Whose letter is it anyway?

So, I've been trying to figure out some beautifully creative way to wrap up Hebrews but I can only think to end as I began...a rewrite. An "in my own words" book end.
There is much discussion on the identity of the authorship of Hebrews...one is that it was written by one (Timothy?) and dictated by another (Paul?). Whose letter is this anyway?
So that would make me a third party transcriber? In other words: Don't take my word on it...read it for yourself.
What we know for sure is to whom this letter was written...the Hebrews (the "Ones who have crossed over"). But it is also to all of us...a letter that has lasted for millennia so that we too may "cross over" to "dwell in the land" of His promise.

Chapter 13 (The point is...)

Do not get in the way of love! Live in love! Let's begin with showing love to complete strangers...you don't know who they are or what they've been through! They could even be messengers from God Himself!
Live in love! Don't be so absorbed in yourself that you forget your brothers and sisters who are suffering for their faith.
For some of you these outer circles of relationships are not a struggle...it's the closest ones you neglect and abuse.
Live in love with your spouse. Marriage was God's idea to reveal the power and beauty of HIS love to everyone else. So He takes this relationship VERY seriously, and He will address our disregard for this holy foundation of humanity.
When I say "Live in love"...I'm talking about people NOT things...not the ability to get more things.
Loving things will hamper your ability to love God and people.
HE is enough for you!
That's what this whole letter is about! No amount of money, stuff, religious practice, self-preservation tactics...
nothing can add, nothing can top what He offers you!
You are not without examples of men and women who have lived this way, the way of love...the way of faith in Jesus Christ.
Since He never changes, you too may trust Him and follow those who've lived such love out.
But be careful...so many people think God's favor can be earned by working hard to follow the rules.
NOTHING garners God's favor except Jesus human life, death and divine resurrection as the perfect and completed and singular work for your life's redemption. He accomplished what we could never accomplish... GOD becoming/living a perfect human life of love.
When you live trusting His act of love as your only hope...you may be rejected by the people around you... just as He was!
That's OK, remember...you belong to a family and a home that IS and IS coming.
So be thankful! And...
LIVE IN LOVE!!
Trust the leadership God has put around you. Sure, there are those from the past to be inspired by but guess what? You also have those who are present to help you now. Not perfect people... not flawless leaders but they are sincerely trying to love and guide you the best they can and they will answer to God for how they lead you...so don't be a pain the neck! That accomplishes nothing and certainly doesn't help the cause of love!
Pray for us (who write this letter), we too are imperfect people but we want to honor God's work in us and we want to accomplish the purpose He has me in prison to do! Please...I hope through your prayers I can love well within these bars so that I may come out from them again and be with you!
Having said all this, the God who restores ALL relationships...the God of love,
who provided His Son for a secure and forever relationship with Him,
this is the God I trust to prepare and enable you to live in love...
this is His will, this is what pleases Him,
this is only possible because Jesus makes it possible.
I strongly encourage you to be patient and carefully consider all I've written...I've said it as succinctly as possible. Watch for Timothy's return from prison...and I hope the sooner you see him the sooner you will see me too!
Share my greetings with everyone
and
may you humbly enjoy God's rich, lavish favor as you walk through each day "crossing over" into all He has provided for you
in Jesus.

Hebrews 12...Running the Race

I am a non-runner. Though surrounded by friends and family who push themselves over every manner of terrain, I will never join their race...at least not at a jog or sprint. I have learned from watching my husband run his courses though. His success is a process of training, discipline, pain, sacrifice, motivation, inspiration, partnership...so many pieces to a finished race. He could never do well in his efforts all alone. He would never run again, if the rewards were not worth it all. This is why the writer of Hebrews uses the analogy of a race for the life of faith. It is a strenuous exercise with many pieces. But,
we are not alone. Like a condensed mass looming over us, those who've experienced God's faithfulness to His promises, should be an encouragement to keep on in faith. We need to be refreshed by the truth that falls from the gathering of the their testimonies...
Even more than that, we need to look to the ultimate inspiration...Jesus! Faith is His brainchild...from birth to death to eternity. Jesus, remained centered on His ultimate destiny of life with His Father and future with us. He endured more pain, more rejection, more temptation than any of us ever will...and He persevered on to His reward, His place of authority. It's Jesus' example that motivates our perseverance. It is His love that strengthens, His presence that encourages, His promise that propels us on to our finish line.
How can we expect to avoid pain or rejection when the Son of God subjected himself to this human experience? How can we give up in the battle against sin when He secured the victory? How can we lose heart when what we have waiting for us is so incredibly worth it all?
And what is awaiting us?
"22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly[a] of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus...
28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire."

