Saturday, June 25, 2011

Let Brotherly Love Continue

At the end of his epistle to the Hebrews Paul gives them some fantastic advice. He begins with telling them to "let brotherly love continue". That seems to be the general advice of the chapter and is demonstrated throughout the chapter.
The first thing Paul addresses is how to treat strangers and those who are in bonds. We are given the advice to treat them well because you never know what they will be able to give to you. A stranger may turn out to be an angel to you. I truly believe this. There are angels all around us who are there to help. We often miss them because we aren't willing to be kind to everyone. However, if we truly are kind to everyone then we will reap the benefits.
We next learn how important marriage is. It is an honorable thing and should be treated well. There are things that pertain to marriage that should be kept sacred to keep marriage honored. I believe that this is advice that the whole world would understand and I wonder why the world doesn't listen to it. Why do we not find marriage as sacred anymore?
Then we are taught to not be covetous. The way we are taught to not be covetous is interesting though. Paul reminds us that the Lord will  never leave us, nor forsake us. If we know that the Lord is with us and there for us in all we do then we will not want for anything more. It turns out that the Lord is truly all we need. Why would we covet something else if we have what is already great and will help us reach eternal life? With the Lord we shall not fear, but we will be content and faithful. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. It is through his blood that we are sanctified. He is constant and saving.
So how should we treat those who rule over us? We should listen to them and obey them. We should submit ourselves to helping them. I take this in the idea of a bishopric or even just our parents. They are watching out for us and want us to succeed. They may also be able to see farther than we can so they are worth listening to. As a result we should pray for them. We should pray for apostles and prophets. We should try to help those who are constantly trying to help us.
Mostly we just need to remember the Lord and those around us. If we love others and the Lord then we will be able to help each other throughout this life. We will keep our eyes on the goal and be able to do the Lord's will. Thank you Paul for this advice!

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