The Heaton File

Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity; for that is your portion in life, and in the labor which you perform under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going. (Ecclesiastes 9:9-10)

Living Joyfully In Marriage

In the beginning, God created man and woman to be happy with a cherished love for one another spanning a lifetime. Sin marred that relationship but the promise of a happy life is still given within the bond of marriage. The perfection of creation can be found in the home where love rules and forgiveness is the constant character of the husband and wife. Life is short. Every day is lost to the pages of yesterday so we must make the best of finding happiness with our husband or wife. No one is perfect and love is finding that happiness overlooking the faults of the other as they overlook the faults in ourselves. Marriage was created to bring joy.

Following the plan of the Creator the home can be a place of lasting contentment. Successful marriages are not characterized by the absence of problems but a willingness to solve those problems with the word of God. Solomon makes important concessions in the proverb that will help in our marriages. God wants us to be happy. This will be a lifetime of commitment. Life is short so make the best of every day. Do the best you can every day to make your marriage happy. Share your love with one another while you are living before the day of death separates you forever. Flowers on the grave will be too late if flowers never came in life. Words of love are empty when death takes away the voice. Today is the day to show love for one another.

Living joyfully is finding happiness in life. There are many things to discourage. Life can be hard. When the Lord created Adam, He said it was not good that he should be alone. Creating the woman from the side of Adam shows how God wants the man and woman to face life – together; united. Joy is found in companionship. Marriage is a union of friendship where the husband and wife seek the welfare of the other above the needs of self. Joy is not selfish. Do the best you can do with every ounce of energy to bring the spirt of God into the home and you will find a deeper peace and lasting joy than ever before. His plan always works!

[Marriage] is a fusion of two hearts – the union of two lives – the coming together of two tributaries, which after being joined in marriage, will flow in the same channel in the same direction … carrying the same burdens of responsibility and obligation. (Peter Marshall, quoted by Catherine Marshall, in her A Man Called Peter, 1951)

And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom may return to the house of David: If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn back to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and go back to Rehoboam king of Judah.” Therefore the king asked advice, made two calves of gold, and said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt!” And he set up one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. Now this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan. He made shrines on the high places, and made priests from every class of people, who were not of the sons of Levi. Jeroboam ordained a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the feast that was in Judah, and offered sacrifices on the altar. So he did at Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he had made. And at Bethel he installed the priests of the high places which he had made. So he made offerings on the altar which he had made at Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in the month which he had devised in his own heart. And he ordained a feast for the children of Israel, and offered sacrifices on the altar and burned incense. (1 Kings 12:26-33)

A Religion Of Convenience

Following the death of Solomon, the nation of Israel divided north and south under the leadership of Rehoboam, son of Solomon and Jeroboam, son of Nebat. The history of the northern tribes would be marred by the leadership of every king rebelling against the Lord. Judah and Benjamin would have periods of good kings and bad kings. What set the northern tribes on their collision course with annihilation was the foundation of worship by Jeroboam. The Law of Moses had been established for many years as the single authority of truth among the people of God. There was no question the word of the Lord came to Moses at Mount Sinai giving Him the Law. During the journey to Canaan, subsequent conquering of the land and periods of Judges and reigns of Saul, David and Solomon, the Law of Moses was understood as the only message of truth for the people to follow. However, Jeroboam had a problem. If he did not take drastic measures, he would lose his grip on the hearts of the people. His solution came directly from the beguiling lips of Satan.

The king did not change the word of God but simply made it more convenient. He convinced the people that travel to Jerusalem was too much and they should worship in a much more expedient place. It was unfair for the Lord to expect the people to make such an arduous trip just to offer some sacrifices and say some prayers. Think of the time they would save for themselves by not having to make that long journey south. Appealing to the scriptures, the king reminds them of the worship of the golden calf at Sinai, suggesting like Aaron, these golden calves were responsible for delivering the people from Egypt. Sadly, the people readily accepted the lie.

