Remain in the Word

Fruit, More Fruit, Much Fruit...

Well here it is ...the verses that inspired this blog.... http//remainintheword.blogspot.com from    John 15:5-8: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

What is "remaining"? Remaining means: "stayingin a place" or "staying with someone".  To me remaining in God...is staying with Him in His Word and staying with Him in prayer.  It is not running ahead of Him...or being so busy we don't have time to be with Him.


The first time this text really got hold of me was when I read, "apart from me you can do nothing."  Wow...now that is a powerful warning!!!! It struck me that my life had added up to "nada" apart from Christ!  It was true.  I had spun my wheels so many times...living my life apart from God.


Then I went back...and read the first part of the verse, "If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit"  So if I stay hooked into God...I will be fruitful???  That's cool...what does it mean?  It means that I will bear fruit...heavenly fruit.(love,peace,patience,kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness  and self-control) I will be fruitful in God's eyes. God will increasing make me more like Jesus.


Increasing fruit?  Go back and examine the text again...Notice this increasing fruit...starting with "no fruit" moving to "fruit that will last."
Verse 1:  No fruit
Verse 1: fruit
Verse 2: more fruit
verse 5: much fruit
verse 16:fruit that will last (eternal)  


Do I want my life to add up to "nothing" or do I want my life to be fruitful in God's eyes?  I made up my mind years ago...that my life was adding up to nothing...that is when I decided to surrender my life and follow Jesus.  I am fruitful in His eyes when I "remain" in Him.  I have fallen in love with Jesus by spending time with Him...    how about you?

I Am The Way

My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

John 14 starts with Jesus talking about Heaven.  He is encouraging His disciples in a time... before He is crucified...before they will be very discouraged by His death. So Jesus says that He and His Father (God) have a room reserved for them in Heaven....in His House.  Wow...that would be encouraging....if you realized what Jesus was saying.

So how do you get to God's House? Can you point me to the road that leads to God's house.  Everybody needs to know the way there.  Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.  So Jesus is the way??? But is He not Mary's kid? Jesus is saying He is the way....but more than just a way to God.  He is the only road to God.   "No one comes to the Father except through me."
Next time you hear someone on TV say there are many ways to God...remember the truth...Jesus is the only way.

“Do You Understand What I Have Done for You?”

In John 13 we read of Jesus washing the feet of His followers. He is demonstrating servant hood and true love in verse 4-5: ...he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.  After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

Feet were really nasty in those days.  Think of it...sandals or bare feet...walking through animal and human sewer in the streets.  Feet were extra nasty.  Even slaves were not required to clean other's feet because they were so dirty.

So here is the Son of God....washing nasty feet. Is that why Jesus came to earth?  Is this story only about cleaning nasty feet?  It is the story of loving others...but Jesus was also demonstrating what He would do for us by dying on the cross....He will clean us up...with His blood. ...our nasty, dirty sin....He will wash in His blood...sins gone....forgiven ...if we will allow Him to clean us up. He loves us so much...He will forgive the worst of sinners if they will accept His love.

Jesus answered (in verse 8) , “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

After reading and meditating on this amazing story...we come to a very important question in verse 12: “Do you understand what I have done for you?”   Now let me ask you... Do you understand what Jesus has done for you?  It is a question that ...if you realize what He has done... should change your life forever!!! Amazing Grace!!!

The House was Filled with the Fragrance of the Perfume

For the last few chapters of John, Jesus has been performing many miracles and signs.  Even with these miracles mixed with His incredible teaching...still many did not believe.  "Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him."

Why?  According to prophesy...
"He has blinded their eyes
and hardened their hearts,
so they can neither see with their eyes,
nor understand with their hearts,
nor turn—and I would heal them."

Their hearts were hardened...they were blind and could not recognize Jesus.

But...there were a few that believed.  One was Mary, the sister of Lazarus.  She knew Jesus...she was a devoted follower. She was not like her sister Martha...consumed with the preparation of the meal.  Mary was relational.  She knew Jesus.  She was grateful for the miracle that Jesus had performed on her brother.  She also loved Jesus for who He was.  She was willing to spend a year's wages on this Jesus...to wash His feet....to lovingly clean.  We get the sense that God had opened her eyes and her heart to the real identity of Jesus...."The Son of God."

Your Brother Will Rise Again

Jesus continues telling his followers who he is....."I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.."

