The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Matthew 23:8-11,
"You are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant."
Jesus comments here remind me of what Paul told his protégé, Timothy, "For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people." 1 Timothy 2:5-6. One, and only one mediator!
Our contact with God, our reach to God, our relationship with God, is not something that finds itself facilitated by anyone other than the Son of God himself. We do not require anyone to stand in the breach between us and God, save the Son of God himself. The reason for this is that there need not be any breach between us and God, as the Son of God has made our reach to God immediate (not just in terms of time but in terms of distance). Jesus has closed the gap, making peace possible for us with our Heavenly Father.
We don't need a priest, as Peter points out we are members of God's spiritual priesthood, "As you come to him, the living Stone [Jesus Christ]—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 2:4-5. He goes on to say, "You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." 1 Peter 2:9-10.
We have no need of a pope, we have no need of some kind of guru. No Muhammad, Joseph Smith or that TV evangelist No "spiritual leaders" required here. Our access to God is through Jesus Christ himself - direct!
Reach out to him today, embrace him in faith. Something that can be done right from our own kitchen chair today!
A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
"You are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant."
Jesus comments here remind me of what Paul told his protégé, Timothy, "For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people." 1 Timothy 2:5-6. One, and only one mediator!
Our contact with God, our reach to God, our relationship with God, is not something that finds itself facilitated by anyone other than the Son of God himself. We do not require anyone to stand in the breach between us and God, save the Son of God himself. The reason for this is that there need not be any breach between us and God, as the Son of God has made our reach to God immediate (not just in terms of time but in terms of distance). Jesus has closed the gap, making peace possible for us with our Heavenly Father.
We don't need a priest, as Peter points out we are members of God's spiritual priesthood, "As you come to him, the living Stone [Jesus Christ]—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 2:4-5. He goes on to say, "You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." 1 Peter 2:9-10.
We have no need of a pope, we have no need of some kind of guru. No Muhammad, Joseph Smith or that TV evangelist No "spiritual leaders" required here. Our access to God is through Jesus Christ himself - direct!
Reach out to him today, embrace him in faith. Something that can be done right from our own kitchen chair today!
A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
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