Robert Grisham Posts

Today’s reading comes from Hebrews 10-13.

The writer of Hebrews has made great efforts to remind his Jewish readers of their story, and how Jesus’ life, death and resurrection fulfilled this story. He now wants to give them encouragement and instruction on how to live this lives rooted in this new reality. He says…

So, friends, we can now – without hesitation – walk right up to God, into “the Holy Place.” Jesus has cleared the way by the blood of his sacrifice , acting as our priest before God. The “curtain” into God’s presence is his body. So let’s do it – full of belief, confident that we’re presentable inside and out. Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.
Hebrews 10:19-25, The Message

He then reminds me that the life they have been called, the life of following God, is a life that is lived by faith. He reminds them that all of the heroes of their story were ordinary men and women who followed by God even when they didn’t know how it would turn out. That’s what faith is. It is “confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1, NIV).

In light of these reminders, he gives one final challenge, and it’s such a strong one…

Do you see what this means – all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running – and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sin. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed – that exhilarating finish in and with God – he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!
Hebrews 12:1-3, The Message

Today’s reading is from Hebrews 6-10.

In this portion of the letter the author talks a great deal about the Jewish priesthood. When the priesthood was set up, priests would be selected from a certain tribe, and it was then passed from father to son. And it served a purpose for many centuries. One of the primary tasks they had was to go before God once a year and atone for the sins of the nation. An animal was sacrificed, and its shed blood signified the offer of forgiveness. But the priests would have to do it again the next year. And the next.

The writer of Hebrews wants to show his Jewish readers that Jesus fulfilled the role of high priest. He says…

So now we have a high priest who perfectly fits our needs: completely holy, uncompromised by sin, with authority extending as high as God’s presence in itself. Unlike other high priests, he doesn’t have to offer sacrifices for his own sins every day before he can get around to us and our sins. He’s done it, once and for all: offered up Himself as the sacrifice.
Hebrews 7:26-27, The Message

The Jewish priesthood served as a temporary plan. God had something more for them, something that would be a once-for-all solution to the problem of sin. He goes on to say…

Every priest goes to work at the altar each day, offers the same old sacrifices year in, year out, and never makes a dent in the sin problem. As a priest, Christ made a single sacrifice for sins, and that was it! Then he sat down right beside God and waited for his enemies to cave in. It was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people. By that single offering, he did everything that needed to be done for everyone who takes part in the purifying process.
Hebrews 10:11-14, The Message

Today’s reading is from Hebrews 1-5.

There’s a lot that we don’t know about Hebrews. We don’t know who wrote it and we don’t know when it was written. What we do know is that it’s written to Jewish Christians. And it seems that the writer’s chief objective is to show how Jesus connects, and fulfills, the story of God that has been passed down for centuries.

He starts with Jesus, and throughout the letter he will connect Jesus with all of the aspects of their story. He reminds them that God’s original intent was that humanity would work alongside him to redeem and restore all that was lost and broken. He says that God “put them (men and women) in charge of his entire handcrafted world.” And just to make sure he’s clear…”when God put them in charge of everything, nothing was excluded (Hebrews 2:8).

What a calling! We’ve looked previously at what happened when we rejected our calling and turned instead to idols. Now we were the ones who needed rescuing because we were lost and broken. And that’s when he weaves Jesus into the story. He came to rescue. He came to help.

By embracing death, taking it into himself, he destroyed the Devil’s hold on death and freed all who cower through life, scared to death of death. That’s why he had to enter into every detail of human life. Then, when he came before God as high priest to get rid of people’s sins, he would have already experienced it all himself – all the pain, all the testing – and would be able to help where help was needed.
Hebrews 2:14-18 (The Message)

Even after all that Jesus did for us, it is easy for us to miss what God is doing. It’s easy for us to listen to other voices instead of God’s. It’s easy for us to believe the lie that following another path will lead to happiness and fulfillment. So he says…

So watch your step, friends. Make sure there’s no evil unbelief lying around that will trip you up and throw you off course, diverting you from the living God. For as long as God’s still calling it Today, keep each other on your toes so sin doesn’t slow down your reflexes. If we can only keep our grip on the sure thing we started out with, we’re in this with Christ for the long haul.
Hebrews 3:12-14 (The Message)

The reader is reminded of Israel’s 40 years wandering in the wilderness. It shouldn’t have taken them 40 years to get from Egypt to the Promised Land. It shouldn’t have taken 40 years to change their identity from slave to new nation. So why did it? It was simply because they thought they knew better than God. They listened to other voices. They chose different paths. And God allowed it. It was less about punishment and more about freedom and autonomy. That’s how good parenting works.

The Israelites never entered their rest because they fought God the entire way. But God is faithful and full of mercy. The offer of rest continues today, as “today” continues to be renewed. “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts” (Hebrews 4:7).

