Blessings on Your Phone
November 9, 2020
Daily Bible reading: Ezekiel 25-26 and Hebrews 12
“Peace and Holiness”
(Hebrews 12:14-15, ESV) “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. (15) See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no ‘root of bitterness’ springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled.”
Peace and holiness are the way to see God. When we look at God’s word, we see that His commandments deal with our relationship with Him and with others. In the Ten Commandments, the first four commandments deal with our relationship to God, and the remaining six deal with our relationship to those around us. When Jesus was asked which commandment was the greatest, Jesus’ reply follows the same order that is in the Ten Commandments, (Mark 12:30-31) “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. (31) And the second is like this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.”
It matters how we treat others and the state of our relationship with the Lord. The Lord stands with those who belong to Him, to those who return to righteousness. (Psalm 94:14-15, ESV) “For the LORD will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage; (15) for justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it.”
It matters how we treat others. Our example is the Jesus Himself when He healed a man that was His enemy. (Luke 22:48-51, ESV) “But Jesus said to him, ‘Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?’ (49) And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, ‘Lord, shall we strike with the sword?’ (50) And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. (51) But Jesus said, ‘No more of this!’ And he touched his ear and healed him.”
Following peace and holiness is not only the way for us to see Christ, but also it is the way that others see Christ in us.
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