

"...because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." Heb. 12:6 God punishes us, but not every hardship is a punishment. Punishment is a consequence of wrong behavior. There's no real teaching about what the person did wrong and how to avoid it in the future. However, discipline is a process. As Pastor Wilson said, we don't develop personal holiness overnight. We make mistakes, we learn from them (hopefully) and try our best to keep from doing it again. I believe God brings situations back into our lives repeatedly, and at times in different form or fashion, to test our faith. He wants us to develop character and to get stronger each time it comes our way.

As I pondered this question, I thought about the souls of the Christians who were killed because of their faith as mentioned in Revelation 6:10-11: "...How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" Then each of them was given a white robe and told to wait a little longer..." Also Romans 8:36: "...For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." But we are encouraged in 1 Corinthians 15:57-58: "But thanks be God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." Understanding that Jesus knows what we're going through (our great High Priest); we are not alone in our christian walk; our struggles are not only for us but to encourage others, and to bring glory and honor to God.

I can recall times of being overcome by Satan due to weariness. It seemed like no matter what I do, I couldn't get a breakthrough or to a place of peace. Living for God, for me at times, had become a burden and I wanted to give up. The flip side of it is that God would not let me. It's as if He threw out a spiritual fish hook with the right bait and reeled me back in. The point is that we sometimes feel we are alone in our struggles, or we are the only ones going through this or that situation. I believe this is why we become weary - we don't cast our cares on God as He commands; nor do we tell someone in the body that we trust to help us deal with our challenges.

Moses was able to look beyond his present state into a future filled with the promises of God. He did not settle into what he saw. He did not give in to his emotions or the culture of the day. Even though this is old testament, it brings to mind Romans 8:18 - "I consider that our present suffereings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." Moses understood his position, his duty and the purpose God has for his life. I believe he wanted to do what was right in sight of God in order to receive his true inheritance and future glory. Same idea for us.

I believe our faith is based upon how we see God and how He sees us. Whether we are babes in Christ, or have been walking with Him for years, sometimes we can have a distorted view of God (and ourselves) based on our problems and circumstances. The Word teaches us about the character of God, His promises, and His intentions toward us. Taking time to study what the Word says about these things, remembering what God has done in the past, whether in our own lives or someone else's, or even those in biblical times, helps to build our faith and confidence in God. My definition of faith: The ability to lift our eyes and minds up to the one who knows about our problems and fears. Believing God inspite of what we see or don't see.

To seek God means to seek His will. When we seek the will of God, we are essentially finding out what pleases Him (Ephesians 5:10). When we show God that we are looking for and desire to do the things that please Him, we are exercising faith. God sees that, and in turn, he rewards us on the basis of our persistent, diligent search of what He wants.

Two reasons I believe it is difficult to persevere: 1) Life throws us curve balls that we did not realize were coming our way. When the problems seem too great, we sometimes focus on the problem instead of God and become undone by the situation. 2) We can also mess things up. Not necessarily because we're bad people, but we're human. We also feel that God isn't moving fast enough and we must "do something" to get us out of the problem, only causing more harm. It seems like it's one thing after another. We say to ourselves, "I will never get out of this problem, this sin, this issue." And so we feel what's the point? That is why God did not design this christian walk to be done in isolation. We need each other. We need to encourage as well as be encouraged. If left out there on our own, that leaves room for the enemy to come in and wreak havoc on our lives. I think the best thing we can do is to be open and honest with one another about the problems and difficulties we have on this journey. Often our accountability partners have or are going through the same issues, and we can help one another. When we discuss what is going on with is, it frees us and allows God to come in and bring much needed change into our lives.

This does not really answer the question. But I would like to share a comment from my study bible that I believe sums up the entire reason that our "garden-variety sins" are covered. I hope this encourages all who read this. "Hebrews makes special mention that Christ "sat down" after finishing his priestly duties. Jewish priests never sat down; the tabernacle and the temple did not have seats. They did their work standing up as a symbol that it was never finished. Having finished the work of a priest once for all, Christ "sat down."

