Hebrews 5: 12 For when, for the time, you ought to be teachers, you need for someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat."

I have taught many, many Bible classes in my life.  Women and men.  Of all ages.  And one of the most difficult things a teacher has to accept is that some people just aren't interested.   They come.  They listen.  They take notes.  They like being in the class.  But that is the end of it.  The word of God has no power in their lives.  They leave, go back to work, nothing changes, and they come back the next week exactly like they left.  They will never eat meat.  They can't remember what you have taught them, because it doesn't take root in their lives.

But then, there are others.  Thank God.  They get it.  They want more.  They want to pick your brain.  Those are the ones that after a while, go on to teach others.  I think especially of Sally Casey.  It has been years since she was in my class, but now she teaches a class of her own.  She reads the Bible for herself.  Occasionally she calls and asks me a question, and it will always be a question that is difficult.  That has been mulled over on her part.  It will not be a question about milk.  It will be about meat.

It takes the Holy Spirit living inside you to inspire you to want more.  Reading the Bible on your own is a sign of spiritual maturity.  You read because you can't imagine not reading.  You want to know.  You want to know what God wants.  What he thinks.  Why he spoke to us.  A million questions.  You are living a life full of expectation of what is to come.  What he has in store for you.  He is real to you.

It is either the most exciting thing in your life and you can't get enough of it.  Or, you find it very boring and stay involved out of duty.  Sad.  Those who do that haven't read enough Bible to know that they are in danger.  Our years here are so short.  Our years later are for all eternity.

Get serious about reading God's word.  Make sure your eternity is with God.  The alternative isn't  going to be pleasant--and will last forever.

I write all over the edges of my Bibles.  When I picked up one of them last night, there was a question written at the top of the page of Hebrews:  "Who wrote this???"  It is such a great piece of Christian literature, that I am curious about the author.  My son Scott thinks it might have been Barnabas.

When Paul writes something, he starts by saying, "From Paul, in jail for preaching the Good News about Jesus Christ…"  or something similar.  James and Peter do the same thing.  But the writer of Hebrews doesn't give us any clues.  Whoever he was, he was doctrinally sound.

In Hebrews 4:14a,15, he says:  "…Jesus, the Son of God is our great High Priest who has gone to heaven itself to help us… This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses since he had the same temptations we do, though he never once gave way to them and sinned.  So let us come boldly to the very throne of God and stay there to receive his mercy and find grace to help us in our times of need."

Boldly.  Somehow, I have a hard time with that word.  Even though this is not the only scripture that says we may come boldly to the throne of God.  I have a feeling that I need to crawl on my hands and knees--hoping He will be merciful.  But the word of God tells us that we are His children and that we are to come to Him as a child would to his Father.  And Jesus makes this possible.  We are forgiven.  We are redeemed. (Bought back) We are clean by the blood of Jesus Christ.

So God sees us with mercy and grace.  We have an interceder.  A high priest.  Christ himself.  We are joint heirs with Christ.  With equal opportunity to the throne of God himself.

We certainly don't deserve that.  God could give us justice.

Wouldn't that be horrible.

In the third chapter of Hebrews, the writer (we don't know for sure who that was) talks about urgency.  He uses the word "Today" over and over.  3:7-8a  "...Wherefore as the Holy Ghost says, Today if you will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts…"  In other words, you must respond now.

Basically, he is saying that God will not always deal with you.  You have no assurance that the Holy Spirit will draw you to Christ at another time.  You may remember that I said that the most horrible phrase in the Bible is:  Romans 1:26 "…God gave them up…"  That is why I have always believed that you do not in any way discourage a child who wants to give their heart and life to Christ by saying that they are not old enough to know what they are doing.  If God draws them, they should respond in whatever way they are capable.  Our response is the critical issue.  Today.  We respond in the best way we know how.  With the knowledge that we have.

Then in chapter four, he speaks of entering into God's rest.  A place of peace. (from the Living Bible) Hebrews 4:8-9, 10a  "This new place of rest that he is talking about does not mean the land of Israel…If that were what God meant, he would not have spoken…about "today" being the time to get in.  So there is a full complete rest still waiting for the people of God.  Christ has already entered there…"

I am pretty tired all the time now.  The years are catching up with me.  So a place of rest sounds wonderful to me.  I'm going to sit on the bank of a spring creek and dangle my feet in the water.  For a year or two.  All eternity will be there for us to rest, to catch up on spending time together.

Give your life to God.  The Bible warns us in Hebrews 4: 2b-3a  "For this wonderful news--the message that God wants to save us--has been given to us just as it was to those who lived in the time of Moses.  But it didn't do them any good because they didn't believe it.  They didn't mix it with faith.  For only we who believe God can enter into his pace of rest."

Every word in Hebrews is dynamic.  It is hard to pick and choose what to talk about.  I am going through it verse by verse--and leaving many out--trying to hit the high points.  But they are all high.

Hebrews 2: 9  "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for (the purpose) of suffering death, crowned with glory and honor; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man."

And verse 17a, "...in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brothers, (us)...