In the last few chapters Jesus has told them several "I am's"
before Abraham was born, I am (8:59)
I am the light of the world (9:5)
I am the gate for the sheep (10:7)
I am the good shepherd (10:11)
I am God’s Son (10:36)
I am the resurrection and the life (11:25)

These all relate back to Gods' words in Exodus 3:14.."God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’

All this fulfillment of prophecy and pointing toward Jesus as the Messiah...and yet many did not believe...but then He does the ultimate...He calls back a friend from the dead in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”

 The dead man came out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bringing a man back from the dead....dead for four days in the grave...and stinking......Now that's a miracle. Now, that is Jesus...He is God's Son.  Many believed.  But it blows my mind....many still did not believe.  And then some believed but did not want to give up their religious power and position.

“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

I Am The Good Shepherd

In the tenth chapter of John, Jesus speak to His Jewish audience about his identity.  He has told them many times in parables and illustrations. Now, Jesus desribes Himself as the Good Shepherd...an illustration they could identify with...but somehow could not unpack the meaning... that Jesus was the long awaited Messiah...Son of God.

The verse that leaped off the page for me today was when Jesus says, "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me."

Do we really know His voice...His sweet whisper?  Do we really follow Him?

His voice rings loud and clear through His word...most of the time His word is clear on what is right and wrong.  But how about direction...which way do I go at this crossroad,Lord?  Do we hear God's voice when He speaks though other Christians...through His Church... through circumstance...through His Holy Spirit living in us???

And when we have heard from Him...do we say...I will follow later...when it is more comfortable...or more convenient?  Do we say...Lord I will get to this mission stuff when I retire...or Lord I will tithe when the economy comes back...or Lord, I will apologize when it is a lot less dramatic.

When the disciples were first ask to "follow me"...they immediately dropped what they were doing...to follow their new Lord and Savior Jesus.  Is that not what following is about...walking with Jesus...letting Him guide and direct our lives?  I have a long way to go in this area....but I desperately want to know His voice and follow Him.  How about you?

Lord, help us to know your voice...your sweet, sweet voice...like an audible human voice.  Let us recognize your ways and your thoughts.  Help us Lord to follow you always...knowing that You will always lead us in the best way from your heavenly perspective.  Thank you, Lord for being so faithful to us...when we are not as faithful to you. We love you Lord and want to follow you.  Give us the strength to do so.

I Was Blind But Now I See

I guess we are all born "spiritual" blind.  Think about it.  We have that nasty ol sin nature from the time we come out of the womb.  The flesh blinds us to the things of God...even though something way down in our soul knows that there is a God out there.

This story of Jesus healing the blind man in John 9 is not only an incredible story of Jesus performing a physical miracle by giving a man eyesight  (who has been blind since birth)....but it also about Jesus giving us spiritual eyesight!!!!

The story is pretty long because the religious folk are so stubborn...so set in their way...so sure their theology is correct.  They are so sure Jesus is not the Messiah...that they fail to consider the personal testimonies of all those involved.  Pretty sad...but that is how spiritual blindness effects us.  We fail to reconize our need of a savior. 

Thank goodness that Jesus still heals the blind...especially the spiritually... blind like me. "I Was Blind But Now I See."  ...that is my testimony...too.  Is it your testimony?  If not...it can be your testimony.

You Who is Without Sin

It must have been terribly embarrassing and humbling being caught in the act of adultery by the local religious leaders. She was definitely guilty of adultery according to the Law of Moses.  They probably drug her out of the room naked or half naked , down the street...and then stood her before Jesus...as they divulged her transgressions to the crowd.

Was it wrong for these religious leaders to enforce the law?  Was it wrong to protect the congregation they served...to keep the people of God pure? Was it wrong to discourage extramarital relations?

But Jesus knew their hearts. He sees all of our hearts...He knows our intentions.  He knew these men were not interested in "the spirit of the law." They were using "the letter of the law" to try to trap Jesus. They cared nothing about this woman. They did care about proving a point with this "know-it-all" preacher man.

Jesus told them... “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”
Wow...they disappeared. They got out of there.  What ever Jesus wrote in the dirt...probably scripture...convicted them of their own sin.   It is amazing how humbling our sins can be...when they are brought to our attention. The written word has a way of speaking directly to our hearts.

Suddenly it was just this poor woman and Jesus.  And he was compassionate with her.  He treated her...just as He does with any of us with a repentant heart.....He forgave her.

“Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
   “No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
This can be our invitation, too....Repent and follow Jesus.

“He is the Messiah.”

It is interesting what John chapter 7 tells us about "what people were saying about Jesus". Let's review a few of these:

John 7:7   For even his own brothers did not believe in him.

John7:12  Among the crowds ... Some said, “He is a good man.”
                Others replied, “No, he deceives the people.”

John7:14    The Jews there(in the temple courts) were amazed and asked, “How did this man get such learning without having been taught?"

