Monday,
February 27, 2023
God, for whom and through whom
everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that he should make
Jesus, through his suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their
salvation. So now Jesus and
the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them
his brothers and sisters. For he said to God, “I will
proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters.
I will praise you among your assembled people.” He also said, “I will put my trust in
him,” that is, “I and the children God has given me.” Hebrews 2:10-13
There are many internal and external needs we humans must have to
survive. Internally, our organs and
blood supply must do their thing, pumping, moving, cooperating with all things bio-physiological. Externally, we need air, water, and food
(some of us would have listed coffee as a necessity…but I digress).
Those are the basics; then there’s safety from our environment, both in
the natural realm (earthquakes, floods, wild animals...), and the most
dangerous of all, other human beings.
From Cain’s relationship to his brother, Abel, down to today’s Wild
West, East, North, and South, human anger is a killer of extraordinary
proportions.
God, says the writer to the Hebrews, is the creator of everything, and it
all was made for Him, as well. Created beings, like you, like me, were not
only made by God, we were made for
God. That does not imply we were like
dolls purchased at the store, meant to be played with, then put away for
another day. It strongly informs us that
we were made for relationship (fellowship) with God. Stated categorically: God desired us! He wants us.
He would (and did) die for us!
The writer of Hebrews[1] tells us that Jesus, the Son of God, Who died for us, is not ashamed to
call us brothers and sisters[2]. Paul also tells us that it goes
beyond a simple unashamed status…we are loved so greatly God adopted
all who trust in Christ, and has deemed us His heirs:
And if children, then heirs; heirs of
God, and joint-heirs with Christ; Romans 8:17a
Now, savor that lovely thought, the security of Heaven’s favor for those
who believe in Christ, and have entrusted past, present, and future to His care. But let’s also remember we are now
fully-engaged in Lent…40 days of somber preparation for the brutality of Jesus
being scourged with a whip made of iron tips and broken glass shards, mocked by
crowds and religious leaders, and enduring the sin-taking pain of death on the
cross.
That’s quite a juxtaposition…contemplating familial love and adoptive
grace, at the price of unimaginable suffering and blood. Yet, that is exactly how Jesus asked us to always
remember this cherished family relationship…the bread of His body, and the cup
of His blood…those grace-filled symbols of the cost of His love, and God’s
adoption. We are truly blessed.
For You Today
There are about 2,000 devotional
posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions
library. To dig deeper on
today’s topic, explore some of these:
When the Candle Dies and A Little Lower Than the Angels
Images: Title Pixabay.com Images without citation are either personal
property of the author, or in public domain.
Unless noted, Scripture quoted
from The New Living Translation©
[1]
Many theologians consider the writer to be Apostle Paul
[2] I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters. I will praise you among your assembled people. Psalm 22:22
No comments:
Post a Comment