To further solidify his hold on the people, Jeroboam allowed anyone who wanted to be a priest to become one. Why be bound by the Law allowing only those from the tribe of Levi to serve as priest? Every class of the people would be allowed to don the priestly garbs. It was also necessary to change the time of the feast. Instead of the feast being on the 15^th day of the 7^th month as prescribed in the Law of Moses, Jeroboam set up the feast on the 15^th day of the 8^th month. The king became a symbol of the wickedness of this new religion by making sacrifices himself on the altar. There is nothing more appealing than a religion of convenience. The scriptures affirm all of these changes came as a result of what Jeroboam devised in his own heart.

False religion comes in the same fashion as Jeroboam’s reform. The church of God began on Pentecost two thousand years ago. Now, there are many churches filling the landscape of the country with their different forms of faith, worship and practice. Men have a desire to worship God as they want and change the word of God to fit their needs. The religion of convenience is the greatest tool Satan has used to corrupt the minds of men. It is easy for the church of the Lord to point a finger at those who have so corrupted the truth they have fallen far away from the pattern of scripture. The real truth is the religion of convenience is alive and well within the minds of God’s people today.

Church services are becoming more convenient to the needs of the people. Less time spent in worship together, less Bible being taught, more emphasis upon the pleasures of life are norm. God’s word is being challenged to form a religion of acceptance that truth is relative to the needs of the social culture of the day. Immodesty abounds in the lives of God’s children, social drinking and fornicating are not uncommon and acceptance of any divorce is expected. Musical instruments are heard blaring from the places of worship. Acceptance of women taking the role of leadership within the body of Christ is debated and accepted. For many, the church is an institution of fun, frolic and finding personal happiness.

What Jeroboam started ended with destruction. The further the church of Christ becomes an institution of convenience the farther away from truth it will slide. Thankfully, the grace of God will never allow the church to be destroyed. What will happen are the thousands of local congregations of God’s people who will assemble to offer sacrifice to the golden calf of modern American religion will become nothing but a stench of Satan’s touch. Jeroboam’s folly is the future of many of God’s people.

In every age of Christianity since it was first preached, there has been what may be called a religion of the world, which so far imitates the one true religion as to deceive the unstable and unwary. (John Henry Newman, Parochial and Plain Sermons, I, 1843)

“O death, where is your sting? O hades, where is your victory?” The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:55-57)

A Day Of Victory

Today is a special day to reflect upon the sadness born from how liberty has been forged over the past two hundred years for every American. Freedom has never been free. It has cost the lives of thousands of men and women. War has been the blight of man since the beginning. Many reasons are given for war. Every conflict is portrayed as a noble cause but in the end, it becomes an exercise of killing. For Americans, the first warfare was to achieve separation from the English empire. Then the bloody and senseless civil war where Americans killed Americans by the thousands. Other wars have been fought throughout the world increasing the population of cemeteries. Today is a day to pause and reflect upon the sacrifices given by those who gave all.

Man has always given tribute to the fallen heroes of wars gone by. From the Greeks and the Romans, the honoring of the dead has been a part of every national consciousness. Whether we understand the reasons for war, we can understand the reality of a loved one’s death. It is a terrible price to pay. It is fitting to have a day of remembrance to acknowledge the sacrifice of a life cut short. Memorial Day is a time to reflect upon the realities of what man is and what he needs.

Death is horrible. Wars are the killing fields of youth. The sadness of what this day reflects is the reality of what happened so very long ago. Death embraced man because of his rejection of his Creator. In the garden of Eden Adam and Eve lived in a paradise of peace before God. Because of sin, they were driven from the tree of life. Death reigned. Cain killed Abel. Nations destroyed nations. Men killed one another. There was no hope. Jesus came. He was killed. What changed with His death is what happened on the first day of the week. He arose. He not only arose but He still lives. Because of His resurrection, death is no longer something to be feared. Now there is hope.

Trying to explain the reasons for war is impossible. Understanding what Jesus did can be explained. The sacrifice of our dead is personal and we should pause today giving honor to their memory. It should remind us of the terrible way man finds himself without God. Thankfully, death is not to be viewed as final. There is victory in death for the child of God because the war against Satan has been won by the blood of Jesus Christ. Our memorial day is every first day of the week when we remember the greatest sacrifice. There is a real hope that one day death will be taken away and there will be no more sorrow, no more tears and no more pain. Then, and only then, will all memorial days be taken away. Victory will be final in Jesus Christ. Lord come quickly.