Hebrews 11: FAITH

Faith is as old as the most ancient human stories.
Historic humanity has always believed in what we cannot see. The question is never: "Are you a person of faith?" but "What/whom is your faith in?".
So this is the question I pose: "What has formed your faith?
Since my foundation is faith in a loving and sovereign Creator, my interpretation of life works through the filter of His love and power...no matter what happens. I started life out in an extremely loving and protected environment so the seeds of this faith were "faithfully" formed.
And since faith is exponential...my faith has built on itself; but that is not to say it is never challenged. You only have to have eyes and ears to wonder..."Is God real? Is He in control? Is He loving?". Life challenges faith.
So what is the process of evaluation when faith is becoming crippled by life experience?
My own process begins with God's Word.

The more I dig into the grounds of my faith, the more I am convinced of the truth of it. Just as light "exploded into light", faith explodes into faith. I am not a scientist; but astronomy, geology, chemistry, biology, physics (etc.) in and of themselves provide few conclusions.... they only lead to more questions. It is not science alone that proves or disproves God and creation...it is faith. It is where you find your beginning. My beginning is "in the beginning God"...from there, I am amazed and overwhelmed 
at the proof of Him. (Like an Artist-5/21/14)

Faith says: "I have confidence that what I hope for is a true reality even though I am not fully experiencing it now. I am utterly persuaded of this reality, though there is not always visual evidence of it." Hebrews 11:1 (my own words)

My life has been a continual searching out and weighing out of God's Word...and I am convinced of this: God IS real. He IS loving. He is pursuing all of us in that love and wants to help us make sense of life.
Over the years, we've heard and experienced many challenges to faith in a loving, all-powerful God. I think that is why God graciously includes Hebrews Chapter 11 in the Bible. This chapter is loaded with testimonies of real people who lived through all kinds of challenges to faith: life and death, victory and defeat, wealth and poverty, joy and sorrow, happiness and pain, success and failure...
"and all these, having gained approval through their faith," Heb. 11:39
What this chapter says to me is that faith is never impossible, no matter what your circumstances. It says that the gift of faith is offered to ALL kinds of people. This Letter to the Hebrews is a call to faith, a bold invitation to join the ranks of those who believe that we are part of something much bigger than what we see in the here and now.
Faith is a reward for responding to God's pursuit of you...faith will also be rewarded by God in fulfilling all of His promises to you.
And what are those promises?
For starters, He promises us His approval, an eternal home and life with Him, adoption into His family, victory over our destructive behaviors and a transformed heart and mind.
A life of faith is a life filled with increasing understanding, courage, humility, perseverance...
 In faith, we worship in the every day stuff, we are protected and provided for in God's purposes for us. We are blessed in order to bless others... given to, so that we may give.
This is the beauty, hope and power of faith.