John7:25  ...some of the people of Jerusalem began to ask, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill?

John 7:30   Still, many in the crowd believed in him. They said, “When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs than this man?”

John 7:32  ...the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him.

John 7:40   ...some of the people said, “Surely this man is the Prophet

John7:41   Others said, “He is the Messiah.”
                Still others asked, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee?

John 7:46  “No one ever spoke the way this man does,” the guards replied

So things have not changed all that much...people are still divided in what they believe about Jesus.
How about you?  What do you believe about Jesus?  In John 7:38 Jesus states, "Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”  If you believe in Jesus and follow Him...He promises the Holy Spirit will live in you and that your testimony will influence others to know Jesus, personally. 

I Am The Bread of Life

John continues the theme of bread in the 6th chapter of John.  After miraculously taking 5 small loaves of barley bread, Jesus gave thanks and fed 5000+ of his followers. In the text it says, "as much as they wanted."

Now that's a lot of bread...no matter how you figure it.

A day or two later many of the followers caught up with Jesus.  They were curious because they wanted to get in on some more "miracles."  But Jesus uses the situation as a teaching moment, "Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you."

Jesus is again is talking about earthly bread vs heavenly bread, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."  Jesus is the bread He has been referring to...He is our heavenly nourishment...it is He who sustains us...He is life...without Him we will perish...(just as without food we would soon die)

"Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.  This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” This teaching has been confusing for many...but Jesus is again saying that He is as important to eternal life as food and drink.  If we don't eat...if we don't drink...we die.  If we don't feast on Jesus by believing in Him and following Him...we will not taste eternal life with him.

Do You Want To Get Well?

"Do you want to get well?"  This is the question that Jesus asks the 38 year invalid in the 5th chapter of John.  It is the same question we must ask if we want to follow Jesus.  Do we want to be healed from our spiritual blindness, or crippling habits of sin...our being paralyzed by a life of sin?  "Do we want to get well?"  The story is about a physical invalid...but it is an analogy about our spiritual affliction...sin.

Sin separates us from God.  It is only by repentance from our sin and faith in Jesus that we are made right with God.  So Jesus asks, "Do you want to get well?"  Are you ready to believe who He is.... the Son of God???  Are you ready to leave your way...your sins behind ...to follow Jesus?  Most of the time we are reluctant to let go of our way...to let go of the sin that so easily cripples us...blinds us...paralyzes us.  Do you want to get well?  When we are dead to sin...we are just like the invalid.  We can't heal ourselves...we have to have help to be healed.  We have to have Jesus as our Savior...to cover our sin...to restore us with the Father.

Do you want to get well?  Don't be reluctant...don't be afraid....Jesus is the only way to truly be healed.

Whoever Drinks the Water I Give Them Will Never Thirst

In this well known story of the "woman at the well" Jesus talks about a different kind of drink...and a different kind of food.  "Godly" food and drink....

It reminds me of Isaiah 55:1-3, " Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and you will delight in the richest of fare.
Give ear and come to me;
listen, that you may live."

In John 4:13-14 Jesus says similar things about drinking the water He is offering,  “Everyone who drinks this (well) water will be thirsty again,  but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 

Jesus was offering the woman to drink from His life...His teaching...Jesus is the only satisfaction for those thirsting for God. Jesus is like a water well with endless water...endless satisfaction...eternal life.

The amazing thing is that after speaking to Jesus...the woman must have been so excited about the encounter...that she abandon her water jar. She forgot about her earthly thirst.  All she could think about was telling others about Jesus.

After the woman left to witness to her nearby town...Jesus spoke to His disciples about heavenly food.
 “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”   He goes on to explain in John 4:34, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work."

Jesus was telling them about feasting on the word of God...doing His will.  Jesus explains that it is nourishment for the soul....it is what sustains the children of God.

So the food and drink Jesus offers us at the well..has eternal benefits.  I am sure some of you reading this believe in Jesus and have experienced this water and this food Jesus was talking about.   We don't have to just hear about it from others...we need to seek out the Jesus that freely gives His food and water.  “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

John Three Sixteen (John 3:16)

Nicodemus...a Pharisee and one of the Jewish ruling class...knows Jesus is from God...but fails to recognize Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah.  The gatekeeper of eternal life.

 Jesus tells him, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit."

Jesus sees the blank look on the mans face...but at the same time knows the man is seeking Him out.  Then Jesus personally states the gospel message to this "religious man," "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son."

