Verse of the Day 12/4

Verse of the Day 12/4

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.   English Standard Version (ESV)

Today's passage in The Message begins with "don't be obsessed with getting more material things, be relaxed with what you have".  The Christmas season of giving for many has turned into an obsession with getting, what will I get for Christmas.  The greatest gift has already been given, Jesus Christ as Savior, He is a gift that will never wear out, never grow old and never lose significance.

Max Lucado writes, "The present-tense Christ. He never says, "I was."  We do. We do because "we were." We were younger, faster, prettier. Prone to be people of the past tense, we reminisce.  Not God. Unwavering in strength, He need never say, "I was." From the center of the storm, the unwavering Jesus shouts, "I am."

Reading Lucado's statement brought to mind Jesus' "I Am" statements.  All of them are I am, not I was and not I will become.  Jesus still is all of these things:

"I am the bread of life."  John 6:35

"I am the light of the world". John 8:12

"I am the gate/the door".  John 10:9

"I am the good shepherd". John 10:11

"I am the resurrection and the life".  John 11:25-26

"I am the way, the truth and the life". John 14:6

"I am the vine"  John 15:5

Jesus is still all of those things and forever will be.  As The Message states below, "don't be lured by the latest speculations about Him", rejoice in who He is as stated in scripture.

--   In Christ,  Mike    Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com  Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,  in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV    

Hebrews 13:5-12The Message (MSG)

^5-6 Don't be obsessed with getting more material things. Be relaxed with what you have. Since God assured us, "I'll never let you down, never walk off and leave you," we can boldly quote,

God is there, ready to help;
I'm fearless no matter what.
Who or what can get to me?

^7-8 Appreciate your pastoral leaders who gave you the Word of God. Take a good look at the way they live, and let their faithfulness instruct you, as well as their truthfulness. There should be a consistency that runs through us all. For Jesus doesn't change—yesterday, today, tomorrow, he's always totally himself.

⁹ Don't be lured away from him by the latest speculations about him. The grace of Christ is the only good ground for life. Products named after Christ don't seem to do much for those who buy them.

^10-12 The altar from which God gives us the gift of himself is not for exploitation by insiders who grab and loot. In the old system, the animals are killed and the bodies disposed of outside the camp. The blood is then brought inside to the altar as a sacrifice for sin. It's the same with Jesus. He was crucified outside the city gates—that is where he poured out the sacrificial blood that was brought to God's altar to cleanse his people.