Philippians 4:4–7

Be grateful for all the Lord has done in your life and the lives of your family. 

Be joyful, it is our strength.

God’s peace protects us!!!

Maybe we've created our own circles through disobedience, or life's unexpected troubles have surrounded us and we feel like David in Psalm 22:16: "a pack of villains encircles me" (NIV). But holy work is accomplished even in our mundane moments as God sovereignly uses our struggles and failures to shape us for His glory and our good. The preparation needed for God's assignments takes time, and God has all the time in the world. When we feel like we are off track, God always makes a way to bring us back. Even at our worst, God works out His redemption of our story.

Moses gave the law, and Jesus gave grace and truth (John 1:17). Where the law of Moses could not justify, Christ could and did, not with the blood of bulls and goats but with His own blood. First5 

God,
Let us . . .
Be generous in prosperity,
and thankful in adversity.
Be fair in judgment,
and guarded in our speech.
Be a lamp unto those who walk
in darkness, and a home
to the stranger.
Be eyes to the blind, and a guiding light
unto the feet of the erring.
Be a breath of life to the body of
humankind, a dew to the soil of
the human heart,
and a fruit upon the tree of humility.
Amen.

SabbathMoments 

Philippians 4:4–7

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. The New King James Version

The motif of maintaining joy in the midst of suffering is common in Paul’s writings. 

By displaying gentleness toward all people—believers and unbelievers alike—Christians reveal the gospel’s power to transform and reconcile. 

Paul again references the Day of Christ as motivation to live in a godly manner. Paul probably was aware of hardships facing the Philippians. Paul wants the believers to acknowledge their dependence on God and His provision. 

The Greek word used here, eirēnē, conveys a range of meanings, including well-being, prosperity, freedom from anxiety, safety from harm, and deliverance from enemies. Paul envisions God’s peace as a soldier who protects the hearts and minds of believers from anxiety, fear, and doubt. Faithlife Study Bible

In the midst of difficulties, in the midst of all situations, Christians are to rejoice. The joy of Christians is not based on agreeable circumstances, instead it is based on their relationship to God. Christians will face trouble in this world, but they should rejoice in the trials they face because they know God is using those situations to improve their character.

Gentleness identifies a person who manifests a calmness and fairness of spirit. A person who is gentle is willing to sacrifice his or her own personal rights to show consideration to others. 

Paul exhorts the Philippians to pray about their circumstances instead of worrying over them. He prohibits the Philippians from worrying about their own problems. Instead they are to commit their problems to God in prayer, trusting that He will provide deliverance.

Paul’s choice of a military term implies that the mind is in a battle zone and needs to be “protected by a military guard.” Since the purpose of such a guard in a wartime situation is either to prevent a hostile invasion or to keep the inhabitants of a besieged city from escaping, the peace of God operates in the same way: to protect the mind from external corrupting influences and to keep the mind focused on God’s truth. The NKJV Study Bible

As a remedy against perplexing care, constant prayer is recommended. Not only stated times for prayer, but in every thing by prayer. We must join thanksgivings with prayers and supplications; not only seek supplies of good, but own the mercies we have received. God needs not to be told our wants or desires; he knows them better than we do; but he will have us show that we value the mercy, and feel our dependence on him. The peace of God, the comfortable sense of being reconciled to God, and having a part in his favour, and the hope of the heavenly blessedness, are a greater good than can be fully expressed. This peace will keep our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus; it will keep us from sinning under troubles, and from sinking under them; keep us calm and with inward satisfaction.  Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Psalm 55:22 

Cast your burden on the LORD,

And He shall sustain you;

He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.

Hebrews 10:25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

James 5:8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

Revelation 22:20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Romans 10:12–13

Jesus is the living manifestation  of God’s truth and grace! 

Truth and grace are One.

Today, we also see in the New Testament that the Lord has promised to work all things together for the good of "those who are called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28).