John 3:16.... were the very words of Jesus to Nicodemus.  And Jesus' words have power. These words of invitation are to us, too.  I can't prove it...but I would bet that more people have been saved by this passage of scripture...than any other passage in the Bible. I hope Nicodemus was moved to belief by these words of Jesus that day(...or in his near future).  If you have not made the choice to believe in Jesus and follow Him...I hope that you will pray to invite Him into your heart, today!!!  You can seek out God's Son, today.

“They Have No More Wine.”

In the second chapter of John, Jesus performs the first of His public miracles near His home town in Gallilee.

The miracle is not a real " help the less fortunate" kind of deed that you might expect to start Jesus' ministry.  Helping a wedding couple to salvage their reception after nearly running out of wine?  Is that what Jesus did?  Or was it more? The miracle did help the groom who was in a little bit of a pickle. ( note: Jesus does not rate the amount of help we need...He meets us in times of simple need and other times in moments of desperation.)

No matter how we "rate" this miracle...Jesus still receives two things when a miracles occur: "he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him."  A miracle is defined as  "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is considered to be divine."  In other words...when we encounter God in an event where earthly explanations just can't explain the occurrence.....doesn't our heart "burn" within us?  An event such as this does glorify God...because it can't be credited to us...and our faith is strengthened.

So while many might try to explain away water turning to wine in jars....the servants that filled the jars...the master of the banquet who tasted the wine...many of the guest who saw the miracle..and Jesus' disciple who witnessed the miracle... believed the water was turned into excellent wine by the Son of God...not a mere man or prophet.  How about you?  What do you believe?

The Word Became Flesh and Made His Dwelling Among Us

John the narrator of the Gospel of John (not John the Baptist) was a disciple and inner-circle friend of Jesus.  His version of the gospel is an eye-witness account of the life of Jesus...from one of Jesus' best friends. 

John passionately tells of the "One" who speaks the cosmos into existence...the title/name John uses to describe Jesus is "The Word."   "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind."

 After this beautiful account of creation...John then confirms that this Jesus is God's son who came to earth...and that John knew Him personally. "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."   John is convinced of Jesus Deity...and spends the rest of his gospel account detailing Jesus' miracles, life and His death and resurrection. How fortunate we are that John gave us his testimony...his version of the life and times of Jesus Christ...his best friend.

You have lived on Earth in Luxury and Self-indulgence

Moth-eaten wool is an example of the
fleeting nature of "things" here on earth.

In James 5...it starts out as a "warning to rich oppressors".  Most of us would just skip over this (gloss over it) and say, "Yeah, I know of those people.  They are the ones that the Bible is warning here.  It's those ga-zillionaires that run those big companies from ivory towers. And in a way we would be right...in part.  But when we point out those people....4 more fingers are pointing back at us. 

We need to examine our own lives.  Are we the rich oppressors?  Have you... "lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence." Have you..."fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter."  Have you "stored" things in the attic...in the basement...in the garage...where moths or rust has ruined something that someone else could be using to survive?  Have you made the decision to short someone on "fair" pay....or not tip a wait person...or not want to pay the price of the plumber, electrician or auto mechanic?  It could be that this message is for most of us...in these times.

The Lord is coming.  There will be a time to answer to Him for our behavior...the attitudes of our hearts.  So if you fill at all convicted by this passage of living for self....repent!!! God wants us to live a life of love and good deeds.  "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. "

What causes Fights and Quarrels Among You?

Great question, huh?  What causes Fights and Quarrels Among You?  We should ask it more often.  James 4 is a great remedy for most all types of fights or quarrels.  Whether it is at work or home...we quarrel...and at the root of it all...is our desires. 

The second question in the chapter...helps get to the heart of the problem...   Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?  Ok ...it is our desires battling in our hearts. It is all about us...but it is not suppose to be that way.

"You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God."

Everyone wants what they want...and when we don't get what we want....we fuss...and fight...and quarrel.  Instead of demanding we get our personal agenda...why don't we pray and ask God for the solution....or if it is in our power to "give in" and compromise a little...and serve the other person....why don't we try their way...or God's way.

I am not saying compromise God's way...I am just saying that at the heart of most fights...is "our way"....and if we examine "our way" ....it usually turns out to be those nasty little desires that linger in our hearts.  So let's ask God to change our hearts...and stop all the fussing and fighting...try it next time you feel some"tension" in a relationship at home or work or school.

Can Both Fresh Water and Salt Water Flow from the Same Spring?

Have you ever thought of your hearts as a "well spring"?

Many times in the old and new testament this analogy is made. But here in James 3...we are hearing about the tongue..the deal is that James is saying the tongue is a meter of the heart...by what the tongue says...is a reflection of the heart. "Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water."  If your heart is polluted...your words will be polluted.  So examine your words...and they will give you a good indication of what your heart is like.

