An Interesting (and Humorous) Bible Lesson

A few days ago my friend Tina sent me a link that was incredibly encouraging in the midst of our house trials. This blog entry by Beth Moore spoke to me exactly where I am and lifted me up despite our circumstances. It amazes me how God's Word always has something new and fresh--I can know a verse or passage backwards and forwards, and yet seeing it in light of different circumstances can allow me to pull even more from it.

I've been digging deep into Beth's wonderful study about the Tabernacle, and we've gone back and forth from Old Testament to New. Last week's video session focused on nuggets from Hebrews 10, the week before from Hebrews 6. So reading Beth's blog, which took 10:35 and expanded on it, was almost like sitting down with her for a follow-up session. The verse reads: "So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised."

Between the verses, the blog entry, and our Bible study, it seemed God was encouraging and speaking to my heart directly. Since we are taking a couple of weeks off from the study (our leader is out of town), I decided to spend my quiet times really focusing on these passages. Lo and behold, I found something that made me laugh out loud, and I wanted to share it with you, because I truly believe God has a sense of humor!

The context for this passage is that the author of Hebrews is speaking to Christians who are in need of spiritual encouragement. They have suffered much for their faith, and he wants to remind them to hold fast to what they have, focusing on the eternal rather than the temporary. Here are the verses from Hebrews 10:32-34, with the emphasis being mine:

"Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions."

Ahem! I think I need to be a little more joyful about our house being confiscated! God has indeed been reminding me through various Scriptures that this world is NOT our home, and I just had to chuckle when I read this passage. We are not the only ones in all of history who have had to give up their houses, and at least we are not having to move to jail!