When our circumstances seem insurmountable, if we will look up and focus on who God is and who we are in Christ, He will refresh our perspective and encourage our hearts. Because Jesus gave His life to save and redeem us, we can be confident in His promise that He IS working all things for our good. We can speak truth over our hearts today and humbly follow the One who knows us best and loves us most. First5 

My friend Jinks taught me the treasurable Hebrew word Mashpia, derived from the word shepha, which means, "to overflow" or "to pour abundantly." So... literally a channel or conduit. (In Kabbalistic terminology, shepha refers to one who channels Divine radiant energy.) The good news is that this doesn’t happen when I get to my “real life.” It happens now, with this life. When we embrace the reality that the dance, the abundance, the light, the tenderness, the empathy, the compassion, the wholeheartedness is already within us.
Yes and Amen...SabbathMoments 

Romans 10:12–13

12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” The New King James Version

Both Jews and Gentiles are under God’s judgment because of sin, yet both are eligible for righteousness through faith in Christ. The Greek word kyrios, translated “Lord,” refers to Jesus Christ. Thus, Paul identifies Jesus Christ with Yahweh of the old testament. Faithlife Study Bible

Paul emphasizes the universal offer of salvation. Whoever means “all.”  This includes Jew and Greek (Gentile). The NKJV Study Bible

There is not one God to the Jews, more kind, and another to the Gentiles, who is less kind; the Lord is a Father to all men. The promise is the same to all, who call on the name of the Lord Jesus as the Son of God, as God manifest in the flesh. All believers thus call upon the Lord Jesus, and none else will do so humbly or sincerely. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Joel 2:32 

And it shall come to pass

That whoever calls on the name of the LORD

Shall be saved.

For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance,

As the LORD has said,

Among the remnant whom the LORD calls.

Acts 2:21 

And it shall come to pass

That whoever calls on the name of the LORD

Shall be saved.’

Acts 10:36 The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all—

Romans 3:22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;

Romans 3:29 Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also,

Hebrews 8:7–13

The New Covenant is made through the spotless blood of the Lamb. Jesus Christ, King and Lord of all! 

Jesus fulfilled in His birth, death and resurrection, what man could not. He now sits at the right hand of the Father intervening for those who believe in Him.

Romans 11:27 

For this is My covenant with them,

When I take away their sins.”

"Let us not darken the joy of resurrection," Thomas Merton reminds us, "by remaining in captivity and darkness, but let us live as free men and women who have been called out of the darkness and into the light.”

That light may be obscured by tragedy and stress but that doesn’t mean it isn’t there and cannot spill to the world around us. Yes. In this life. Because I have nothing to prove, no one to impress and no need to manipulate or denigrate anyone. Sabbath Moments 

Hebrews 8:7–13

7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. 8 Because finding fault with them, He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—9 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord. 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 11 None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. 12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” 13 In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away. The New King James Version

The author describes the better covenant and its promises in terms of the blessings envisioned by the prophet Jeremiah 31:31–34. This citation lays the foundation for Hebrews, which discusses the superiority of Jesus’ sacrifice. The new covenant includes the promise that God will put His law into the people’s minds and inscribe it on hearts.  As a result, God’s people will no longer need to be taught about Him by other people to experience Him. God has vowed to be their God so all will know Him. Faithlife Study Bible

That first covenant is the Mosaic covenant. The new covenant is the “better covenant”. This covenant was made with Israel and Judah, yet the church enjoys the spiritual blessings of this covenant now. The Abrahamic covenant was made with Abraham and his physical descendants, who would inherit the land. Yet the Abrahamic covenant also contained spiritual promises in which the church participates. 

The new covenant in fact is a fulfillment of the spiritual redemption promised in the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants. There are four provisions of the new covenant: (1) God’s law will be written on believers’ minds and hearts. This is in contrast to the Mosaic Law which was written on tablets of stone. (2) Believers will have a relationship with God fulfilling the promise of Leviticus. (3) All will know God. No longer will Pharisees and scribes have to teach the intricacies of the Law to the people. (4) God will forgive the sins of believers and remember them no more. The continual sacrifice of animals for the atonement of sin will cease. 

The presence of a new, better covenant not only demonstrates that the first covenant is not sufficient, it also shows that the first covenant is obsolete and ready to vanish away. At the time the author of Hebrews wrote these words, the ceremonies of the Mosaic covenant were still being conducted in the temple in Jerusalem. In a.d. 70 the Roman general Titus destroyed the temple, fulfilling these words. The NKJV Study Bible

Jeremiah 31:31 “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—

Jeremiah 31:32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD.