When Christ came, he came to die.  To taste death for you, for me.  And he was made exactly like us in every way.  Otherwise, we could excuse ourselves and say, "Well, yes, he was tempted.  But he was God and it was easier for him to be good."  Not true.  He gave all that up and limited himself.

Sin comes in three categories:  1John 2:16  "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world."

1.  Misuse of our sexual nature.
2.  Desire for the things our eyes see.  Things we covet.
3.  Pride.  Self glorification

Conquer those three areas and you have it made.  But of course, you know each of us have failed to do that.    Hebrews 2: 17b  "…that he (Jesus) might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people."  

The good thing is that Jesus is reconciling us to God.  (He is not reconciling God to us.  God doesn't need reconciliation.)

Be good.  Just do it.

My new friend Brenda has a booth at Edmond Antiques and every time I go to Edmond, I get to visit with her.  She started reading this blog every day, and took up my challenge to start reading the Bible again.  And after a while, she told me she started going back to church.  "I want to make it a new habit," she said.  For those of you who want to make a new habit, of any sort,  you have to make a decision to do it.  The older we get, the more set in our ways we are, and it is harder.

But just because we are older is no excuse.  We should all make new habits that are good.  It is rather like changing the way you eat.  You may not like every meal, but the desired result will be that you feel better and you will be healthier in the long run.

We know the things God wants us to do, we just don't want to do them.  Even when we know it is good for us.  God never asks us to do anything that is not going to make us happier and more at peace with him.  So in our head, we have to determine to do what is good for us.  We strive to make a new habit through determination.  

I remember when seat belts started being put in new cars.  I couldn't remember to buckle up.  So I told God, "I want to make a habit of buckling every time I get in the car.  So if you will remind me, I will do it." (That way, it was His problem, not mine!!)  I truly wanted to make a good habit and God honored my prayer.  After that, every time I got in the car, it came to my mind--buckle up.  Now I don't even think about it, I just do it.  Habit accomplished.

Same way with saying, "God bless you," when I go through the fast food windows.  When I challenged my class to do that with me, I don't know if they did it, but I did.  And now it is a habit.

"God bless you."  It may be the only time a person hears God's name that it isn't being used as a curse.

Continuing in Hebrews:     Hebrews 2:1,2a 3a "Since all this is true, we ought to pay much closer attention than ever to the the truths that we have heard, lest in any way we let them slip away.  For if the message given through the angels was authentic and proved sure…How shall we escape if we neglect and refuse to pay attention to such a great salvation as is now offered to us…"

I think the whole world is neglecting and refusing to pay attention!!  The news on the TV seems to be all bad.  Just when I think that I have heard the worse, someone does something even more unthinkable.  Murdering innocent people.

A few days ago I said that our God would either be a good God, or an evil God.  And of course it is self evident that he is good.  His desire is that we, too, would be good.  From cover to cover the Bible teaches us to be good.  To do His good will.  We Christians are the evidence of God's ability to change people for the better.  (And yes, there are some so called Christians that give us all a bad name.) 

What other "religious groups" (besides Christians) show up with help in times of trouble?  And money? And people?  All in the name of a good God.  Hurricanes, tornados, starvation, earthquakes, sickness (And they sometimes end up sick themselves--lately, the two missionaries who were infected with Ebolia.)  Christians are the "religious group" that shows up to help.  There are some religious groups that instead of being part of the solution, are the cause of the tragedies.  How can this be?

Like the writer of Hebrews says, "Since this is all true, we ought to pay much closer attention than ever…"  Lazy Christianity lets truth slip away.  And the world suffers.

The truth is, Christ came to die for our sins.  Because sin is anathema to a good God.  Goodness, righteousness, kindness and peace are the characteristics of a Christian life.

If you had to go to trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?

Bo isn't doing very well.  I have his seizures under control for now with medications.  But when he goes to bed at night, he can't find a comfortable position.  So I  took him to the vet and they gave him some pain pills.  Everything he does is a struggle.  Getting in and out of the car.  Climbing the stairs.  But he is still happy.  He crawls in my lap to go to sleep.  But I know his days are numbered and I am going to have to make a decision.  He can't make it for himself.  As long as he has quality of life and we can control his seizures and arthritis I will put the decision off.  But I know it is coming.

I had Ken's squadron patches stitched onto his leather flight jacket one year for his birthday.  He had a lot of patches.  The jacket is too small for either of my sons.  And Pat has always wanted it--she will wear it.  She has gone back to teaching this year (after retiring two years ago), so I got it out and took it to her.   Her students will get a kick out of it.   Pat buried her face in it and said, "This smells like my dad."  And it did.  She can wrap herself up and feel his arms around her.

Hebrews 1:10-12 "You Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the works of your hands.  They will perish, but You remain…they will all grow old and wear out like a garment…You will roll them up, and roll them up and they will be changed and replaced by others…"

Hebrews reminds us that all that is in the world is temporary.   Everything--dogs, people, garments and worlds--grows old and wears out.  The world was made by God, and there is a time coming when he will start over and replace it.  Life is short.  Make sure your days count.  Most of what we do doesn't really matter in the long run.  Wrap your arms around someone.