Hebrews 13:11-20
11 Under the old system, the high priest brought the blood of animals into the Holy Place as a sacrifice for sin, and the bodies of the animals were burned outside the camp. 12 So also Jesus suffered and died outside the city gates to make his people holy by means of his own blood. 13 So let us go out to him, outside the camp, and bear the disgrace he bore. 14 For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.
15 Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name. 16 And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.
17 Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit.
18 Pray for us, for our conscience is clear and we want to live honorably in everything we do. 19 And especially pray that I will be able to come back to you soon.
20 Now may the God of peace—
who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus,
the great Shepherd of the sheep,
and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood—
Terrie's Comments -
Do I act like am I willing to bear the disgrace that Jesus bore?
Do I live like this world is not my permanent home?
Do I offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God?
Do I proclaim allegiance to his name?
Do I do good and share with those in need?
Do I give my spiritual leaders reason to lead with joy or am I creating sorrow in their work?
Do I live honorably in everything I do?
These are the things that the writer of Hebrews is encouraging us to do continually. To keep our eye's fixed on Jesus and he definitely has given plenty of reasons why to do it and examples of what it looks like to walk out our faith with no excuse. So let us spur one another on as we walk this road together. Jesus is definitely worth following each of us needs to decide for themselves if the sacrifice of following Jesus is worth it to them.
A question I ask myself frequently is "am I honoring God?" It is a question that keeps me in check and reminds me that no matter how noble or how "right" it feels if it doesn't line up with God's word then it doesn't honor God and it should not be the choice I choose.
Tori's Comments -
My facebook feed is currently filled with political posts. Instead of getting riled up, I have to remind myself that this world is not my real home. While we should fight for the helpless and voiceless, I also think we fight just because we want to be right. Looking at comments on certain posts definitely shows this. I have to constantly remind myself that the right here and now is temporary. God is my focus, and He is eternal.
I find vs 17 really interesting. Another topic that has really piqued my interest lately is worship. It's a recurring theme in the bible, and I like this perspective that proclaiming Christ's name, not being ashamed of who saved you, is a sacrifice to God. And the same goes for denying yourself to love someone...it's a beautiful perspective we get to have. (Although, admittedly, sometimes a hard one.)
Last note- in verse 18, the writer's main desire is to live honorably. Is that mine?
Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!
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Please keep all comments respectful. We want to remember that each of us is at a different place in our walk with God. This is a place for us to share openly about what has been revealed to us as we open up Gods word and to learn from others. Please take every opportunity possible to build each other up in love :-)