Hebrews 4:14-4:16 and 5:1-5:10 NIV

Jesus the Great High Priest
4:14) Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15) For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin. 16) Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

5:1) Every high priest is selected among men and is appointed to represent them in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2) He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. 3) This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people.
4) No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was. 5) So Christ also did not take upon himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him,
"You are my Son;
today I have become you Father."
6) And again he says in another place,
" You are a high priest forever,
in the order of Melchizedek."
7) During the days of Jusus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8) Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9) and once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 10) and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

Devotion (Eric Gillette)

Just as we are tempted in many ways so it was with Jesus. But unlike our inability to be completely free of sin, Jesus was never overcome by temptation. But because Jesus was tempted he knows what we face and is ready and waiting for us to seek His will to overcome these temptations. Will you seek Him the next time temptation raises up it's ugly head. I hope so!

These verses begin by describing what the qualifications of a priest are (or the leaders of church): they are selected from among men and are appointed to represent them in matters related to God. They must also be able to deal gently with those who are ignorant ( those who do not know God) and are going astray.

We must look at Jesus who was called by God to be the high priest. He prayed and sought petitions from God. He did it with all His heart and soul. he was submissive and obedient to God the Father, He suffered and because of these things was made perfect and ultimately became the source of our salvation.

I know I am never going to be perfect and sin will continue to be a part of my life but this passage reminds me that through Jesus it can be overcome. This is important to me because as I study with a group af men from the Jar about about what it means and takes to be a leader in the church we find that becoming a leader is going to take Jesus' guidence, compassion, "patience", and love to help us realize if this is something we are called to do.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for the inspiration that can be found in Your word for every aspect of our lives, especially those pertaining to the character of Christ. Help us to model our lives on these characteristics.

Titus 2:1-2:8

Titus 2:1 – 2:8 New American Standard Bible Duties of the Older and Younger 2:1) But as for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine. 2) Older men are to be temperate, dignified, sensible, sound of faith, in love, in perseverance. 3) Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, 4) so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5) to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being kind to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored. 6) Likewise urge the young men to be sensible: 7)in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity of doctrine, dignified, 8) sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us. Devotion by Lorrie Gillette This passage is about the christian walk and why it is so important. We are called to be Crost’s representatives in this world. As a woman I am honored to included in this discussion. This passage shows how much God valued women’s membership and gifts, as well as men’s and the use of the family in encouraging and teaching. Self control must be taught and practical for all. In the home women are to teach what is good, train their families in love, the older being an example for the younger so a Godly inheritance may follow. As christian wives and mothers we are committed to continuing our families blessings in the Lord unto future generations. When we act as teachers of Jesus way we must take this seriously, we need to be people of integrity, mindful of the light we sre passing on to others. We are always an example of what we say we believe in. I pray to not be a weak link in this chain. Prayer Heavenly Father, by sending your Son to dwell among us we have received the exaple of living for which we must strive. As christians we are representatives of your eternal kingdom. I pray that Jesus’ example remains ever before us, the holy spirit strengthens our walk and that our example to others would reflect the love and honor due Him and You out creator. In Jesus name be all honor and power and glory. Amen.

Titus 1:10-16

Titus 1: 10-16 (NLT)

For there are many who rebel against right teaching; they engage in useless talk and deceive people. This is especially true of those who insist on circumcision for salvation. 11 They must be silenced. By their wrong teaching, they have already turned whole families away from the truth. Such teachers only want your money. 12 One of their own men, a prophet from Crete, has said about them, “The people of Crete are all liars; they are cruel animals and lazy gluttons.” 13 This is true. So rebuke them as sternly as necessary to make them strong in the faith. 14 They must stop listening to Jewish myths and the commands of people who have turned their backs on the truth.

15 Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are defiled. 16 Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live. They are despicable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good.