Because of this, we should boldly move towards Jesus…

Now that we know what we have – Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God – let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all – all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.
Hebrews 4:14-16 (The Message).

The Catholic Church marks June 29 as the deaths of both Peter and Paul. The reason I know this is that our family visited Vatican City on June 30, 2018, and we learned that this was one of the busiest days of the year because everything was closed the day before to commemorate their lives and deaths.

On July 19, in the year AD 64, a fire broke out in Rome, and it raged for nine days. 71% of the city was destroyed in that time. Emperor Nero was initially blamed. He needed a scapegoat, so he chose the Christians in Rome. Over the next few years, Christians would be persecuted. They would be killed in horrible ways, often for the entertainment of Nero. Some were sewn in the skins of animals and left for wild dogs. Others were coated in wax and lit up in his gardens as human torches. This persecution would last until AD 68, when Nero was banished from Rome and committed suicide.

It was during this time that both Peter and Paul were killed, though probably not on the same day. Because Paul was a Roman citizen, his mode of execution was beheading, a humane way to go compared to how many died under Nero’s reign. Peter was not a Jew, so he was sentenced to death via crucifixion. Church tradition says that because he didn’t feel worthy to die in the same manner as his Lord, he chose to be crucified upside down.

Today’s reading is from 2 Peter

Like Paul in his second letter to Timothy, Peter knows that his time left on earth is short. He knows that this will be the last letter he writes. Like his first letter, this one isn’t written to a specific person or an individual church. It’s written to all believers.

One of my favorite passages comes from this letter. I believe it’s Peter summing up all that he knows, and all that he hopes for his brothers and sisters.

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, have escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness, and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.
2 Peter 2:1-9

Today’s reading is from 1 Peter.

We haven’t heard much from Peter in awhile. Luke doesn’t mention him after the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15), but he has apparently spent most of his time in Jerusalem. At some point he journeyed to Rome. The two letters that he writes are to a large audience. These churches are facing persecution, and he wants to encourage them.

Peter begins, like James, with talk about suffering. He says that they can rejoice in the suffering that they are going through. He relates it to gold that goes through the refiner’s process. When we suffer we are going through a refining process, and we come out on the other side better.

Peter wants them to continue to grow closer to Christ. He says, “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good” (1 Peter 2:1-3).

He then reminds them of who God called them to be…

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
1 Peter 2:9-10

Towards the end of the letter he issues a challenge…

The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.
1 Peter 4:7-11

Today’s reading is on James and Jude.

These were two of Jesus’ brothers. Neither believed that their older brother was the Messiah until after his death, resurrection and ascension. But both committed their lives to his mission after their realization. James led the church in Jerusalem for many years.

I love James’ letter for his practicality. It’s very different from Paul’s letters. In the first chapter alone he covers topics such as how we can look at trials as a gift because they lead to maturity, our need for wisdom and how to get it, the need for humility, the need to not simply listen to God but to do what he says, and the need to care for those who need it, especially orphans and widows.

One of the first times I ever heard someone read from Eugene Peterson’s Message was reading a passage from James. It’s one that I’ve often come back to…

So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet.
James 4:7-10 (The Message)

Today’s reading comes from 2 Timothy. This is the last of Paul’s letters. He is once again in Rome, and once again in prison, and he knows that his time on earth is short. It’s a tough time for Paul. Many of his friends have deserted him. The churches that he started are all facing challenges from within and without. And many Christians, especially in Rome, are facing terrible persecution (more on this in a few days).

Because of all of this, as well as for his love for Timothy, this letter is very personal. He knows that Timothy is fighting hard, and he doesn’t want him to give up. He reminds him of Christ’s work in Timothy’s life, and he challenged him to continue doing the work.

Much of that work was defending the gospel. I find it interesting that in both letters to Timothy and in the letter to Titus, Paul talks so much about the need for sound doctrine. The reason is that doctrine was under attack. There was so much false teaching. He says to Timothy, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

He also tells him, “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear” (2 Timothy 4:2-3).

Towards the end of the letter Paul asks Timothy to come and see him. And then he writes these last beautiful and courageous words:

For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
2 Timothy 4:6-8.

Today’s reading is from Titus.

After Paul was released from house arrest in Rome, many believe that he traveled to Spain, something that he had been wanting to do for some time (Romans 15:24). From there he went to Crete with Titus, and later left him there to lead the church.

Titus, like Timothy, was a young man who was mentored by Paul. And like Timothy in Ephehsus, Titus was dealing with problems in the church in Crete. Paul heard about what was going on and decided to write Titus. The problem was once again false teachers.

In the letter Paul reminds Titus that the reason he told him to appoint elders was so they could “encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it” (Titus 1:9). They would now help Titus challenge false teachings.

But above all, Paul wanted to remind Titus of the message of Jesus, which would be the biggest challenge against false teaching…

At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
Titus 3:3-7