Jeremiah 31:33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

Jeremiah 31:34 No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

Ephesians 5:1–7

God is love. Without love we are just making noise.

We praise You, God, for designing a new covenant of salvation for Your people (Jeremiah 31:31-33). We praise You, Jesus, for securing this new covenant of salvation by Your death and resurrection (Luke 22:19-20). We praise You, Holy Spirit, for implementing this new covenant of salvation within Your people (Romans 8:4;  Romans 8:10-11). 

By Your strength and power, help us to walk in Your covenant, so that we will no longer live for ourselves but for Jesus, who died and was raised for our sake (2 Corinthians 5:15). In Jesus' name, amen. First5 

Madeleine L’Engle:
This is my charge to you.
You are to be a light bearer.
You are to choose the light.

Ephesians 5:1–7

5 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. 

3 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; 4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be partakers with them. The New King James Version

Paul is commanding—not suggesting—that believers imitate God in how they treat one another.

Christ provides the model for how Christians are to live in love; His sacrificial death is the definition of love. This description of Christ’s death draws on language from the sacrificial system in the old testament. The Greek word used here, porneia, refers to any kind of sexual immorality. The Greek word used here, pleonexia, refers to the consuming desire to possess more than others, regardless of actual need. Paul calls greedy people idolaters. Paul instructs believers to avoid crude humor. 

Believers should be known for expressions of gratitude to God. Paul ties idolatry to greed.

In acknowledgment of Christ’s rule, believers are called to exhibit obedience, loyalty, and love. Those who continue to participate in illicit behavior essentially are resisting Christ’s reign and acting as though they reject an inheritance in His kingdom. In the Gospels, the kingdom of God (or kingdom of heaven) is a central theme of Jesus’ teaching. Wrath refers to those who oppose God. Faithlife Study Bible

Believers are to follow the example of God’s actions. He loved us when we were still His enemies. As imitators, believers should demonstrate that type of self-sacrificial love. Ephesus, with its pagan temple dedicated to the Roman goddess Diana, was similar to our society in that sexual immorality and greed ran rampant. Paul warned the believers in Ephesus to avoid these pitfalls. The NKJV Study Bible

Because God, for Christ’s sake, has forgiven you, therefore be ye followers of God, imitators of God. Resemble him especially in his love and pardoning goodness, as becomes those beloved by their heavenly Father. In Christ’s sacrifice his love triumphs, and we are to consider it fully. 

Walk as children of light, as having knowledge and holiness. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Luke 12:15 And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”

1 Corinthians 6:10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

Made in the image of God we are tripartite beings. We have a mind that regulates our functions. We have a body that is under the governing of the mind and we have a heart, our spirit, that makes us who we are and what we believe. As believers, with the heart, the Spirit within us speaks. 

The Trinity in the Bible

The term trinity is not found in the Bible but is a theological word which expresses the clear teaching of Holy Scripture, especially the New Testament. The first theologian of the church to use the term was Theophilus who spoke of God as trias. The great Latin church father Tertullian first developed the concept of trinitas, one God in three persons. Though the fathers of the church in the second and third centuries spoke of the three persons of the Godhead while recognizing that there is but one God, the councils of Nicea (a.d. 325) and Constantinople (a.d. 381) gave the fullest expression to the Biblical doctrine. Belief in one God in the ancient Mediterranean world was unique to the nation of Israel. The faith of Israel is given in the famous Shema: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one” (Deut. 6:4). Repeatedly the teaching of the Law and the pronouncements of God’s prophets confirm this absolute truth. The church continued the teaching of the Hebrew Scriptures, as well as the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ, that there is only one God (see 1 Cor. 8:6; Eph. 4:6; 1 Tim. 2:5). This it did in contrast to the rampant polytheism that permeated the Greco-Roman world with its multitude of gods, including worship of the emperor as a god during the latter half of the first century. As the apostles and later the church began to articulate this monotheism against pagan religion, it was necessary to explain how this belief in one God was consistent with the concurrent belief that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are each God and yet still only one God. Jesus is the Son of the Father. Jesus calls Himself the Son of God, and He also calls God His Father in a way that implies a profoundly unique association. Moreover, Jesus claims a relationship with God the Father as a partner from all eternity. At other times Jesus makes statements and does deeds that cause others to recognize His claim to equality with God. The specific charge of blasphemy made against Christ was His admission to being the Son of God (Luke 22:70). These texts identify the person Jesus, preexistent to the world, as being God and yet distinct from God the Father. Like Jesus the Son, the Holy Spirit is also a divine Person. Before Christ left the earth to be with the Father, He promised a Comforter similar to but distinct from Himself. He and the Father come to the believer through this Person, the Holy Spirit. God is called the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ as well as of Christians (Eph. 1:2; Phil. 1:2; 2 John 3). The apostle John specifically calls Jesus God (John 1:1, 18; 8:58). In several places Paul identifies Jesus as God (Rom. 9:5; Phil. 2:6; Titus 2:13), as does Peter (2 Pet. 1:1). The Holy Spirit is declared to be God by Peter (Acts 5:4) and is listed alongside the Father and the Son (Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14). The NKJV Study Bible.