Burnt toast and dog breath... Hebrews 10

"Burnt toast and dog breath",
this was the answer my son gave to the following college orientation question: "What smells remind you of home?"!
Does that mean he'll miss us?
I had to get in two more parental warnings before we left him there in that sad little dorm room;
and two more how-tos...
and two more becauses...
followed up with two more hugs;
and two more "I'm proud of and I love you(s)..."
and one big fat kiss.
As the concerns of what we failed and forgot to prepare him for set in, I am reading Hebrews 10.
This chapter (vv. 19-39) strikes me similarly.
Like a last minute parental list, these warnings, how-tos and ultimate whys of a godly life are spelled out for us:
How-to:
- Sincerely draw near to God
- Hold fast to the truth of your faith
- Consider how to encourage others in their walk of faith
- Consistently spend time with the people who encourage your faith (vv.22-25)
Why?
- Because Christ made a way for us to draw near to God (v.19)
- Because God has a reward for you if you persevere in faith (vv. 35-36)
- Because it pleases the only One who is worth pleasing (vv. 37-38)
- Because the eternal destiny of your soul depends on the perseverance of your faith in His grace and forgiveness ( v. 39)
Warnings:
(v.26-27) "For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sin, but a terrifying expectation of judgment...
(v.29) "How much severer  punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God..."
(v.31) "It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God."

At times during the last two decades of parenting we've had to spell out the consequences of behaviors very specifically; some of the warnings made no impact at all. Sometimes a child's hope of the imagined outcome far outweighed the pain of a consequence. It has been our responsibility as loving parents to increase the intensity of the warning based on the danger of the behavior. We have found that the confidence our children have in our love and good desires for them greatly impacts their consideration of our warnings. If they doubted us, they ran to destruction faster than we could say... "I told you so!"
It is not different with our Heavenly Father. His warnings to walk in faith are dire because His love and good desires for us are so intense. But if we doubt that love and good intention, His warnings seem more like threats from an angry, vengeful, Theo-egomaniac...and we want to run away faster than He can say..."I showed you so."
"There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it is the way of death..." Proverbs 14:12
and so He died, that in the end He made a way to life.
If your life is not pointing you to this truth: "God loves me and has a good plan for my life", sincerely draw near by asking Him to show you. I am confident in answer, you will feel the reassurance of His "I'm proud of you and I love you(s)" and they will begin to make you miss Him...

 not run the other way.

Hebrews 8-9: Re-lig-ion

Within the context of my spiritual upbringing, "religion" has been a dirty word for as long as I can remember. After all, "...it's not about religion! It's about relationship!"
But "religion" is just a word; a word that describes making a practice of something to increase our understanding.
"re"-again
"lig"- grasp
"ion"- action
...and when we do something over and over again to try to understand or grasp hold of it, we might say we do it "religiously".
Religious motivation comes from a catalytic belief.
Hebrews 8-9 refers to the religious practices of the Hebrew priests.
Practices of apparel, washings, structures, sanctified objects, sacrifices...
practices ordered by God for the Hebrews to do
over
and over again.
...Practices set up by God to help them understand that they would never sufficiently grasp hold of Him
by what they wore or what they did or what they said.
The Hebrews understood that they needed to live in relationship with their God; so they tried
but
"...gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshipper perfect in conscience," (9:9)
Nothing they practiced "religiously" was enough to wipe out their awareness that they would fail
again.
And they would have to seek atonement
again.
When Jesus was sent to die on the cross, the shedding of His blood signified that God offered them the gift of himself
again.
What was lost of relationship at the intrusion of sin, was being restored.
His perfect life, lived-lost-resurrected, became the all-sufficient, once and final offering for a secured relationship with God.
"but now ONCE at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself." (9:26b)
It's true. I am a religious person.
I have practices of reading my Bible, praying, going to church...
I want to understand Him better!
But I do so because He already "grasped hold" of me
through Christ.

