1
00:00:32,025 --> 00:00:36,305
Speaker 1: Hey friends, Jennifer Slattery here thanking you for a wonderful year.

2
00:00:36,625 --> 00:00:39,745
Speaker 1: Your support means the world to us. I also wanted

3
00:00:39,784 --> 00:00:41,425
Speaker 1: to let you know that my team and I will

4
00:00:41,465 --> 00:00:44,104
Speaker 1: be taking a two week break in January to regroup

5
00:00:44,144 --> 00:00:47,705
Speaker 1: and refuel spiritually. During that time, will we air some

6
00:00:47,784 --> 00:00:51,385
Speaker 1: of our most popular episodes if you've already listened to them.

7
00:00:51,545 --> 00:00:55,505
Speaker 1: Perhaps consider this an opportunity to prayerfully reflect on the

8
00:00:55,585 --> 00:00:59,785
Speaker 1: truce anew. May you encounter the Lord in a personal

9
00:01:00,025 --> 00:01:15,464
Speaker 1: and fulfilling way each time you listen God Bless Life Audio. Hello,

10
00:01:15,664 --> 00:01:17,945
Speaker 1: Thank you for listening to your Daily Bible Verse, the

11
00:01:17,985 --> 00:01:21,745
Speaker 1: podcast that examines one verse each day to learn more

12
00:01:21,745 --> 00:01:24,785
Speaker 1: about God and his will for us. I'm your host,

13
00:01:24,905 --> 00:01:27,825
Speaker 1: Jennifer Slattery, and after this short word from our sponsor,

14
00:01:27,985 --> 00:01:43,225
Speaker 1: we'll dive into today's Bible verse Hebrews three fifteen. Today's

15
00:01:43,225 --> 00:01:46,624
Speaker 1: Bible versus Hebrews thirteen to five. Keep your lives free

16
00:01:46,625 --> 00:01:48,905
Speaker 1: from the love of money and be content with what

17
00:01:48,985 --> 00:01:52,585
Speaker 1: you have, because God has said, never will I leave you,

18
00:01:52,985 --> 00:01:57,465
Speaker 1: Never will I forsake you. I'm intrigued by how often

19
00:01:57,625 --> 00:02:01,385
Speaker 1: I'm driven by fear. Yes, I trust Jesus to care

20
00:02:01,385 --> 00:02:01,665
Speaker 1: for me.

21
00:02:02,145 --> 00:02:06,465
Speaker 2: Yet, when I evaluate certain attitudes and behaviors, like my

22
00:02:06,745 --> 00:02:10,425
Speaker 2: desire for control, times where I'm jealous of what others have,

23
00:02:10,625 --> 00:02:14,705
Speaker 2: or opportunities they've received that I haven't, or my tendency

24
00:02:14,705 --> 00:02:18,145
Speaker 2: to place my security on our savings account rather than

25
00:02:18,145 --> 00:02:21,785
Speaker 2: the God who provided the work and paychecks that financially

26
00:02:21,825 --> 00:02:25,945
Speaker 2: sustain us. When I consider all those things, I realize

27
00:02:26,025 --> 00:02:28,105
Speaker 2: I have room to grow. There are areas in my

28
00:02:28,305 --> 00:02:33,745
Speaker 2: soul where my trust in Christ hasn't fully taken root. However,

29
00:02:33,825 --> 00:02:36,585
Speaker 2: the more I recognize God's presence in my life and

30
00:02:36,705 --> 00:02:40,065
Speaker 2: all the blessings he brings, the easier it becomes to

31
00:02:40,144 --> 00:02:43,904
Speaker 2: rest in his care. As today's verse indicates, contentment at

32
00:02:43,945 --> 00:02:48,264
Speaker 2: its root is about trust. Did you catch the connection?

33
00:02:48,385 --> 00:02:50,544
Speaker 2: The author of Hebrews mate he told his readers and

34
00:02:50,584 --> 00:02:54,345
Speaker 2: by extension us, not to obsess over material things and

35
00:02:54,385 --> 00:02:58,385
Speaker 2: everything we wish we had that we don't, because God

36
00:02:58,385 --> 00:03:01,865
Speaker 2: promised to remain with them and with us. In the

37
00:03:01,905 --> 00:03:06,984
Speaker 2: original Greek, this phrase contains five negatives. One could read

38
00:03:07,025 --> 00:03:10,225
Speaker 2: this promise as God saying I will not not leave you,

39
00:03:10,305 --> 00:03:14,184
Speaker 2: I will never know, never forsake you. It's as if

40
00:03:14,225 --> 00:03:18,385
Speaker 2: the Lord was adding an exclamation. Mark, wanting to ensure

41
00:03:18,665 --> 00:03:22,465
Speaker 2: this truth sank deep in our souls and to recognize

42
00:03:22,505 --> 00:03:26,705
Speaker 2: all the spiritual blessings that come from our relationship with Christ.