Colossians 1:9–14

The agape love of God is beyond our understanding. He so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son to die for our sins and the sins of the world. In His grace all people of every nation can come boldly to His mercy seat and receive forgiveness of sin through Jesus Christ. 

What a wonderful, triune God we serve!

2 Peter 1:11 for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Here’s the deal: We are primed for grace.

But let’s remember this; grace is not just a theological check mark (mental affirmation).

Grace happens when I find or know a place where I am at home in the arms of love. Grace is the gift of enough…

But gratefully, grace is alive and well.”

Indeed...
Grace: You are a gift from God. Sabbath Moments

Colossians 1:9–14

9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. The New King James Version

Knowledge of His will refers to the believers’ awareness of Christ’s desires for how they ought to conduct themselves. False teachers might have described God’s will as unknowable—or knowable only through secret rituals. Paul rejects this idea: Followers of Christ, filled with the knowledge of His will, can live in a manner pleasing to God because they know what matters to Him. 

This is the purpose of his ministry, which is possible only because Christ Himself is the source of all wisdom and knowledge. The biblical conception of wisdom is oriented around God as the source of all wisdom; a wise person is a godly person. 

Wisdom refers to insight that comes from the Spirit. The purpose of having knowledge, wisdom, and insight is not to boast or brag, but to love God and others, thereby reflecting His image in the world. Knowledge of His will refers to experiential knowledge, not just intellectual understanding. As believers trust and obey God’s will, they become more acquainted with God’s ways—and with God Himself.

As non-Jews (Gentiles), the Colossians would have been considered outsiders to God’s blessings, which were reserved for the people of Israel. However, the central truth of the gospel for Paul was that Christ’s death and resurrection brought salvation for all who believed, Jews and Gentiles alike. Throughout his letters, Paul conveys this central truth using different kinds of imagery. Here, he affirms believers as God’s heirs; in the next verse, he shifts to language of deliverance. 

The realm in which Christ reigns as King, is where His sovereign rule is carried out. The transfer from one realm to the other is accomplished by God: In His love and grace, He brings believers out of the domain of sin and death and moves them into the kingdom of His Son. The kingdom of God (or kingdom of heaven) is one of the most dominant themes in Jesus’ teaching ministry. In this verse, Paul indicates that God’s kingdom is not just about the future; in some sense, it must already be present, because God has delivered believers from darkness and transferred them into His kingdom. 

Just as Israel was enslaved in Egypt before being rescued by Yahweh, so the Colossian believers had been enslaved to the domain of sin and death before they responded in faith to God’s act of salvation in Christ. God’s forgiveness removes sin and provides reconciliation. Forgiveness is an expression of God’s grace and love. Faithlife Study Bible

Paul’s chief concern is that the Colossians might have full knowledge of God’s will. The desire to serve God will be in vain without a proper understanding of the One we want to serve. Thus Paul prays that the Colossians might be filled with full knowledge that encompasses all wisdom and spiritual understanding. Wisdom is the practical outworking of knowledge, and that knowledge cannot be separated from the spiritual understanding that comes through the discernment given by the Holy Spirit. 