Next James moves into 2 kinds of wisdom....
         1. the first is earthly wisdom, (this is salty water) unspiritual, demonic...full of envy and selfish ambition, disorder and every evil practice.
        2. the second is heavenly wisdom(this is fresh water) .....pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere

Fresh water is refreshing...it is life-giving.  When we allow Jesus to clean our hearts...he purifies the stagnant...polluted heart and fresh life-giving words begin to flow from our inter most being.  Those words give joy and life.

Faith by Itself, If it is Not Accompanied by Action, is Dead

The picture of the tightrope walker is of Charles Blondin walking over Niagra Falls in 1859. The story is told that Mr. Blondin ask if anyone believed in him enough to ride on his back as he walked 1,100 feet across Niagara Falls.  His manager Harry Colcord was the only volunteer who really believed in him enough to cross on his back....to put his faith into action.....true faith.

This is really the point that James, Jesus' brother wants to make to his audience.  He pleads with them, "Dear brothers." (probably an endearing phrase he had heard from his brother....Jesus).  In Chapter 2:17 he says, "faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."   "No action...No faith"...James is saying!!!! Then he follows up in verse 26 by saying, "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead."

James is a man of action.  He says ...if you believe it...then you will act on it. In Chapter one James had written a similar argument about listening and doing. In James 1:22 he says, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."  So when you listen in your pew on Sunday...then put it to action on Monday morning...listen to the word...then do the word!!!!  "whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do."

So faith and works go hand in hand.  We don't have to choose one over the other...they are equally important to the gospel.  In fact...according to James.... works prove that  faith exists. When Harry Colcord crawled on the back of Charles Blondin....he showed the world that he really believed that he could make it across on the back of the talented tightrope walker.  His deeds proved his faith.

"Consider it Pure Joy...Whenever You Face Trials of Many Kinds"

James, Jesus brother is writing to his Jerusalem congregation to encourage them during a time of great persecution by the Romans. (probably 50AD)  You would think he would say something like, "Now I am Jesus' brother and you really need to listen to me." But instead James describes himself to be a slave of the Lord Jesus.   Now remember...this was the brother who was sceptical of Jesus....until he met the "resurrected Jesus"...and then James surrendered to Jesus identity of "Son of God" and "Lord".

So...let us begin looking at James 1:3-5,  "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you."

This passage has rolled over in my mind thousands of times since I memorized it.  The Holy Spirit has encouraged me through many tough times...by reminding me to "Consider it pure joy" ....to check my fears and my selfishness at the door...and to remember that God is with me.  God is in charge...not me.
It is not about me...my pain...my embarrassment..my inconvenience....  It is about His Glory...His Story.

When we think of trials...being persecuted...tough times...all we tend to see is the steps of the painful journey.  But James says to, "consider it joy."  He says...don't focus on the trial...think of God's blessings.  God is giving you all the good gifts of maturity and completeness.   He will be there the whole way with you. 

 Take heart...my friends....Jesus, the resurrected Lord is with you.  So next time..."consider it pure joy."

Exhortation...."Back Door Advice"

"Billy, remember to say thank you to Mrs. Johnson"

In my Bible...the chapter heading for Hebrews 13 is: "Concluding Exhortations".

Now these "headings" are not a part of the original text...but were later added for organizational purposes along with the chapter numbers and verse numbers.  In fact the word "exhortation"used in this heading was probably not even used until the 14th century.  Regardless....Exhortation means: "language intended to incite and encourage."  and that is exactly what chapter thirteen is doing here. It is good advice.  It is some last minute words to remind the listener of what they need to live life well.  It is the same thing parents do as their children are rushing out the door into the world... "Billy, remember to tie your shoes...and to be nice to Mary Anne...and to say thank you to Mrs. Johnson when you get out of her car." This is an exhortation. A reminder of what is right!!!!


In Hebrews let's list the Exhortations:

• Keep on loving one another
• Remember those in prison and those who are mistreated (those persecuted for their faith?)
• Be faithful to your spouse
• Don't let money rule your life....be content with what you have
• Model yourself after the people you know "really following Christ"
• Be wise...don't chase worldly teachings
• In your conversations...praise and  acknowledge God
• Do good and to share with others
• Submit to authority figures in your life
• Pray

So as we exit Hebrews...we are like the kid leaving through the back door for a full day of adventure in the world.  Let us take these "exhortations" from Hebrews with us and let them remind us of "who's we are" (God's children) and how we are to live life, today. So since we are God's children...His advice to us...will provide a framework for living life well.  It is the best advice we will ever get.