Mar 6 Made in Heaven! Hebrews 3:1-2
A Verse to Remember:
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. Matthew 6:33
Gospel Story: Matthew 6:19-21 Store your treasures in heaven.
Hebrews 3:1-2 TPT (The Passion Translation)
And so, dear brothers and sisters, you are now made holy, and each of you is invited to the feast of your heavenly calling. So fasten your thoughts fully onto Jesus, whom we embrace as our Apostle and King-Priest. For He was faithful to the Father who appointed him, in the same way Moses was a model of faithfulness in what was entrusted to him.
Reflection:
You can trust Jesus. What Jesus has to say in Matthew 6:33 names what I believe the writer in Hebrews 3 wants to affirm for his audience.
Let’s begin with what Jesus says in Matthew 6:33, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he (God) will give you everything you need.” Taking Jesus at His word, what is he saying to us here? Make it our first priority to “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else”. How do we do that? Get into the presence of Jesus (Lk 17;21 or Colossians 1:11-14). For where the king is so too is the kingdom. Remember, greater than the angels, Jesus is our Messenger from Heaven, our “Apostle”. He is also God, the Word made flesh, the creator of all things, the ultimate “KING-PRIEST”.
Once we “fasten our thoughts fully onto Jesus…” and see this as our number one priority, what’s next?The writer of Hebrews reminds us, “you are now made Holy”. We are to live out of who we truly are in Christ. in Christ we are “chosen” / “set apart” as God’s children, “HOLY”! You and I have a “righteous” not of our own doing but through faith in Jesus. And so as His Holy Children, we get to live on the other-side of the cross! We get to live with Holy Spirit peace, full of Holy Spirit patience, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, goodness and self control (Gal5:22). These things flow from making it our number one priority to live in Christ. I have found it’s only by spending time in His Presence that these personal heart realities become living expressions of the kingdom God in me. What advantage do i gain living this way?“There is no law against such things” (Gal5:23). It literally is the “freedom” side of the cross. It’s why the author of Hebrews encourages us to “feast on our Heavenly calling”. To Live in Christ is to live in freedom, if the son sets you free you are free indeed!(jn8:36) Paul puts it this way,
Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. Colossians 3:1-4
Practically, if I feel anxious, I get into His Presence and peace reigns. I get offended, I retreat into His Presence and my rage turns to forgiveness. Fear turns into Trust. Anxiety turns into comfort. As we choose to make it a priority to partner with Christ and the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus tells us, “He will give you everything you need.” I want to live this life! It’s the kind of life Hebrews is reminding us is possible through Jesus!