Dana Hagstrom – Page 418

Hebrews 7:1-14 – Who is Melchizedek?

What a name! Melchizedek. Not one we hear often. I’m not even sure how to pronounce it. As you know, my devotional reflections are never meant to be a full-on Bible study. I simply share how God is speaking to my heart. My hope is you hear God speaking to you as well.

Today, however, I felt like I wanted to learn a bit more to understand who Melchizedek was. It’s a name I’ve heard before, but it’s not as common as some of the other Bible heroes (to me at least). So I did a little side reading. I learned that Melchizedek was only mentioned a couple of times in the Old Testament. What the author says here is piecing a couple stories together, and maybe even some “lore”. The line in today’s text that struck me was, “He remains a priest forever, resembling the Son of God.” How does he resemble Jesus? Continue reading “Hebrews 7:1-14 – Who is Melchizedek?”

Hebrews 6:13-20 – God’s Promises

Read Hebrews 6:13-20

Did you know that Abraham waited 25 years from the time God promised to multiply his descendants until he had his first son? That was patience! That was obedience! That was God being true to his word. We can always be sure God will keep his promises.

There are many things in life we can not be sure of. You may have had a life experience when you were trusting in someone or something only to be hurt in some way. It’s not the same with God. I especially like the image of an anchor. “This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls.” We can have confidence in this hope for God will not disappoint. We can be grounded in the truth that God loves us and has our best interest in mind. Continue reading “Hebrews 6:13-20 – God’s Promises”

Hebrews 6:1-12 – Don’t Go There

Read Hebrews 6:1-12

Some troubling verses pop in today’s reading. We all know people who have been close to us in the body of Christ and then drifted away for one reason or another. Perhaps there was a relationship meltdown, or difficulty with unanswered questions, or feeling the expectations of the church were too limiting. The reality is we have a choice of whether we focus on growing closer to God or just coast along. Those who coast will certainly drift. The author knew this, and we’ve seen it too. It is merely good practice to be warned of the consequences or at least the probabilities of that choice.

The writer paints a pretty drastic and tragic picture here for his audience. Who would want to be locked out the kingdom of God with no possibility of being redeemed? Those who scoff wouldn’t care at first, but when enlightenment returned, if ever, what then? The reality is that more times than not, people don’t return. There is no desire. Continue reading “Hebrews 6:1-12 – Don’t Go There”

Hebrews 5:11-14 – Growing Up

Read Hebrews 5:11-14

How long have you been a Christian, that is a Christ follower who believes and trusts in Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Maybe you always remember being a Christian, maybe you’re just beginning to experience Jesus’ life-saving grace. We are all walking along in our faith journey at different points with experiences to share. We are growing up in our faith daily by spending time with God, reading his word, seeking his will for our life.

The original readers of this text were brand new Christians, Jewish Christians, who had so much to learn. They knew how to be Jews, but their whole world changed when they claimed Jesus as their Messiah. Many had probably been left behind by their family members who remained true to Jewish belief that the Messiah had not yet come. Imagine the turmoil inside them. It makes sense they would need the counsel of other Christians further along in the journey and understanding to come alongside them. Continue reading “Hebrews 5:11-14 – Growing Up”

Hebrews 4:14-5:10 – Our High Priest

Read Hebrews 4:14-5:10

The verse that spoke loudest to me today was v. 16, “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” I have read that over and over several times. What an honor! We can come boldly before God. Jesus has made that possible. Before Jesus, our access to God was limited by communication through another human, a high priest.

Only those chosen by God could serve as a high priest. What a great honor. With this great privilege came quite a responsibility to the people. High priests were to go before God with the prayers and sacrifices of the people, only to turn around and go to the people with a blessing from God. It all changed when God appointed his Son, Jesus, to be our high priest. We now have access to God and can come boldly. Continue reading “Hebrews 4:14-5:10 – Our High Priest”