43
00:03:27,305 --> 00:03:30,305
Speaker 2: We best grasp the weight of today's verse when we

44
00:03:30,465 --> 00:03:32,464
Speaker 2: consider that it lies near the end of your Hebrews,

45
00:03:32,505 --> 00:03:36,785
Speaker 2: after the author has spent numerous chapters revealing the glory

46
00:03:36,945 --> 00:03:41,065
Speaker 2: and majesty of Christ. Jesus radiates the Father's glory and

47
00:03:41,185 --> 00:03:45,225
Speaker 2: sustains all things our lives included by his powerful word.

48
00:03:45,625 --> 00:03:49,105
Speaker 2: He's superior to the angels, the prophet Moses, and the

49
00:03:49,145 --> 00:03:52,785
Speaker 2: Old Testament covenantal system. He is our merciful and great

50
00:03:52,865 --> 00:03:56,825
Speaker 2: high priest who empathizes with us in our weakness and

51
00:03:56,985 --> 00:04:00,665
Speaker 2: is the source of our eternal salvation. And He's secured

52
00:04:00,785 --> 00:04:05,585
Speaker 2: our eternity into a kingdom that can't be shaken. The

53
00:04:05,665 --> 00:04:08,744
Speaker 2: Jewish believers who first read the Book of Hebrews also

54
00:04:08,785 --> 00:04:12,025
Speaker 2: would have been familiar with all the revelations of God's

55
00:04:12,145 --> 00:04:15,744
Speaker 2: character and his promises recorded in the Old Testament. He

56
00:04:15,905 --> 00:04:18,865
Speaker 2: is the creator of all things, who provides for and

57
00:04:18,945 --> 00:04:21,505
Speaker 2: sustains all things. Psalm forty six tells us that he

58
00:04:21,585 --> 00:04:25,185
Speaker 2: is our refuge, strength, and ever present help in times

59
00:04:25,225 --> 00:04:28,865
Speaker 2: of trouble. In Isaiah thirty twenty one, God promises to

60
00:04:28,945 --> 00:04:32,745
Speaker 2: continually guide us, stating that whatever direction we turn, we

61
00:04:32,865 --> 00:04:35,545
Speaker 2: will hear his voice telling us which way to go.

62
00:04:35,945 --> 00:04:40,025
Speaker 2: I am particularly struck by the assurances provided in Psalm

63
00:04:40,145 --> 00:04:43,784
Speaker 2: twenty three, written by David, ancient Israel's second king. This

64
00:04:43,945 --> 00:04:49,864
Speaker 2: passage begins with the Lord is my shepherd. I lack nothing.

65
00:04:50,545 --> 00:04:53,385
Speaker 2: The NLT phrases it this way, I have all that

66
00:04:53,505 --> 00:04:57,985
Speaker 2: I need, and the ESB states I shall not want.

67
00:04:58,385 --> 00:05:03,585
Speaker 2: Each of these variations express the same message. David felt

68
00:05:03,625 --> 00:05:08,545
Speaker 2: content because he knew God was his figurative shepherd, the

69
00:05:08,545 --> 00:05:13,904
Speaker 2: one who took full responsibility for his care. David expanded

70
00:05:14,065 --> 00:05:16,464
Speaker 2: on this in the verses that follow stating that the

71
00:05:16,505 --> 00:05:20,185
Speaker 2: Lord makes him lie down in green pastures. Regarding this,

72
00:05:20,344 --> 00:05:23,745
Speaker 2: David Guzik from The Enduring Word wrote, the implication is

73
00:05:23,784 --> 00:05:26,945
Speaker 2: that a sheep doesn't always know what it needs and

74
00:05:26,985 --> 00:05:30,585
Speaker 2: what is best for itself, and so needs help from

75
00:05:30,665 --> 00:05:34,865
Speaker 2: the shepherd. Comfort in that in recognizing that even when

76
00:05:34,904 --> 00:05:38,904
Speaker 2: we don't realize what we need, God knows and he

77
00:05:38,945 --> 00:05:42,145
Speaker 2: takes care of everything. As author Philip Keller wrote in

78
00:05:42,145 --> 00:05:45,065
Speaker 2: his book, a Shepherd looks at Psalm twenty three. Sheep