...someone's said it first! Hebrews 6-7

     For a month and a half I've been stuck in Hebrews 6-7 with nothing worth writing. This is not to say that these chapters are not filled with profound hope and truth...just that I've found no way to write about them. It occurred to me today that what should be said has been said by someone else and so I share these thoughts...not my own, except that I wholly agree!
"...original sin leads us to doubt the benevolent love of the Father and to close our hearts to the gift of his '...proposal' (offer of Himself). John Paul II wrote that 'faith, in its deepest essence, is the openness of the human heart to the gift..." This life is poured out for us in Christ's self-gift to His (people) on the cross. In essence, Christ's self-gift says to us: 'You don't believe in my Father's love? Let me make it real for you; let me incarnate it for you so that you can taste and see. You don't believe that God wants to give you life? I will bleed myself dry so that my life's blood can vivify you. You thought God was a tyrant, a slave driver? You thought he would whip your back if you gave Him the chance? I will take the form of a slave; I will let you whip my back and nail me to a tree; I will let you lord it over me to show you that the Father has no desire to lord it over you. I have not come to condemn you, but to save you. I have not come to enslave you, but to set you free. Turn from your disbelief. Believe and receive the gift... I offer you." Christopher West, prologue to: Theology of the Body Explained
     In this description of God's intense love for us and the communication of that love through Christ; we read of the powerful hope the life of Christ provides us. We read and are reminded to accept God's love, initiated and secured by Him through his Son.
He purposed to love us when He created us. He fulfilled His promise to love us in the gift of Jesus' life. THAT is the nature of our God. Unchangeable in His purpose; unmovable in His promise.
Heb. 6:19 "This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil," ( veil...the depth of God's existence that we cannot see and remains a mystery to us apart from the intercession of Christ). "...where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us,"
And there, before God, Jesus continues to act on our behalf.

"Therefore He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For it was fitting for us (exactly what we need) to have such a high priest (facilitator of forgiveness and restoration with God), holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners (un-compromised by sin) and exalted above the heavens;" Hebrews 7:25-26

That was harsh! Hebrews 6:1-9

Hebrews 5:11-14, that was harsh; why was it necessary? Because it's time to grow up! What happens if an infant stops growing? He/she cannot survive.
Grow or perish.
So, is the provoking talk necessary? Absolutely.
The Hebrew believers who've understood the message of the Gospel of Christ and experienced God at work, MUST continue to grow in that understanding and experience. No matter how discouraging and defeating the times feel, if a Christian stops growing, He/she cannot survive.
Grow or perish.
If there is anything I have learned about the "Christian" life it is that it is an ongoing process.
We must be brave.
We must battle on.
There is no life in going back.
The harsh words of chapter 5: 11-6:8 are an intense warning, not from judgment or disgust but from godly men who love God's people:
v.9 "But, BELOVED, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way...
v.10 For God is not unjust..."

Christians have been brave for millennia. We will read this in Hebrews 11. But for now, be encouraged by these:

"I have given Him my faith and sworn my allegiance to Him, how then can I go back from this, and not be hanged as a traitor?" John Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress -1678

Christian's journey to the "Celestial City" takes him over the "Hill of Difficulty", through the "Valley of Humiliation" and through "The Valley of the Shadow of Death". Those whom he met along the way, in choosing other paths, never made it.

1	I’m pressing on the upward way, New heights I’m gaining every day; Still praying as I onward bound, “Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”
2	My heart has no desire to stay Where doubts arise and fears dismay; Though some may dwell where these abound, My prayer, my aim, is higher ground.

                                                                                               Johnson Oatman- 1898

Heb. 5 :12-14wah...

"For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil."

Though written to the Christian Hebrews in the first century, this passage is for the church today-

You've been a follower of Christ for quite some time; plenty of time to have learned enough to pass on. But now it seems you need to start to learn all over again, the wisdom God has shared with you. Just like a newborn, instead of gaining head control...your's wobbles about. Instead of feeding yourself, chewing and swallowing the new things God has to teach you, you have go back to the basics: You are a sinful human being who is in need of God's forgiveness, based on Christ's righteous life, death, and resurrection, to establish your faith. Aren't you hungry? Aren't you yet craving something more substantial...something to chew on? Aren't you ready to take the nipple out of your mouth and say, "I am not a baby anymore?" How has this happened to you...
this reverting back to infancy?
You've been lulled to sleep and nothing seems to wake you.
Groggy
Dull
Thick-headed
...membranes must be still clogging your ears!
Claiming to be a Christian is about becoming skilled in the knowledge of what is good and right and godly AND in the practice of living it out. Trials can make living our faith out a real challenge; but until your persevering and disciplined faith lines up with your doctrine, you cannot expect to be wise and godly people.

