Contemplative Bible Reading

Hebrews 5:14 (New Living Translation)

Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.

The writer is instructing the Hebrews about the nature of Jesus in God’s greater plan for mankind. This is a complicated matter. The writer chides some of the readers for their immaturity in these teachings.

There are those, however, who are mature in God. The writer likens this to how babies can only digest liquid; the mature can digest solid food.

And what is this “solid food?” It is the title of this post: the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong. I think life on earth is just that. Here I am sitting in the coffee shop banging out words on the blog and sipping coffee. Do I have the skill to recognize right and wrong? There must be more to maturity than that, huh? I mean, let’s move to the complex discussions of complex issues that complex people can discuss, huh?

Nope. Right and wrong. That’s it. Someone cuts in front of me on the road. I need to get back at ’em. Nope. That’s not right. But…no buts. Mature people see beyond the immediate revenge and “justice.” Mature people swallow the short-term situation and do the greater right, not the immediate wrong.

Hmmm, maybe there is something to this right and wrong and maturity. Please God, help me to be with the mature.

Genesis 6:9 (New Living Translation)

This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God.

This begins the (hi)story of Noah, the flood, and the ark full of animals. The earth is full of human wickedness. This is not what God intended with creation. An earlier verse tells us that this broke God’s heart. The sinful rebellion was so bad that it broke God’s heart.

And then there was Noah. Noah found favor with God. Noah lived each day (“walked”) close to God. Noah was blameless—the only such person on the earth.

Noah wanted to be close to God. Therefore, God kept Noah close. While the earth was to be covered with water that would wipe out people, Noah would rise above it all with God. God would provide a big boat to carry Noah safely out of the flood. And God would provide for Noah’s family as well, so Noah would not be alone.

If we want to be close to God, God provides a boat to let us ride above the evil of the world and be close to God. God also provides others of similar hearts to be with us. Just like Noah and the ark and his family and the animals. God, family, creation, and all these things are available to those who wish to be close to God. Please God, help me along.

Hebrews 1:14 (New Living Translation)

Therefore, angels are only servants—spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation.

The writer is telling the Hebrews about the Son of God. Jesus Christ is far above the angels in position, power, and everything else. Whoa. Impressive. The angels? Those angelic beings that appear obviously to people here and there, now and then?

The angels are only servants. Only servants? The angels are sent to care for the followers of Jesus. Yeah, but don’t the angels have supernatural powers that I can’t imagine? They appear and do amazing things and … they have to be more than my servant, right? Nope. Angels are my servants. They tend to my needs.

Well, they could do a better job for me, huh? They could do a better job for a lot of folks I see who need more care than me. Right?

I don’t see the angels. At least I don’t think I see them. There is much that I don’t see. There is much that I don’t understand. Please God, help me to see more, at least a little more. And thank you God for angelic servants.

1 Peter 2:16 (New Living Translation)

For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil.

I am free. I am God’s slave.

Okay, must be something wrong with the translation here. How can I be both free and a slave at the same time?

I believe that we sometimes confuse words written a few thousand years ago with the same words that we use quite differently today. Maybe.

I am a slave to God in that God is my owner and master. God is the highest being there is in my life. There is none other who can compare. If God is my master, I am in a position like a slave or complete servant of God.

Since God is my owner and master, I am free from sin and death. Those things no longer rule or own me. Their power over my life has been removed. Consider that statement for a lifetime.

Please God, help me to be your slave. Thank you that I am no longer a slave to sin and death. Help me to understand and live the difference.

2 Peter 1:10-11 (New Living Translation)

10 So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away. 11 Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Peter is writing about growing in Christ. The opposite is falling away from Christ.

The path of growth the Peter mentions in this letter is something like:

• faith
• moral excellence
• knowledge
• self-control
• patient endurance
• godliness
• brotherly affection
• love for everyone

I believe that this is not the only path, but it is a pretty good one. Consider each item for a long time. How can I better practice this? How can I better live this? I am not working my way to heaven with these steps, that is impossible. Perhaps, however, I will have a better life. Each day and each step in my walk with Christ will be better in one way or a thousand other ways.

God, I eagerly await the grand entrance into your eternal kingdom. Help me to grow with each step. Help me to bless others along the way.

2 Peter 1:5-7 (New Living Translation)

5 In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.

These are the words of God. The heart and mind couldn’t create this.