This passage of scripture brings two words to mind: permanence and progression. Jesus' sacrifice "once for all" signifies something that can't ever be taken away - "it is finished." We may fall short of God's glory at times, but when we look back and remember what Jesus did, it helps us to move forward (the progression). Of course we must confess our sins and be careful not to take the work of the cross for granted. But we can find peace in knowing that when we are troubled, wronged, or are in sin, Jesus "offered himself," giving us a way out - the ONLY way out of any circumstance we find ourselves in. Lord Jesus, thank you for offering yourself and shedding your blood for us. Sometimes we fall short of your glory but thank you that you gave yourself up for the joy that was set before you. Help us to always remember the sacrifice you made and not to take it for granted. In Your precious name, Amen!

A guarantee or surety suggests the idea of permanence. God's oath is that Jesus is "a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek." God said it and it can't ever be changed. Jesus will forever and ever be the only way to salvation and eternal life.

I can remember a time when I became somewhat arrogant and self-righteous about an area of my life where I was actually doing well after years of struggling. I gave God His credit for helping me through, but I sort of bragged about it and it made my ego swell up a bit. Then suddenly, without warning, I fell really far...and HARD! For about a year, I had no peace, no joy, and I cried so much until I had no tears left. What God was showing me was that I cannot rely on my own endurance, strength or self-sufficiency to make it through this life. I MUST depend on Him for EVERYTHING. I believe God had to knock me down for several reasons: 1) To open my eyes to the pride I had developed 2) To show that He was God and I am not 3) To show his AWESOME, unconditional love for me, and to get me to a place of total dependency on Him I wanted to share this testimony as an illustration of the fact that it is possible to think that just because we're doing well in areas of our lives we tend to struggle with doesn't mean we have arrived. God will always keep that "thorn in our side" to make us remember just how human we are and to never forget that it is He that keeps us, saves us and gives us to grace to even have relationship with Him.

The only explanation I have is that it could be referring to christians that are deeply involved with the things of God but still have areas where they REFUSE to repent. I think of the believer who is habitually disobedient; which is different from the believer who has a genuine struggle with sin (Romans 7). I don't believe that anyone is beyond being saved by God. He will always accept sinful man as long as there is TRUE repentance. I don't know if this really answers it but I tried my best.

What Jesus suffered was a result of who He was and who He was connected to. He was both God as well as the Son of God. He didn't learn obedience through punishment or judgment. He learned it through his dealings with people (his disciples, unbelievers, the public, the Pharisees/Sadduccees, etc). Being fully God, Jesus knew what He was getting into during his earthly ministry. He was aware of the weaknesses and wavering loyalty of man. Being fully human, he prayed frequently because He needed the help of the Father to endure the burdens of his ministry. Probably the best example of how Jesus learned obedience is through his death. Even though he was sinless, he carried the weight of the sins of the entire world: "But it was the Lord's good plan to crush him and fill him with grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have a multitude of children, many heirs." Isaiah 53:10 He did it because he knew it was the will of the Father, and Jesus was always willing to please Him: "He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterward..." Hebrews 12:2

Jesus was tempted by Satan after his 40-day fast, and just before he was arrested in the garden of Gethsemane. Because he was fully man, Jesus experienced emotional, mental, and physical pain. He cried, he got angry, experienced hunger, tiredness - all the things we deal with. I believe that Jesus' temptations were more difficult. Although he had his disciples, Jesus was somewhat alone in his ministry: 1) Peter denied him 2) the disciples fell asleep on him while he prayed 3) the disciples argued amongst themselves about who was better. So he often found himself tarrying alone and prayed frequently because he knew the challenges that were coming his way. The difficulty of his temptations, and moreso his ability to withstand them, shows us that we dont have to fall to our temptations, and the importance of relying on the Father to help us in those situations. The comfort in knowing that Jesus understands helps to keep us from condemning ourselves. Of course our sins greatly displease God, though it should not make us run away from him, but to him. We are "the joy that was set before him," the reason he laid down his life in the first place, the one who was sinless took our sins away, making it possible for us to have peace, freedom, and hope of a life spent with him.