"All of life is business with God…" John Calvin
I was away last week, and our study was led by Jana, who very faithfully and capably put in the work to walk us through this portion of the book of Hebrews, 8:1–9:14. I say “walk,” but getting to this chapter has taken a climb. Together with the author of Hebrews we have scaled the … Continue reading Such a High Priest
As I age, I’m finding that even with the progressive lenses in my spectacles, I often need a magnifying glass to read fine print. (Why does the important information on medication bottles need to be so small anyway?) Pulling out the curved lens of a magnifying glass enlarges and brings clarity to that which was … Continue reading After the Order of Melchizedek
In my previous post, we considered the personal rebuke and sober warning found in Hebrews 5:11–6:8, and the questions raised concerning assurance of salvation. As we learned, that passage does not teach that a genuine believer in Jesus Christ can lose her salvation. But where do we find assurance of salvation? Knowing that genuine believers … Continue reading A Sure and Steadfast Anchor
I'm a big fan of infants. After all, I'm a Grandmommy, and in recent months we have welcomed two precious grandsons to our family. There are so many joys that come with these precious children: snuggling and feeding them, watching their faces as they explore their new world, seeing them grow and change into the … Continue reading The Peril of Perpetual Immaturity
In the first four chapters of the book of Hebrews the author has been exhorting his readers to persevere in the faith of the gospel, gathering his encouragements in the form of arguments for: the supremacy of Christ as the final and best revelation of God, Christ in his humanity being perfectly suited to be … Continue reading God’s Life-Giving Word
Sin whispers, “Is God really good?” Sin suggests, “You can do better than God’s way.” Sin befriends, “God doesn’t have your best interest at heart; I do.” Sin cajoles, “Just this once.” Sin promises, “You’re in control. You’ve got this. Nobody needs to know. You can stop at any time.” Sin deceives. In the Garden, … Continue reading Hold Fast
My husband Jim and I went kayaking last month on Lake Superior with a group led by our daughter Erin. Being a good guide, she gave us a safety briefing before we began. Part of her briefing included the need to stay together. The first morning we went out there was an unusually heavy fog, … Continue reading Don’t Drift
A few weeks ago we went to Wisconsin, along the shore of Lake Superior, for a beautiful week of vacation. The local residents love their lake, and they clearly enjoy the adjectival advantages of living next to North America’s largest lake, which is “superior in magnitude to any of the lakes on that vast continent.”[1] … Continue reading Jesus Christ, Our Superior Prophet, Priest, and King
Here's the next in the series of "posts that didn't make the transfer" from the lessons in the study of 1 John. This was lesson 11, covering 1 John 3:11-24. These posts are long, because they were written to be more of a book chapter than a blog post. If you have the endurance to … Continue reading The Hatred of Cain and the Love of Christ, Lesson 11
Grateful 