In addition to the full knowledge of the Lord’s will Paul desires that the Colossians may walk worthy of the Lord. Paul wanted the Colossians to live in a manner that adequately reflected what God had done for them and was doing in them. Being “worthy of God” is a phrase that occurs in ancient pagan inscriptions throughout Asia. It pictures someone’s life being weighed on scales to determine its worth. If these devotees to false gods knew they had to walk in a worthy manner, certainly Christians should dedicate their lives to the living God in order to please Him. 

Believers are empowered not in proportion to their need but according to God’s strength. So then, Paul desires to see nothing less than the very power of God Himself at work in the Colossian believers. A believer’s strength comes from God alone. The word qualified means to be able or authorized for a task. Believers can never be qualified on their own; instead God must make them sufficient through Jesus Christ. The tense of the verb points to “qualifying” as an act in the past rather than a process. Ordinarily to qualify for an event or a position, we have to prove ourselves. However the inheritance that believers receive is not one that they have earned but is based on being qualified by God. The Father “qualifies” us for eternal life with Him, whereas the Son will reward us at the end of the race. 

God has liberated believers from the dominion of darkness. The apostle uses the common symbolism of light and darkness for good and evil, for God’s kingdom and Satan’s kingdom, that is found throughout the New Testament. The kingdom from which believers have been rescued is the kingdom of darkness. The NKJV Study Bible

Proverbs 2:6 

For the LORD gives wisdom;

From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;

Ephesians 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace

Ephesians 4:2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,

1 Thessalonians 2:12 that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.

Hebrews 4:11-16

We enter into God’s rest by faith.

I will rest  in the grace He provided in Christ Jesus!

Is anything too hard for God? Does he ever throw up his hands and quit? The welcome answer is No, nothing is too hard for the Lord. Don’t measure the height of the mountain. Ponder the power of the One who made it. Don’t tell God how big your storm is. Tell the storm how big your God is. Your problem is not that your problem is so big, but that your view of God is too small. Accept the invitation of the psalmist: “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together” (Psalm 34:3 NKJV).

Our tendency is to magnify our fears. We place a magnifying glass on the diagnosis, the disease, or the debt. Stop that! Meditate less on the mess and more on the Master. Less on the problems and more on his power. Max Lucado

Hebrews 4:11-16

11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. The New King James Version

This exhortation is directed at believers whose lives should be characterized by perseverance. Those who enter God’s rest will participate in the great Sabbath celebration at God’s throne, upon Jesus’ return. 

A weapon of warfare. The word of God can penetrate the immaterial and the material—meaning the whole person. The idea here is that all things are open to examination by God. Exposure to the word of God means exposure to God Himself. 

A person is judged for everything that they have done and God knows whether they are telling the truth, but believers need not fear judgment for their past sins. Sounding a theme that continues throughout the rest of Hebrews, this passage portrays Jesus as the great high priest who identifies with sinful humanity yet remains without sin. 

Because Jesus already has ascended into heaven and entered into God’s rest, believers can be confident that they, too, will have a share in God’s rest. Because Jesus established His role as high priest by becoming like us, He can understand human struggles. Jesus faced the same temptations as people. Suffering believers can look to Jesus, who not only pioneered their faith but endured the cross—the cost of obedience to God. Jesus remained faithful to the one who appointed Him. Unlike other priests, Jesus didn’t need to offer sacrifices for His own sins; instead, He offered Himself unblemished to God.

Believers should pray persistently because Jesus empathizes with human weakness. He continues to make intercession for those who draw near to God. In the Jerusalem temple, only the high priest could enter the most holy place—and only once per year on the Day of Atonement. By offering Himself once for all, Jesus made a way for believers to draw near to God. The place of God’s presence, from which grace emanates to His people. God’s throne sits in the heavenly temple—the counterpart of the earthly temple.

Christ is the merciful high priest who mediates on our behalf. Because of His work, God grants mercy to believers when they sin. God strengthens His people when they undergo temptation or endure any type of hardship. Faithlife Study Bible

Including himself as well as his readers, the author exhorts believers to be diligent, a phrase meaning “make every effort” to enter that rest. The rest is not automatic. Determined diligence is required. The danger is that believers today, like the Israelites of the past, will not stand, but fall in disobedience. 