We often hear it said: “If God existed there would be no wars.” But it would be truer to say: “If God’s laws were observed there would be no wars.” (Yves M. Congar; God, Man and the Universe, 1950)

And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4)

What Children Need To Know About God

When I was growing up, we always had chickens either in the pen or scratching around the house. The care of chickens is not complex. They were provided housing, food and water with the expectation of some kind of produce in the form of eggs or part of the dumplings mom would fix for supper. On occasions, an opossum may have to be shot to protect the brood. Raising chickens was not anything personal and was as matter-of-fact as only providing what was necessary for survival. It seems hard to make a correlation between raising chickens and parenting but for many homes, there is not a lot of difference. Children are loved very different from chickens but that is where the differences end. As long as the child is provided a home, nourishment and some level of protection; that is all that is done. The one key ingredient lacking in many homes is the presence of God.

It is easy to see how successful our children have become in the world because they have good jobs, nice homes, and friends and seem to enjoy life. They work hard every week at maintaining the American dream. Life is good. Sadly, God is nowhere to be found in the home. There is no time for reading the Bible or praying together. Decisions are made for the family without God. Success in life is limited to the coins of popularity, wealth and materialism. Every home needs to build the foundation upon the knowledge of God. Children need to learn about the Heavenly Father first in the home. The obligation of the home is where the truth of God is rooted.

Children need to know there is a God. The training of the Lord first recognizes an eternal being that is the Creator, Savior, Protector and Judge. Parents must instill in their children the knowledge of the Lord in the hearts of their children. He needs to be real to them because He is real. Teaching children about God is the fundamental teaching of the child’s schoolroom.

Children need to know the character of God. The admonition of the Lord shows the goodness of God and the severity of God. There are many places in the Bible where God’s love is shown. His mercy, grace and love fill the pages of the Bible. Repeatedly He exercises a longsuffering spirit to forgive man. The embrace of a loving God is vital to knowing the true character of the Lord. There is also a side of the Lord children need to believe and that is the punishment of God. Like the examples of His love, there are many stories of the severity of the Lord against unrighteousness. God will punish. The Lord will exercise His will against those who disobey Him. Children must learn that God is to be respected for both His love and His severity.

Children must learn the Father loves them and wants them to obey Him. Salvation can only be found in the word of God. Obedience is not a burdensome thing but the beauty of God’s love for all men. Teaching children to trust in God will give them a direction in life that will lead to Heaven. The most important thing you can teach your children is to know the Lord because that is the only knowledge they will take with them to eternity. Parents only have one opportunity to teach their children. Make certain it begins, includes and ends with God.

We take care of our possessions for our children. But of the children themselves we take no care at all. What an absurdity is this. Form the soul of thy son aright, and all the rest will be added hereafter. (John Chrysostom [340-407]; Select Library of Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 13, 1^st Series)

That night the king could not sleep. So one was commanded to bring the book of the records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king. And it was found written that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs, the doorkeepers who had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. Then the king said, “What honor or dignity has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?” And the king’s servants who attended him said, “Nothing has been done for him.” So the king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the king’s palace to suggest that the king hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him. The king’s servants said to him, “Haman is there, standing in the court.” And the king said, “Let him come in.” So Haman came in, and the king asked him, “What shall be done for the man whom the king delights to honor?” Now Haman thought in his heart, “Whom would the king delight to honor more than me?” And Haman answered the king, “For the man whom the king delights to honor, let a royal robe be brought which the king has worn, and a horse on which the king has ridden, which has a royal crest placed on its head. Then let this robe and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king’s most noble princes, that he may array the man whom the king delights to honor. Then parade him on horseback through the city square, and proclaim before him: ‘Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor!’ ” Then the king said to Haman, “Hurry, take the robe and the horse, as you have suggested, and do so for Mordecai the Jew who sits within the king’s gate! Leave nothing undone of all that you have spoken.” So Haman took the robe and the horse, arrayed Mordecai and led him on horseback through the city square, and proclaimed before him, “Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor!” Afterward Mordecai went back to the king’s gate. But Haman hurried to his house, mourning and with his head covered. (Esther 6:1-12)