What's in a name? Hebrews 4:14-5:10

 
What's in a name? Quite a lot when you're reading the Bible!
Sometimes the Bible throws in names or stories that get lost and misunderstood outside of ancient Jewish culture. Hebrews 5 introduces such a name that refers to such a story, Melchizedek. The story is two short verses in Genesis 14. Melchizedek, King of Salem (to become: Jeru-salem), brings a meal to offer friendship and encouragement to Abram (Abraham). This mystery king however, is referenced in Psalm 110:4 and Heb. 5,7, 8,13 as a priest. The Levitical priesthood did not exist when Melchizedek showed up in the Genesis account. Israel was not yet a nation and the Jewish people would later establish an intercessory office after the tribe of Levi. This king however, appointed by God alone, played the role of priest for Abram. On the one hand blessing Abram, on the other blessing "God Most High".
Not yet "Abraham", Abram was young in his faith in YHVH or LORD; "The One Almighty God" whose name is so precious and sacred that the Jewish people took out the vowels to prevent misusing it. Abram was still learning the truth about the One whose voice he served. He was a truth seeker, a man who'd left his home and family to obey a voice he had never heard before to go to a place he'd never gone before. It was a long journey.
And Melchizedek went after Abram
with a meal
and a prayer
and Abram received what was offered, was helped and gave an offering in thanks.
What's in a name?
Abram was later renamed as a sign of YHVH's promise: Abraham- "Father of Many".
Melchizedek bore a name which links him to Christ: Melchi-zedek, King of Salem "The personal righteous king, who brings peace through truth".
Jump to Hebrews...
"So also Christ (appointed by God alone) did not glorify himself so as to become a high priest, but He (God the Father) who said to Him, 'You are My Son, Today I have  begotten You';
You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek." Hebrews 5:6
And this Jesus Christ- "God delivers His people", is our
PERSONAL
RIGHTEOUSNESS KING,
THE ONE WHO BRINGS PEACE
through
TRUTH.
Jesus comes after us
offering himself
and
goes before YHVH
on our behalf.

So, call on His name.

"Therefore since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession." Hebrews 4:14

Who am I to say? Hebrews 4:12-13

WHO AM I TO SAY?

If men may wander
from their homes
and leave a wife
and children prone
to borrow, beg and steal...
who am I to say?

If wives, alone are
left to fend
and spend their time
with other men
whose wives are left as well...
who am I to say?

If children left to
raise themselves
and entertain
with lusts un-shelved
a fading, starving soul...
who am I to say?

If those who lead in
office, grand
with gross resource
at their command
wield their vice with heavy hand...
who am I to say?

If someone's wid'ning
emerald eyes
feast upon
another's prize-
to glut and then reclines...
who am I to say?

If enemies swing
guns and swords
believing
they've divine support
to fight and maim and kill...
Who am I to say?

If all that's in a
hidden muse
Reeks rancid
poison to infuse-
blotting beauty from the world...
Who am I to say?
But there is One who may.

"For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from his sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do." Hebrews 4:12-13

It's time for some good news... Heb. 4

     

It has been a week of bad news, coming in waves from far and from near. Bad news is wearisome, isn't it? Doesn't your soul just get tired? Doesn't bad news make you want to throw up the white flag? Hebrews 12 says to "run with endurance..." But sometimes it is hard to crawl out of bed much less run. 

How then are we to endure? By focusing on the good news, by  "fixing our eyes on Jesus..." Hebrews12:2
"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us." Rom. 8:18
 Jesus endured and Jesus was raised. Jesus intercedes and Jesus will make ALL things right again.

“I believe like a child that suffering will be healed and made up for, that all the humiliating absurdity of human contradictions will vanish like a pitiful mirage, like the despicable fabrication of the impotent and infinitely small Euclidean mind of man, that in the world's finale, at the moment of eternal harmony, something so precious will come to pass that it will suffice for all hearts, for the comforting of all resentments, for the atonement of all the crimes of humanity, for all the blood that they've shed; that it will make it not only possible to forgive but to justify all that has happened.”

The Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Hebrews 4, Rest, God's Rest. It doesn't mean inactivity...it means deep soul rest. IT means peace in spite of circumstances, it means an end of attempting to make sense of what doesn't and make right what we cannot. It means trust in God's character and in His work.

v.2 "For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard."

v.6 "Therefore, since it remains for some to enter it (rest) and those who formerly had good news preached to them failed to enter because of disobedience..."

God's rest is offered but not received. Why? Distrust and disobedience. What often leads men to distrust and disobedience? Suffering. 

Men suffer...men reason,
men "store the sand and let the gold go free."

"The sages have a hundred maps to give

That trace their crawling cosmos like a tree,

They rattle reason out through many a sieve

That stores the sand and lets the gold go free:

And all these things are less than dust to me

Because my name is Lazarus and I live."

The Convert-G.K. Chesterton (I've quoted this before and will again!)

Here's the hard truth: though we may reason and reason away ...we will never be able to make sense of suffering. We will never make sense of God through suffering if we do not trust in His healing and restoration of all things. 

And if we never trust
we will never obey
and if we never trust and obey
we will NEVER rest.

“Today, if you hear His voice, 
   do not harden your hearts.”
                                          Heb. 3: 15, 4:7b

  

Consider This...Hebrews 3

My house is silent except for the humming of my space heater. This is a part of my love affair with winter. Winter freezes you! It forces the busy Northeast into some measure of stillness...and the busy bees hate it so! How dare nature intervene in production!
...gotta get the nectar
...gotta work the hive
...gotta make the honey
      Even if we are lazy in our work ethic we may still be frantic in our spirits...restless, seeking, striving. People, God Himself rested! AND He offers us rest.
Why can't we let ourselves stop? Hebrews offers an answer: unbelief.
My daughter shared this thought from Beth Moore- "We may think we believe in God...but do we BELIEVE God? Do we believe what He says...do we believe what He promises? Do we believe what is true about who He is?"
Hebrews 3:1b "...consider Jesus".
Stop your crazy pace and take the time to get to know Him and what He taught about His Father. And as you do consider this as well:  Our opinions on God's wrath can be a barrier to belief and consequently, rest. Verses like: "...I swore in my wrath, they shall not enter my rest." Heb. 3:11, cause us no small measure of doubt.
I offer the following thoughts on what wrath is and how it perfectly fits with the character of a loving God,
a God we can trust,
a God we want to believe.
Wrath is anger producing/inflicting injury.
Anger is a strong emotion that sets us into action. Godly anger is specifically against wrongs, injustices...all that is less than all that He made it to be.
Inflicting means to impose something unwanted.
Injury can be redefined by the word humiliation...i.e. mortification.
Mortification means a cutting away, a death of a part for the life of the whole.
In putting these together, my opinions on God's wrath have shifted profoundly.
God in His complete revulsion over the destruction of His creation was set into motion against the destroyer. His acts of violence are His stand against death, against disease, against injustice for men and women who think His ways an imposition. When men trample each other in pursuit of more nectar, when they work and worry themselves to death, when they sicken themselves with sweets that are bitter to the core...God says "NO!  You will not get away with it because I made you for so much more" To which men cry..."God, you're a tyrant or you don't exist!"
It often seems God is against us;
But here's another definition for you-
Against means both "opposed to" and "in contact with"
Our creator made us to know and be known by Him. He has not deserted us. He does not hate us. He must cut away what is killing us and oppose what is robbing us blind while remaining in contact with us.
Every person has within them a spirit that was made to know God, but in His love He offers each one a choice. For there to be love, there must be a choice. For there to be a choice, there must be opposing options. If there are opposing options, there will be conflict. Where there is conflict, there will be pain.
But for the pain, God gave us Himself.

"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died FOR us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him."
1 Thessalonians 5:3

So, "Consider Jesus..." (v. 1b)
believe
rest.

