Written ~ 12-18-2023
Hebrews 13:7-9
7 Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives and follow the example of their faith.
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 9 So do not be attracted by strange, new ideas. Your strength comes from God’s grace, not from rules about food, which don’t help those who follow them.
We have a whole wealth of information in the Word of God. Some may not like to read through the Old Testament of the Bible because some parts are difficult to understand. But the faithful people who loved and served the Lord have a story to tell. All of the prophets who foretold the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, give us hope for the future. Some lived anywhere from 500-2000 years before Christ walked the earth. But they never questioned the Word of God. Their steadfast faith is definitely something we should remember, something we should study. Their faithful lives are still worthy examples for us to follow today.
Throughout my lifetime I have sat under the teachings of several Pastors and Bible teachers. Whether it was from the churches I attended over the years or all of the Christian schools I went to growing up, I absorbed countless truths from the Word of God. I may not readily recall everything I have learned, but it has given me a foundation of faith in the Lord that I will never take advantage of. Even though Pastors and teachers are an awesome tool for us to learn the Bible… What if you had the chance to walk alongside Abraham or Moses or King David and you could ask them anything you wanted to, what would you ask? These were men of God, their faith in the One who created them is astounding! Wouldn’t we want to etch everything they said to us into our hearts and minds so we could continually learn how to live in faith as they did? That’s what the Old Testament gives us. The Old Testament gives us their testimonies, so we need to remember those leaders of old, they are teaching us valuable lessons, lessons for living our lives through their examples of faith.
In our modern times, we now have the New Testament, so not only do we have the incredible stories of the faithful men and women of the Old Testament, we have the recorded truths written by those who walked with Jesus while He was here on earth. We have documentation from the faithful followers of Jesus Christ. They laughed with Him, they cried with Him, they were taught by Him. These are leaders we look up to now. We read the physical accounts of the ministry and the miraculous works of Jesus from Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. We have the 13 letters Paul wrote to fellow believers. The 27 books in the New Testament record eyewitness accounts of what Jesus did here on earth, we get incredible encouragement from these books, as well as a glimpse into the future.
So, when verse 13:7 says, “Remember your leaders who taught you the Word of God…” who comes to your mind? And when you think about them do you, “Think of all the good that has come from their lives?” When we place our admiration upon a particular Pastor or teacher, let’s make sure we , “Follow the example of their faith…” From the beginning words of the Old to the very last word in the New, Jesus Christ is the One we find. He is the shining light throughout its entirety. That’s why the next verse should be on our lips at every moment of our day!
Hebrews 13:8,
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever!”
Adam and Eve had the same Lord, Noah had the same Lord, Abraham and Sarah had the same Lord. Isaac, Jacob and Joseph all had the same Lord. Joshua, Samson and Ruth had the same Lord. King David and Solomon had the same Lord. Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah and all of the other prophets had the same Lord! Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, Timothy, James and all of the believers being added each day had the same Lord. You and I have the same Lord. Every believer in every generation to come has the same Lord! That truth stands the test of time! We can see it! The Scriptures have been questioned throughout each generation, but in the end, it’s the Word of God that prevails through everything.
When we have put our faith in the One who is the same yesterday, today, and forever we have to trust that He has everything under control. And we can trust the words written in the Bible because it comes from the very heart of God.
Since we know Jesus never changes, we must remind ourselves “not to be attracted by strange, new ideas… our strength comes from God’s grace…” He is the one that has final authority over everything.
When we look at the Bible as a whole, think about all of the lives that were poured out as an offering to the Lord, we read about them and gather vital information from them, so we can apply what we have learned to our own lives.
In verse 13:17a it says,
17a “Obey your spiritual leaders and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God…”
If you have a particular spiritual leader who has poured a wealth of knowledge into your life, pray for that person, they need the strength of the Lord to continue ministering to people with a pure heart. Their responsibility is great! Their words of wisdom is not coming from a selfish place, but from a heart of servanthood to the Lord, they want the Lord’s message to pierce our hearts and create change within our very souls.
Thank You my Lord, my Savior for never changing. Thank You for being the same Lord to me as You were for all of the faithful people I read about in the Scriptures. Don’t allow my heart to be distracted. Help me always to follow the examples of the spiritual leaders who have taught me the Word of God.
~AMEN~