Haman’s Really, Really Bad Day

Pride is a powerful enemy of the soul when men fill themselves with their self-worth and exalted pride. It happened to a man called Haman who was placed in a position of national power. Everyone bowed in the presence of the son of Hammedatha the Agagite giving him great tribute except a man by the name of Mordecai. This rattled the spirit of Haman and he hated Mordecai. Devising a plan to destroy Mordecai and all his people Haman approached King Ahasuerus with a bold plan to exterminate the Jews. Receiving authority to carry out the holocaust the decree was set.

On a day when Mordecai was sitting in the gate of the city, he overhead two eunuchs talking of killing King Ahasuerus which he reported to the king immediately. The two conspirators were discovered and hanged on a gallows with the record of the event kept in the official records of the king. One night when the king could not sleep, he called for a reading and was reminded of the foiled plot. Inquiring if any reward was given for Mordecai it was found that nothing had been done. This is where Haman’s day turns horrible – really horrible. He had come to the palace to suggest to the king they hang Mordecai on a specially prepared gallows. The significance of this gallows was that it was nearly 75 feet in height. Haman wanted to make everyone see Mordecai hang as high as he could make it. His hatred for Mordecai was uncompromising. Nothing would stand in his way of killing that Jew. So he thought.

As he stood in the court waiting to tell the king of his plan, he must have been beside himself with glee to know that his mortal enemy would be writhing in insufferable pain in just a few hours. The king calls Haman into his court and poses a question: how do you show honor to a great man of the kingdom? Immediately Haman thought the king was speaking of himself because who else in the kingdom would be so important to receive such a blessing from the king? What a moment for Haman. Immediately Haman sets forth a beautiful plan of how the king would honor him with something beyond his imagination. He went overboard with how this man would be honored. Finishing his great oratory, Haman waited for the crown to be placed on his head and the noble horse delivered for him to ride throughout the city. The words that came out of the kings mouth stunned Haman. It was more than stunned. To his complete unbelief the king ordered Haman to place the crown upon the head of Mordecai and for Haman to lead Mordecai around the city in the splendor of a noble prince.

Haman had no choice but to obey the king’s command. That was the worst day of his life – or so he thought. It was up to him to find Mordecai and tell him the news from the king. He had to place the crown on his head. He had to lead him about and proclaim how honored Mordecai was. What a grief that must have been to his heart. He really did not mean what he told the people. He lied the whole time but no once knew the difference because he knew he had to obey the king. When the procession finally finished Haman ran back to his home enraged, humiliated and ashamed. This day was the worst ‘Monday’ he had ever had and no day would ever be as terrible as the day he had to lead Mordecai around on a horse proclaiming great honors to the man he hated. Little did he know his day was about to get even worse when he was called to a feast at the palace. When he left the feast sometime later, he was not going home. He was headed for the gallows he built for Mordecai. Instead of his hated enemy dying that day, it was Haman who lost his life.

Justice against evil does not always come in this life. Sometimes it does. It did the day Haman had a really, really bad day. Now that is a great story.

Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. (Micah 7:18-19)

What A Wonderful God We Serve

The history of man has never been anything that has shown man to be worth a great deal. From the beginning, the struggle against sin resulted in Adam and Eve being cast out of the Garden of Eden, the world of Noah’s day literally destroyed and the apple of God’s eye – Israel – destroyed from the ravaging stench of sin. It goes unabated today. The world is in a fragile state of immorality destroying nations and families with its insidious onslaught of unfulfilled promises. Why does God allow the world to stand? Looking around the world makes a person stop and question how much worse can it be and when will the Lord return and bring all this misery to an end? Reflecting in a personal way can be a challenge to question why the Lord continues to forgive us when we struggle so hard with sin. The prophet Micah gives us the answer.