79
00:05:45,105 --> 00:05:47,945
Speaker 2: won't lie down if they're afraid, and they are quite

80
00:05:48,025 --> 00:05:51,104
Speaker 2: timid animals. They won't rest if they sense tension in

81
00:05:51,145 --> 00:05:54,585
Speaker 2: the flock, or if flies or parasites pester them, or

82
00:05:54,625 --> 00:05:56,945
Speaker 2: if they're anxious about not having food to eat or

83
00:05:56,945 --> 00:06:01,545
Speaker 2: water to drink. They're only able to rest when they

84
00:06:01,545 --> 00:06:05,344
Speaker 2: have a deep sense of well being experienced through the

85
00:06:05,385 --> 00:06:09,945
Speaker 2: faithful care of their shepherd. The sheep learn with their

86
00:06:09,945 --> 00:06:16,104
Speaker 2: shepherd's presence comes provision, protection, and peace. The same is

87
00:06:16,105 --> 00:06:21,585
Speaker 2: true for us. In God's presence, we experience his power

88
00:06:21,745 --> 00:06:25,745
Speaker 2: perfected in our weakness, his provision for our every need,

89
00:06:25,784 --> 00:06:29,664
Speaker 2: his protection for whatever challenge we face, and through our

90
00:06:29,705 --> 00:06:34,265
Speaker 2: growing intimacy with and trust in Him, we experience his peace.

91
00:06:35,344 --> 00:06:38,225
Speaker 2: When we know we are well cared for by our

92
00:06:38,305 --> 00:06:43,544
Speaker 2: all loving, ever present, all powerful, all knowing Savior, we

93
00:06:43,625 --> 00:06:46,585
Speaker 2: are able to say, I don't have to strive, compete, compare,

94
00:06:46,825 --> 00:06:51,705
Speaker 2: or exhaust myself through self reliance, because my God will

95
00:06:51,745 --> 00:06:57,224
Speaker 2: take care of all my needs. He will not ever,

96
00:06:57,625 --> 00:07:01,145
Speaker 2: never leave or forsake us. He won't turn his back

97
00:07:01,185 --> 00:07:03,625
Speaker 2: on us, close his ears to our cries, or release

98
00:07:03,784 --> 00:07:08,505
Speaker 2: his firm and strong but also tender grip on our lives. Therefore,

99
00:07:09,344 --> 00:07:14,785
Speaker 2: we can be content in whatever circumstance we currently find ourselves,

100
00:07:15,465 --> 00:07:20,625
Speaker 2: knowing that we are and always will be well cared for.

101
00:07:21,305 --> 00:07:25,345
Speaker 2: Let's pray, Holy Father, thank you for your faithfulness. Thank

102
00:07:25,385 --> 00:07:28,505
Speaker 2: you that you do care for us, you do guide

103
00:07:28,625 --> 00:07:32,505
Speaker 2: us and protect us and provide for us. Thank you

104
00:07:32,865 --> 00:07:36,865
Speaker 2: for providing the ultimate gift in your son, Jesus Christ,

105
00:07:36,945 --> 00:07:42,865
Speaker 2: who enabled us to have this deep, reliant, dependent relationship

106
00:07:43,065 --> 00:07:47,265
Speaker 2: with you. Thank you for the love you showed when

107
00:07:47,305 --> 00:07:49,425
Speaker 2: you sent him to pay for our sins. Thank you

108
00:07:49,465 --> 00:07:52,905
Speaker 2: for the love he showed when he chose the cross

109
00:07:52,985 --> 00:07:57,505
Speaker 2: so that we might live. When we feel afraid, when

110
00:07:57,545 --> 00:08:01,705
Speaker 2: we feel like we don't have enough, remind us of

111
00:08:01,745 --> 00:08:05,745
Speaker 2: your heart. Remind us of your care, of your truth.

112
00:08:06,345 --> 00:08:10,745
Speaker 2: Remind us that we are indeed well cared for, that

113
00:08:10,865 --> 00:08:14,185
Speaker 2: you know everything we need, and that you love us

114
00:08:14,265 --> 00:08:18,865
Speaker 2: with an incomprehensible love. You are with us, You could

115
00:08:18,945 --> 00:08:24,304
Speaker 2: before us, You walk beside us, you remain with us.

116
00:08:24,465 --> 00:08:28,545
Speaker 2: You are our faithful Father who gave us the good shepherd,

117
00:08:28,785 --> 00:08:29,545
Speaker 2: Jesus Christ.

118
00:08:29,585 --> 00:08:33,105
Speaker 1: And it is in his name that we amen