Hebrews 2:5-18 Call in the Expert!

Hebrews 2:5-18

5 It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. 6 But there is a place where someone has testified:

“What is mankind that you are mindful of them,
    a son of man that you care for him?
7 You made them a little[a] lower than the angels;
    you crowned them with glory and honor
8     and put everything under their feet.”[b][c]

In putting everything under them,[d] God left nothing that is not subject to them.[e] Yet at present we do not see everything subject to them.[f] 9 But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

10 In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. 11 Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.[g] 12 He says,

“I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters;
    in the assembly I will sing your praises.”[h]

13 And again,

“I will put my trust in him.”[i]

And again he says,

“Here am I, and the children God has given me.”[j]

14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. 17 For this reason he had to be made like them,[k] fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priestin service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Yesterday I came up with a new title for myself. I've decided to call myself a "novice-novice". The inspired name came from bowling with my husband. As I was chucking the ball down the alley I had to question how after all these years could I still be so very bad! The answer was, I'm a novice novice! A beginner at beginning because once a year or so I begin to try to learn to bowl...again!
Many areas of my life fall under this nomenclature...I'm a novice-novice harp player, skier, seamstress etc. Some things, I've advanced to calling myself average. I am an average organizer, cleaner, cook! Unfortunately my averages are in critical areas of life as a wife and mother!
When I'm discouraged about my skills (or lack of), I paint a room or move a piece of furniture...it helps. I seem to do well with picking paint colors and seeing where a sofa should situate! However even in my strength areas, I still get it wrong sometimes and call in an expert.
     The book of Hebrews was written to help novice Christians; Jewish people who were relearning what it meant to have a relationship with God. There were some misunderstandings to correct, bad habits to do away with and a new title to bear: "Christian". The new name, however, did not make them experts at their new life. The writer of Hebrews warned: "How will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?" Unfortunately, their novice areas happened to be absolutely critical in life and in eternity. Even the letter's author seems a novice when he quoted "somebody, somewhere has said..." (v. 6). The Hebrew Christians needed the assistance of an expert if they were going to live out God's mission for humanity on earth; that is in verse 8- "God left NOTHING that is not in subjection to them."
 Have you considered this? God made man to manage the world! Not even the angels were entrusted with such a mission. But men are novice-novices! Do we manage well? Clearly, we do not.
Is there another "religion" that can claim their God solved their problem for them by intervening Himself? Is there another God or prophet or wise man who pioneered salvation for His people?
Jesus, instead of being ashamed of us claimed us as His family! He calls us brothers and sisters, children, His own!
Why is the world a mess? Because He entrusted us with a mission and we failed!
Do you understand that Jesus became fully human to solve our problem?
In the pages of the Bible we read how even though God through Jesus made the world, God through Jesus is rescuing the world.
Jesus said (my own paraphrase)-
"My brothers and sisters, You don't understand who God is! I will show you. You don't get how to live the life He made you for...I will show you! My children, You are so mistaken you cannot help yourselves! I'm taking you to Him."
Jesus,
expert at relationships,
expert at fulfilling His destiny,
expert at mastering temptation
expert at suffering,
expert at dying...
expert at living again.
Does life and death and the idea of God scare you? Are you tired of beginning to try to learn again on your own?
Call on the expert!

Hebrews 2:1-4 Voices

 Hebrews 2 "That is why we ought to pay even closer attention to the voice that has been speaking so that we will never drift away from it. 2 For if the words of instruction and inspiration brought by heaven’s messengers were valid, and if we live in a universe where sin and disobedience receive their just rewards, 3 then how will we escape destruction if we ignore this great salvation? We heard it first from our Lord Jesus, then from those who passed on His teaching. 4 God also testifies to this truth by signs and wonders and miracles and the gifts of the Holy Spirit lighting on those He chooses."