Who is a God like the Lord of the Bible? His grace gave hope to Adam and Eve in the beginning because He forgave them offering a way of escape. The world of Noah’s day was completely given over to sin. He destroyed all those who rebelled but Noah found grace in His eyes and the Lord God saved eight people. Israel was the precious vineyard of the Lord that He destroyed because of their rebellion but there was a remnant that came out of the darkness because of their faithfulness. Who can we compare the Lord God Almighty with regarding anything man has done? There is no God like our Father. He does not stay angry forever. There may be reason for Him to retain His anger because we sin repeatedly but He does not because He is full of mercy. His love is so abounding we cannot fathom how much God loves us.

Penitent hearts are so dear to God. When David did all those terrible things involving Bathsheba, the Lord saw a tender heart of godly sorrow and forgave him. Saul of Tarsus devoted his early life to the complete obliteration of the church of Christ and yet he found mercy from a loving God who forgave him and molded him into an instrument of righteousness. Who is a God like that? If our Father will forgive David and Saul (among so many more examples) then why do we think He will not forgive us when we are filled with godly sorrow and remorse? Our Father in Heaven will pardon us. That means the sentence of death is removed. He will pass over our sin because He sees the blood of Jesus Christ and our hearts of penitent sorrow. The anger God has with sin He removes because He wants to, desires to, and longs to extend His mercy to us in every measure of His nature.

The Lord is a God of wrath. Of this, we must not be mistaken. But this fear of the wrath of His character is not why we serve Him. We follow the will of God because He is full of mercy forgiving us every time we sin casting our sins into the deepest part of the sea. Coming to the Lord in love for His mercy we are forgiven and stand righteous before Him in love. Who is a God like Him? His truth and His mercy have been from everlasting. His promises are true. Thank God for the wonderful grace of His love.

When it is said that God loves man this is not a judgment on what man is like, but on what God is like. (Anders Nygren, Agape and Eros, 1953)

By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world–our faith. (1 John 5:2-4)

Love, Commandments And Faith

Defining love is not just expressing a feeling with words. We can say we love God but not have a true love for God. Often the people of God have struggled with offering sacrifices out of duty without any love for the Father because their faith in Him is lacking. Love alone will not make us pleasing to God no more than just keeping a set number of rules. Having faith in God does not save by itself because James tells us faith without works is dead. True love is given in the words we express to God as we follow His will because of the faith that motivates our love and obedience. Love is the imperative and keeping the commandments of God is necessary for salvation. Faith is the heart of why we keep the commandments of God because the Lord requires obedience.

Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount that salvation comes from doing the will of the Father. There is a right and wrong that we must follow and our faith comes from hearing the word of God or the commandments of the Lord. The Bible is the full revelation of God’s will. Spending time with the pages of Holy Writ will increase our love for God when we see how merciful the Lord is to sinful man. Love comes from having a relationship with someone. Our love for God does not come because we are children of God. When a child is born into the world, he learns love from the relationship he develops with his parents. They show him love and he responds to that love. Being a Christian alone does not make us love God. We love Him more and more because the more time we spend reading His word they more we come to know how much the Lord loves us. Having a personal relationship with the Father is where our love for Him begins.

As we spend time in the word and our love grows, the desire to please God becomes so much greater. We show our love to Him when we keep His commandments. There is nothing the Father will ask of us that we cannot do. None of His commands are hard. All that God wants us to do can be done because He loves us and we love Him and we can do anything He asks of us. Commandment keeping is an integral part of our lives as Christians. Remember that commandment keeping does not save us alone if we do not have the love for God. We obey His will because we love Him and the more we love Him the more we want to please Him. God knows we love Him when we obey Him.

Faith is the fruit of our love for God and our love for God to obey Him. The Bible is the written word for all men to understand the will of God. Like any relationship, love grows more over time as we learn more about the grace of God. Throughout the history of man, God has shown His love and His severity so that we can come to love a Father who is filled with justice, mercy, grace, and love and longsuffering. The more we love Him and obey His word the greater our faith grows. It becomes deeper. The roots of faith grow deep in our life because we love God more and we mold our lives more perfectly to the image of His Son.