Have faith—belief. To this believe faith add a a generous provision of moral excellence. Let’s try to understand that one.

Since creation, mankind has understood morality. People knew some things were wrong. People punished others who were immoral and did wrong. People saw how nature punished those who were immoral and did wrong.

Peter encourages the reader to respond to God’s promises. Believe in God and add a generous provision of moral excellence. Morality is not enough—excellence in morality is encouraged.

Why not practice moral excellence? What will it cost me? I have everything in Christ Jesus. What other gifts do I wish? Sure, a yacht would be nice (until I have to clean it and repair the engines). A million dollars would be nice (until my phone rings and rings because of folks wanting to sell me something). I could go on with “this would be nice and that would be nice,” but really. What’s the use?

Practice moral excellence. Let’s all try that. Please God, help me each day.

Hebrews 2:14-15 (New Living Translation)

14 Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. 15 Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.

I don’t want to die. Not yet at least. I mean I have a loving family and many luxuries that make life pleasurable every day. Why would I want to end this? God’s blessings are all around and inside me.

Let’s move to the deeper conversation about death. The devil had the power of death. The devil used that power to torment people. Many people over the ages were slaves to the fear of dying. To stay alive, these people did all sorts of evil deeds. The “survival instinct” was the devil tormenting them.

The Son of God became flesh and blood. The Son of God died just like every human dies. I don’t fully understand the physical life and death of a spiritual being—it’s just to complicated for me. Nevertheless, it happened. That miserable change to physical to die freed me from slavery to the fear of death.

I don’t want to die. I don’t, however, have a morbid fear of dying. I believe there is something good waiting for me. Please God, help me in my unbelief.

1 John 2:16 (New Living Translation)

For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.

This is in the first letter from John to different churches. In these sentences, John describes the things the world offers to mankind. A more famous rendition of these words comes from the Kings James Version as:

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

1 John 2:16, King James Version

This is the familiar “lust of the flesh and eyes and pride of life.”

God’s creation is wonderful. God’s creation excites the five senses God gave us. Enjoying the wonderful creation is fine and glorious.

“The world” offers something different. The sinful world wants us to crave the creation and dive into it for all the pleasures it has. And if someone else is in the way, too bad for them because I will do to them whatever I have to do so that I get the pleasures of creation. And then I will stand with one foot on their crushed body and shout, “Look at me! I have more of creation than anyone else. I am superior to all those who got in my way!”

That is what the world offers. Smash those who are in my way so I can have more. Look at history. Yep, pretty much describes it from start to finish. Cain got more by smashing Abel. Russian leaders try to get more by smashing Ukraine. Not much has changed.

Want the world and all this? Want peace with God? We can choose. Let’s choose wisely.

Titus 1:1 (New Living Translation)

This letter is from Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. I have been sent to proclaim faith to those God has chosen and to teach them to know the truth that shows them how to live godly lives.

Paul is writing to his friend Titus. Paul introduces his letter by describing his mission in life: proclaim faith in God. Paul seeks to teach the truth that shows people how to live godly lives.

Paul isn’t teaching math; Paul isn’t teaching farming skills. Paul teaches ways to live godly lives. “This is closer to God than that.” Plain, simple, beneficial.

Want to live more like God? Read on.

Those words are true today. Want to live more like God? Read on. Read the Bible and read it a few times more. I have read the Bible one end to the other a few dozen times. I am slow, so I am just starting to catch onto these things. These truths that lead to godly lives are in the Bible. I just have to do better and read with an open heart and mind. Thank you God for your patience.

Jude 1:22-23 (New English Translation)

22 And have mercy on those who waver; 23 save others by snatching them out of the fire; have mercy on others, coupled with a fear of God, hating even the clothes stained by the flesh

Jude is writing to dear friends in Christ. There are sinful people all around these dear friends. Sin creeps into the group regularly, so Jude encourages the friends on how to act.

Show mercy; snatch others out of the fires of sin. Sin is so detestable that Jude describes it as staining the clothes worn by the person who commits sin.

Stained clothes? Yes. And clothes are replaceable; souls are not. Take away the stained clothes and burn them. Save the soul from the burning fires of punishment.

That is what Jesus did for us. Let us remind ourselves daily of the gift of grace. Let us show what mercy we can to one another and keep the stained clothes away.