"Our salvation is not only great, it is true. Of course it could not be great unless it were true." 
"The historical, moral, and spiritual reality of God's great salvation has been displayed." ( Being witnessed and testified to us through God himself, His Son, the gifts of His Spirit and His apostles) "Any lack of conviction on our part—any neglect of this great salvation—is owing not to them but to us. We are the ones who need to change. Our minds are careless or defiled (clinging to false ideas and desires) or too proud to receive the message that we need salvation." John Piper
-and I might add: "...or too wounded to see straight."

Voices 
Entangled in our hearts
Twisted truths, distortions, lies
Where Satan's taken liberties
wreaking havoc in disguise.
He prowls around, about us
Finding "doors" that stand ajar.
Then whispers words of doubt and fear,
Condemning us His voice is clear.
We listen with believing ears,
and search through blinding tears.

More steadfast than the hounding of our evil enemy
is the voice of our soul's lover
pursuing...endlessly.
He beckons us, the Voice of Love 
That's firm and calm and sure
Saying, "Child, trust in me.
I alone will help you see
all that you were made to be
The Truth will set you free."

"The Truth Will Set You Free" JC '15 revision

So many voices vie for our hearing. So many "witnesses" blur our vision. 
The Bible says in James 1:5 "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives generously to all and without reproach and it will be given to him."
If the truth is what you're after, ASK! He can handle it.

Hebrews: 1:5-14

We Grow Accustomed to the Dark

"We grow accustomed to the dark
when light is put away...

Then fit our vision to the dark
And meet the road-erect..."
Emily Dickinson

It is winter. Darkness overtakes us slowly. From June through December we lose light ; we lose day- little by little. Some of us acclimate more easily than others.
The Letter to the Hebrews was written a very long time ago...but we get the analogy.
When "Light is put away", our vision shifts without alarm.
The Hebrews were becoming too used to the increasing darkness of a culture that was turning off the Gospel. Fumbling and grabbing at other things... Jewish brothers were beginning to add to what could not be improved,
Christ.
...kind of reminds me of the pop-ups on my computer; flashing the latest campaigns, discoveries and depravities - discourses included with a click.
Hebrews 1:5-14, Let's turn the light back on.
The author makes it clear that tradition or hot philosophies or the trendsetting of the day had no place in a Christ follower's allegiance.
Christ
AND...?
NO!
We will never have more understanding, more health, more joy, more hope, more purpose than is available to us through a reconciled relationship with our God; and we cannot possibly add more to Christ's life and sacrifice for us 
to make that possible.
Jesus, wholly unique in His Deity.
Wholly superior as eternal creator.
Wholly loved and chosen by His Father to be 
THE message bearer, 
THE savior, 
THE King.

Anchored: A Letter to the Hebrews

Hebrews 1:1-4

"1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs."

Much time has passed since God began continually and creatively communicating who He is. The Hebrew prophets heard from him and shared what they learned with the fathers of the Jewish people. But in this period of history, we benefit directly from learning about Him through His Son. The Heavenly Father predetermined that His Son was the chosen One to assume the position of ultimate authority, rightful possessor of all that the Father is and all that he has.For it was through Christ His Son that the world came into being. His Son is the complete reality of the Father. He shines out from invisible perfection, a perfect visual of God. And God, the great author of the human story, 
so placed His trademark on humanity. 
He pressed into man exactly who He is. 
You see Him in Christ. 
Then, Christ marked humanity as his own. 
Oh how desperately we needed to have Him reclaim what we were meant for! How we need Him to take our distorted view of Him and bring God back into focus! How we need Him to take our contorted minds and hearts and restore them to His glory. 
He has! He does!
Jesus was wrung out for us. Ridding God's creation of contamination, after He accomplished all that needed to be done, He claimed His rightful place beside His Father. He took His seat as the extension of God's strength ever reaching, ever drawing His people. He remains the ever present help as men continue to learn and live in what He has secured. 
Superior in the Heavens, superior over all- Jesus the Christ; the Son of God.
By Him
Through Him

For Him

this is now our reality! 

By Him 
Through Him

For Him

this is now our weighty, immovable hook

that sinks into the flesh of Deity

and ties us firmly to our destiny with Him.

Acts 4:12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”