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People need hope more than ever. As followers of Jesus, we have this promise in Colossians 1:27.....CLICK HERE

Writer's pictureChet Gladkowski

Thursday-Keep Talking

 

For it is declared: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”

 

Hebrews 7:17

 

I have this habit. Once I start talking, I just sort of keep it up. Once I get into gear with my mouth, it’s hard to slow down. And even harder to stop. It’s like a rock rolling down a hill, once it gets started, there’s no stopping it.

 

Perhaps this is why I made the change in my career from technology and leadership to sales. When I was a leader, it was my responsibility to listen. To see what the problems were before opening my big mouth. But once in sales, I just naturally fell into it. When I went to a company’s office, I already knew that they had a problem. Their trouble was that they weren’t using our software, and I had the answer. This gave me the chance to talk about the industry and how our solution was going to make their lives great.

 

There is a time to keep on talking. To not stop giving the message. I’m not talking about the recordings they play in stores to help you buy more and more stuff. Stuff you don’t really need.

 

In this life, there are certain things that need to be said over and over again. Things that are so important that have to keep repeating them. Repeating them to ourselves. To our family and friends. The stranger on the street. In our social media posts.

 

When it comes to the Hebrews who are under persecution, they need to hear encouragement and truth over and over again. They can’t get enough of it. They are under the thumb of the Romans and Jewish leaders. They want the Hebrews to give up all this Jesus nonsense. That he’s the only way. The only truth. The only life[1].

 

So, to go against the flow of government pressure and religious persecution, the writer tells these Hebrews something encouraging. Something that they can hold onto while their homes and possessions are being taken away. When they are taken away to jail. When the lives of their families and friends are being taken away.

 

What could be the message that they needed to hear? A message that would so change the way they think about all the problems and persecutions around them. A truth that would turn their world right-side-up. A new way of thinking that would make all the pain and struggles of this life worthwhile.

 

The life-changing message is that Jesus is a forever kind of priest. He’s not like all the other priests that have ever walked the earth. All those priests live and then die. That’s it. They all eventually have to pass their priesthood duties along to someone else. None of them ever just stayed being a priest forever.

 

Jesus was the most unique priest ever. Period. All other priests have a day when they start their duties as a priest. They only have a certain number of days that they’re a priest. And then comes the day that they stop serving as a priest. They throw them a retirement party and give them a gold watch for all the years of service.

 

But not Jesus. He’s the one and only forever kind of priest. His forever representing us before God the Father. He’s always interceding for us[2]. He’s always our advocate, speaking to God the Father for us[3]. I find this whole idea both confusing and comforting.

 

  • Confusing. If it were you or me, we’d get tired. We’d get bored. We’d lose focus and start daydreaming. After all, how much can one priest-do? Doing it over and over. And then, on top of all that, I think about how totally unworthy I am of the love of God. Of his dying for me. This just throws my head and heart into a spin.

  • Comforting. And then, when I really take a look at my life, I see that I need Jesus each and every minute of all the days of my life. I see just how awful I am and am in desperate need of forgiveness. Yes, the sacrifice of Jesus did pay for my sins once and for all, but I’m still living this out and the fact that he’s still forgiving me just melts my heart.

 

This is why the writer doesn’t just do what I’d do. I’ tell them the truth once and then it was up to them to remember it. But the writer to the Hebrews tells them that God loving message for them is so much greater. God keeps on telling them about this Melchizedek priesthood. Over and over God keeps repeating the message because that’s exactly what they need. They need the constant reminder of God’s unchanging love for them.

 

And that’s exactly what we need too. We are so easily distracted and forgetful. We need to keep hearing the message of God’s love. Over and over we need to let it sink deep down into our soul. Like taking a refreshing shower, we should never want it to end. The loving message of God needs to rain down on us.

 

God never gets tired of repeating the message about his loving kindness to us. He’s happy to keep talking about how he wants nothing but the absolute best for us. We were made to spend eternity with him. And it cost him the death of his dear son to bring us back to God. So, how can we not keep talking about him?

 

Noodling Questions

 

  • List three things that you need to keep repeating. Explain why.

  • Describe how Jesus is both comforting and confusing to you? To the world?

  • If God never stops talking about his love for us, why is the opposite so hard?


[1] John 14:6

[2] Romans 8:34

[3] 1 John 2:1

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