Faith, love and keeping the commandments of God: one cannot exist without the other. As each part grows – the greater the other part becomes. We overcome the world because our faith in God grows daily from His love as we keep His commandments. Spend time in the word of God. Let your faith soar to the throne of God telling Him how much you love Him more today than ever before.

What gives faith its movement towards God, makes it vital and infectious, and carries people away, is love. (Adrienne von Speyr, Meditations on the Gospel of John, 1961)

Do not withhold correction from a child, for if you beat him with a rod, he will not die. You shall beat him with a rod, and deliver his soul from hell. (Proverbs 23:13-14)

To Spank Or Not To Spank

Unpopular. When the discussion turns to the discipline of children, society turns a dim eye on anyone who would lay a hand on a child. Changes happen in cultures for good and for worse. What was once considered acceptable is no longer viewed with the same concern. There was a time when the majority of Americans smoked. The diligence of health experts and the people’s desire for a better life has reduced smoking to a very low percentage. How did that happen? Culture changed. This was a good change but it shows the power of how what once something was viewed as a normal part of life is not as accepted as it had been. The same thing has happened to spanking children. There was a time in our country when discipline was a part of life. If you misbehaved at school, you would face the consequence at home. In today’s liberal society, if a child misbehaves in school the teacher is punished. There is a fear to correct children in public for fear of law enforcement being called.

The whims of society dictate the culture of character. History bears the scars of every generation trying to improve upon the principles laid forth from the word of God. The Bible is the mind of God revealed to man showing him the only path of truth. There has never been a time in the history of man the Lord has approved of child abuse. Paul warns fathers not to bring their children up in an atmosphere of wrath. Love is the foundation of a parents relationship with their children as they teach them, correct them and admonish them. But then we turn to the wisdom literature where God tells parents to beat their child with a rod. Another thing that changes in society is the meaning of words. When someone reads the words “beat” and “rod” images of horrific child abuse emerge. Is this what God intended? No. What the Lord does mean is that pain is involved. Children need to understand the consequence of their actions can bring about the punishment of chastisement. It is not to inflict pain for pain’s sake but to impress upon the mind the seriousness of their actions.

There are many dangers in life. If a child wants to stick their finger in an electrical socket, are mere words going to impose upon their will the danger? Not likely. When a child is running through the parking lot and does not see a car approach, will kind words of love stop him in his tracks? Never. There are times something more forceful must be done. Inflicting pain to teach a child the dangers of electricity is prudent. Being able to forcefully shout a command to stop may save a child’s life. Everyone needs corrective discipline from time to time. Children who grow up without the infliction of painful disciple will be a ruin to themselves and to others.

When parents spend a lot of time with instructive discipline, it becomes less likely the use of punitive discipline is necessary. But there will always be a time to choose the rod instead of the word. Consider this parents: if you believe the Bible to be the word of truth and you believe the word of God tells you about the Son of God – how can you deny the proverb of today? Our loving Father tells us that children need the rod from time to time. If we refuse to do that, we have refused to follow the plan God intended for the family. There are many passages that tell parents to teach children the way of truth in love. Understand that God also requires you to exercise punitive discipline when needed.

A good home is authoritarian, for if a wise mothers sees her young son about to eat poison berries, she stops him. She does not say: “I must not coerce him. He must make his own discovery of truth” … but a good home is also … an honoring of personality. So any sound education is both authoritarian and free. (George A. Buttrick, Christ and Man’s Dilemma, 1946)

Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works. (Hebrews 10:22-24)

A Three-Part Salad

The Hebrew writer has a difficult task ahead of him. He is trying diligently to help the Hebrew Christians keep their faith in Jesus Christ. Struggling under the weight of persecution the early saints were in fear of drawing back to a failed system of salvation. Showing Jesus Christ as the better way, the better promise, the better High priest and the only sacrifice that can take away sins, the letter to the Hebrews is an exhortation to keep the faith in true diligence. There are many nuggets that come out of the book but in chapter 10 there is a powerful three point lesson given for all of us.

