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Day 39: Hebrews 2/Psalm 100
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Saturday April 3, 2004
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…He [Jesus] had
to enter into every detail of human life. Then, when he came before
God as high priest to get rid of the people’s sins, he would have
already experienced it all himself--all the pain, all the
testing--and would be able to help where help was needed.
Hebrews 2:17-18 (The Message Bible)
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Jesus has Fingerprints
God isn’t watching us “from a distance.” He is not light years away
hanging out in the cosmos. You don’t even have to climb a really tall mountain
to find Him. He is among us, and He even became one of us. In the movie
Good Will Hunting, Will Hunting, played by Matt Damon, was a genius; he
knew everything about every subject. He made a Harvard history student
look like a fool, and He made a renowned MIT professor feel like just
another mathematician. His knowledge was unlimited, but Will was an
orphan who had never left Boston and never experienced life outside of
the books that he read in his unfurnished shack. Here is a conversation
between Will and Sean--his appointed therapist--played by Robin
Williams, during a key moment in their relationship.
SEAN:
So, if I asked you about art, you'd probably give me the skinny on
every art book ever written. Michelangelo. You know a lot about him.
Life's work, political aspirations, him and the pope, sexual
orientation, the whole works, right? But I bet you can't tell me what
it smells like in the Sistine Chapel. You've never actually stood there
and looked up at that beautiful ceiling...You're a tough kid. I ask you
about war, you'd probably uh...throw Shakespeare at me, right?
"Once more into the breach, dear friends." But you've never
been near one. You've never held your best friend's head in your lap,
and watched him gasp his last breath looking to you for help. I ask you
about love, y'probably quote me a sonnet. But you've never looked at a
woman and been totally vulnerable...known someone that could level you
with her eyes. Feeling like God put an angel on Earth just for
you...who could rescue you from the depths of Hell. And you wouldn't
know what it's like to be her angel, 'n to have that love for her be
there forever. Through anything. Through cancer. And you wouldn't know
about sleepin' sittin' up in a hospital room for two months, holding her
hand because the doctors could see in your eyes that the terms visiting
hours don't apply to you. You don't know about real loss, because that
only occurs when you love something more than you love yourself...Do
you think I'd know the first thing about how hard your life has been,
how you feel, who you are because I read Oliver Twist? Does that
encapsulate you?
Jesus took on our
humanity. He knows what is like to be human--to be weary, to have
temptations. He didn’t just read the book, he lived it. When I read
Hebrews, I realize how close God is. He is only a prayer, a thought, a
poem away. Don’t let the stuff of this life keep him distant. He can
relate...tell him your story.
Today’s
Prayer:
God, I want to know you more, and I want you to know me. Thank you
for taking the first step towards our relationship. I know that you
know everything, but I wanted to tell this to you myself…(feel free to
continue with your story).
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Memory Verse of the Week:
"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the
shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD , "He is my
refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."
Psalm 91:1-2 (New International Version)
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For a complete
listing of all the previous devotionals in this "50 Day
Experience," click here.
To read the chapter or psalm of the day online, click on one of the
following links:
o
Hebrews
2
o
Psalm
100
Jason Oden, oden@cincyvineyard.com, Operations
Coordinator for the Zone Team at VCC
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