The word of God is the measuring stick Christ will use at the judgment. God’s message is alive and active, penetrating the innermost parts of a person. It distinguishes what is natural and what is spiritual, as well as the thoughts (reflections) and intents (insights) of a person. The word of God exposes the natural and spiritual motivations of a believer’s heart. 

Naked and open suggests complete exposure and defenselessness before God. All believers must give account to the all-seeing, all-knowing God. In the OT the high priest of Israel passed through the courts and veils into the Most Holy Place. Our High Priest has passed through the heavens to the very presence of God, where He sits at God’s right hand. Sympathize means “to suffer with” and expresses the feeling of one who has entered into suffering. In all points tempted means Jesus experienced every degree of temptation. 

Come is the same Greek word translated as draw near. This command strongly contrasts with God’s command at Mt. Sinai: “Do not go up to the mountain or touch its base. Because of Christ’s priestly work, believers can approach God’s presence. The writer of Hebrews is expressing the openness of God’s call in Christ, “Come”. Boldly is the same word that is rendered confidence and means “plainness of speech,” “fearlessness,” or “courage.” 

Believers should courageously approach God in prayer because His is a throne of grace, and our High Priest sits at His right hand interceding for us. The NKJV Study Bible

2 Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars.”

Psalm 33:14 

From the place of His dwelling He looks

On all the inhabitants of the earth;

Psalm 33:15 

He fashions their hearts individually;

He considers all their works.

Romans-Righteousness imputed

Alleluhia to the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

Just like Israel, God's people today are: 1.) chosen by Him, 2.) freed from bondage, 3.) offered the righteousness of Jesus and the presence of His Holy Spirit, and 4.) taught to walk by faith on our journey. Which of these four undeserved gifts do you need to live in more fully today? First5 

Because here's the deal: When we see with our heart, it’s no longer about protecting ourselves from life, but from letting (or allowing) more of life in. And, if we do--just for a moment--we may find ourselves (in the words of Henry Miller) living aware, joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware.
Yes. And amen... grace allows us to see, and to spill, the joy in the ordinary, in dollops of gentleness, kindness, connection, empathy, compassion, generosity, wonder and healing. 

Sabbath Moments 

“The grace of God means something like: Here is your life. You might never have been, but you are because the party wouldn't have been complete without you. Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid. I am with you. Nothing can ever separate us. It's for you I created the universe. I love you. There's only one catch. Like any other gift, the gift of grace can be yours only if you'll reach out and take it. Maybe being able to reach out and take it is a gift too.”  Frederick Buechner

Romans-Righteousness imputed

1. Justification by faith explained 3:21–31 
2. Justification by faith illustrated 4:1–25
3. Justification by faith enjoyed 5:1–11 
4. Conclusion: all can be declared and made righteous 5:12–21

Romans 

3:21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. 

27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. 29 Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, 30 since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.

4 What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” 4 Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. 5 But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, 6 just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: 7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; 8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.” 9 Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. 10 How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised. 11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also, 12 and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised. 

The Promise Granted Through Faith 

13 For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, 15 because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression. 16 Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all 17 (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; 18 who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” 19 And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. 20 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. 22 And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.” 23 Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, 24 but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25 who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.

5 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. 

Christ in Our Place 

6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—13 (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. 15 But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. 16 And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. 17 For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.) 18 Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. 19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. 20 Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, 21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Dead to Sin, Alive to God

The New King James Version

Matthew 26:39

Your will be done in earth as it is in heaven! 

We can trust that God's will for our life is always for our good and the good of the Body of Christ. 

Jesus died so that we could live.

Matthew 26:39

39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” The New King James Version

This cup refers to suffering. 

It was not the impending physical suffering, as terrible as it would be, that caused Jesus to pray this way; it was the reality of the sinless Son of God bearing the sins of the world and facing separation from His Father. 

Cup is a figure of speech for wrath in the Old Testament. Jesus became a curse for us and took the brunt of God’s righteous wrath against sin. The NKJV Study Bible

John 5:30 I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.

John 6:38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.

Philippians 2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cros