LET US draw near with a true heart. Because of the blood of Jesus Christ we can enter the most Holy of Holies. Prohibited except by the High Priest once a year, the Holy of Holies was a place of danger for anyone to enter. Jesus came to remove the veil that separated man from God. The Father has granted access to Him by His people to come before Him as man has never done before. Consider what it means to be allowed to stand before the Lord God Creator. With a pure heart we are able to come before the Hallowed name of Jehovah. He invites us to come. Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.

LET US trust in the word of God as faithful and true. There is no reason to draw back because God will never leave us or forsake us. Holding fast to the words we confessed in obedience to the gospel of Christ will bind us with the Father for eternity. He will not waver. We must not waver. No matter the level of persecution we can maintain the spirit of truth given to us by God. All of His promises are true and none have failed. Whatever the Lord speaks is true. His faithfulness is without end. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful

LET US help others find the same peace we have found in the assurance of God. Our role in the body of Christ is to exhort others helping them see the blessings of the Heavenly Father. The writer will encourage the brethren to assemble so their spirits can be lifted as one in love and good works. We need each other and we all need one another. Stirring others up will help them as it helps us. We help one another in our journey to Heaven by considering one another. Our care should rise from how we feel about one another. It becomes ‘our’ struggles instead of ‘their’ struggles. We share in ‘our’ joy rather than ‘their’ joy. We are one together in the body of Christ. Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works.

A three-part salad filled with let-us.

And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!” But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” (Luke 11:27-28)

Jesus And The Woman

She was just a woman in a crowd listening to Jesus teach. The Lord showed the people how to pray with persistence and the need to keep asking for the good gifts from above. He cast out a demon from a mute who then began to speak. Many marveled at His power while others accused Him of casting out demons by Beelzebub. Jesus rebuked those who challenged Him with stern words of warning. Through it all stood a woman soaking in all that Jesus said and did. She could tell this man from Nazareth was unlike any teacher she had ever heard. He spoke with simplicity, kindness and yet forceful when challenged. The woman quietly watched the character of His speech, the tone of His voice, taking note of how He moved the crowd with His teaching. It was an amazing thing to watch. It was more amazing to hear Him talk. As if in a spontaneous expression of praise she bursts forth how blessed the world was for the woman who brought such a man into this world. In His true fashion of humility, Jesus deflects the comment to the work He had come to accomplish for His Father.

The Jews would eventually bring about the death of Jesus but there were many who loved Him and followed Him because of His teaching. These were hearts that were fertile for the teachings of the carpenter’s son. Jesus dealt with the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, scribes, and Jewish leaders but He really connected with the common people. Here is an unknown woman the Holy Spirit does not identify raising her voice in praise of the man who stood before her. Jesus did not rebuke her but channeled her comment to remind the people why He had come. His mission was to bring men to His Father. Hearing the word of God and keeping it was the most important thing they could do.

No doubt, the woman’s comment reflected in the mind of Jesus of His dear mother who brought Him into the world caring for His every need. Those days when He was a baby learning to walk and the soothing hymns Mary would sing to Him flooded His mind. Jesus loved His mother and Joseph very much. On the cross He stopped everything to tell Mary how much He loved her and asked John to care for her. The unknown woman who raised her voice did so because she could tell there was something special about Jesus. The record does not say but did she come up to Jesus later and hug his neck thanking Him for His life and kind words? Jesus received a lot of abuse but He needed to hear these words also. There can be little doubt the simple praise of a woman in the crowd gave Jesus pause to thank His Father for the good people in the world who loved Him. We need a lot of unknown women in the crowd of humanity to see the purity of Jesus and acknowledge such.

There are many people like this woman. Let us see the humble character of the man from Nazareth and lift up our voices to the throne of the Father thanking Him for giving us the life of His only Son. Never let a day go by that we do not thank the Heavenly Father for the gift of Jesus. Learn His words. Listen to His teachings. Walk in His steps. Come to know the Son of God. And then you too – like the unknown woman – will lift up your voice and say, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You.” Thank you Jesus.

When Jesus utters a word, He opens His mouth so wide that it embraces all heaven and earth, even though the word be but a whisper. (Marth Luther; 1483-1546; Table Talk)