Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

July 17
Thursday


LOOKIN'
GOOD!

READ:
Hebrews 10:19-25
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Let us consider one
another in order
to stir up love and
good works.
__Hebrews 10:24
____________________________________________________________________________________________
After trying on my new sunglasses in the car one day, my daughter handed them back and said, "These are not sunglasses, Mom. They're just fashion lenses. Let me guess," she teased, "you bought them because you look cute in them."

Okay, I have to admit__my daughter knows me. I hadn't given a passing thought to UV rays or even whether those glasses would actually block the sun. I just really liked the way they looked on me.

Most of us like to look good. We want to appear that we "have it all together"__with no struggles or fears or temptations or heartaches.

Trying to maintain a facade of perfection on our spiritual journey doesn't help us or our fellow travelers. But sharing our lives with others in the body of Christ benefits us as well as others. When we are a bit more transparent, we may find people who are struggling in a similar situation. And as we enjoy a growing fellowship with God and become more aware of our own brokenness and inadequacy, God is able to use us more fully to help others.

Let's allow God to strip away any pretense and "let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds" (Heb. 10:24 NIV). __Cindy Hess Kasper

```````````````````Wearing a mask that shows everything's fine```````````````````````
``````````````````Says that life's struggles are not God's design;``````````````````````
```````````````````But when we're open, transparent, and true,``````````````````````
```````````````People will trust God to meet their needs too. __Sper``````````````````
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Believers stand strong when they don't stand alone.

*******************************Today's Bible Reading __ Hebrews 10:19-25*****************************

19 Therefore, brethren,
having boldness to enter the
Holiest by the blood of
Jesus, 20 by a new and living
way which He consecrated
for us, through the veil, that
is, His flesh, 21 and having a
High Priest over the house
of God, 22 let us draw near
with a true heart in full
assurance of faith, having
our hearts sprinkled from an
evil conscience and our
bodies washed with pure
water. 23 Let us hold fast the
confession of our hope
without wavering, for He
who promised is faithful.

24 And let us consider one
another in order to stir up
love and good works, 25 not
forsaking the assembling of
ourselves together, as is the
manner of some, but
exhorting one another, and
so much the more as you see
the Day approaching.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

One of the great ongoing debates among Bible scholars involves
the authorship of the letter to the Hebrews. In the early days of
the church, it was generally regarded to have been written by the
apostle Paul, but scholars disagree about its authorship today. Along
with stylistic elements of the content that these scholars say does
not match the writings of Paul, one often-cited argument against
Pauline authorship is that Hebrews is anonymous, and Paul declared
that he always signed his letters (2 Thess. 3:17). Some of the names
offered as the possible human author of this inspired letter include
Luke, Apollos, Barnabas, and Priscilla.