DEVOTION (Chris Bunch) “Pure Heart”

One question that I often ask myself is this: Is your heart pure? Purity does not mean perfection rather it focuses on whether or not your heart is turned toward yourself or turned toward God. When our hearts are focused on God they are pure and we see His goodness all around us. When Christ is in control of our life we learn to see goodness and purity———even in this evil world. When a person’s heart is focused on themselves, they tend to see and find evil in everything because their self-centered minds and hearts color even the good they see and hear as evil. The reality is this: “Whatever you fill your mind with will affect the way you think and act.” So, the question is: What will you fill your mind with? This week I encourage you to turn your thoughts to God and his words, and as you do that you will discover more and more goodness, even in this evil world. One exercise I often do to focus more on God is I set my cell phone alarm to go off each hour and when it does——I try to spend a few seconds connecting with God. I don’t think of God every moment, so I need a reminder to focus on him. So, this week fulfill these words: “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable——if anything is excellent or praiseworthy——-think about such things.” “Philippians 4:8 (NIV)

PRAYER: God, help my heart to be pure this week. Give me the strength to focus more upon you than I do the circumstances around me. Thank you for loving me no matter what. In Jesus name. Amen.

Titus 1:1-9

Titus 1:1-9 (The Message)

Titus 1 1-4I, Paul, am God’s slave and Christ’s agent for promoting the faith among God’s chosen people, getting out the accurate word on God and how to respond rightly to it. My aim is to raise hopes by pointing the way to life without end. This is the life God promised long ago—and he doesn’t break promises! And then when the time was ripe, he went public with his truth. I’ve been entrusted to proclaim this Message by order of our Savior, God himself. Dear Titus, legitimate son in the faith: Receive everything God our Father and Jesus our Savior give you!
A Good Grip on the Message 5-9I left you in charge in Crete so you could complete what I left half-done. Appoint leaders in every town according to my instructions. As you select them, ask, “Is this man well-thought-of? Is he committed to his wife? Are his children believers? Do they respect him and stay out of trouble?” It’s important that a church leader, responsible for the affairs in God’s house, be looked up to—not pushy, not short-tempered, not a drunk, not a bully, not money-hungry. He must welcome people, be helpful, wise, fair, reverent, have a good grip on himself, and have a good grip on the Message, knowing how to use the truth to either spur people on in knowledge or stop them in their tracks if they oppose it.

Devotional: In biblical times, Paul was a champion for Christ. He continuously sought out ways to spread the news and was in charge of looking for others to help. He trusted God and this embodied the way he lived his life. Who are today’s leaders? There not just our ministers and those who have sought out a Christian education. They can be any of us. God has given each of us gifts and talents that can be used to reach others with the message of Jesus Christ. He also has given us past experiences, some painful and others uplifting, that can serve as incredible testaments to God’s never ending love and work in our lives. We like Paul must be a champion for Christ and “play it forward”.

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that you will give me wisdom, encouragement and faith to become a leader in spreading news about Christ to others. Amen.

2 Timothy 3:14-4:8

2 Timothy 3:14-17: (New International Version)
14But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 4:1 -8 (New International Version)
1In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. 6For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. 7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

(Devotional by Marilyn Brooks)
Even though I was not raised in a Christian home, I knew God was good. I was fed little bits of His word from time to time and felt joy when I would hear music that told of His love for me. Now as a reborn adult I have a window in my heart that I can clearly see God and the love and mercy he has for me. With all the busyness in our lives today, it is easy to let that window get fogged up. When tragedy strikes the pebbles of pain hit that window and tiny little cracks begin to cloud our vision. By allowing our vision of God to get distorted, we lose our focus of what we have learned and know to be the truth.
Continue to fellowship with other Christians through Church, small groups and prayer. Take 5 minutes to read scripture or a daily devotional each day to keep that window clean and clear so that you can see what God has planned for you. It will bring you joy that is so worth the time.

Prayer: Lord, sometimes this life gets too busy, frustrating and confusing. Help me to slow down and take time to look to you for guidance and strength. Thank you for being my rock that supports me in all that I do. In Jesus name, Amen.