A Wake-up Call for Christians
But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their faculties trained by practice to distinguish between good and evil. (Hebrews 5:14)
Heb. 5:11-6:1; Prov. 4:18; Acts 21:20; I Cor. 13:11, 14:20; Eph. 4:13, 5:14-16
What Is God Saying?
This portion of Hebrews is a wake-up call to slumbering Christians. Hebrews is a letter to Jewish Christians who were still in the homeland of Jesus. They had accepted Him (by the thousands, Acts 21:20), but their understanding of the purpose of His coming, and their acceptance of Him as Messiah still had overtones of political expediency. To them, Jesus, as Messiah, would benefit and fit in with the goals of Jewish nationalism, but Jesus is far more than that, far better than that. That concept of Jesus was never accurate. His universal kingdom could never fit (will never fit) within the boundaries of nati0nalism.
These Christians, who were caught between their traditions and the irresistible tide of the Gospel, needed to see their Messiah as a universal King, the Mighty God, the only hope of humankind anywhere and everywhere. ‘God so loved the world.’ So they needed to be instructed again on the first principles of God's Word. They were still feeding on milk as babies when, in fact, they should be mature enough to feed on solid food. The first grade of school is basic and necessary, but to stay there is tragic. This is the theme of Hebrews: Jesus Christ is greater than angels, greater than Moses, greater than the priesthood, offering a better sacrifice and promising a better life.
How Does This Apply To Us?
We all need to answer the wake-up call that leads us through discipline, devotion, and practice to maturity in Christ. All of us need to grow up. God is always beyond us. We are never beyond Him, but that is no excuse for being stagnant or failing to ‘have our faculties trained by practice.’ The call of God is a call to life, a better life, a fuller life. In his pocket Bible, Cromwell had a motto, ‘He which ceases to be better, ceases to be good.’ We are not growing up in Christ if we do not reflect Him in His love and goodness, His mercy and compassi0n, His hatred of sin, and His love of the sinner. Wake up! There is more to learn about the works of God, the will of God, and the Word of God.
Pray With Me
Lord of my life, all longing to rise above what I am to what I may become is encouraged by Your Word and inspired by Your example. I would be mature in the Christian faith. Help me not to neglect the solid food which is needed to be mature.
• no longer the dominion of sin, but fully committed to the way of righteousness,
• no longer wandering in aimless frustrat10n, but walking fearlessly through darkness and storm with a single high purpose, ‘Your kingdom come, Your will be done.’
Give me the solid food of suffering with Christ that I may be glorified with Him.
• When I am tempted to draw back from the cares and needs of others, help me remember that the faith of the mature is strengthened by testing.
• When I am inclined to murmur against You when, for a season and a reason, You withhold the sunlight, remind me that the faith of the mature is refined by fire.
One mark of those who are mature consists of having ‘faculties trained by practice to distinguish good from evil.’ When my life was committed to You, dear Lord, I gave You the control of my faculties. Now I will not shun the training of my faculties by practice. When I am required to distinguish good from evil and to make the right decision, I will not complain. Training by practice is Your will and Your way to bring about maturity. I will come to that place with at least the dedication of an athlete or a musician. I will be willing to accept both the plan of maturity and the practice that makes it perfect.
In the name of Him who, though He was a Son, learned obedience through what He suffered. Amen.
Moving On In The Life of Prayer
Usually, our last prayer of the day is at our bedside. It is a good thing to let God prepare us for rest and we are thankful that His unslumbering eye will take care of things while we are needfully out of it. But consider this, prayer is not a sleepy time routine, it is a wake-up call to a better life tomorrow than we lived today. Prayer calls us to slow up, to grow up, to show up when and where God needs us, and to go up, above the clamour and the dust of trivia, where our Lord can speak to us of eternal things.
