I have appointed you as a watchman

Hebrews 13 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Let love of the brothers and sisters continue. ² Do not neglect hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. ³ Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are badly treated, since you yourselves also are in the body. ⁴ Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers. ⁵ Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever abandon you,” ⁶ so that we confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.
What will man do to me?”

⁷ Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their way of life, imitate their faith. ⁸ Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, and forever. ⁹ Do not be misled by varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, through which those who were so occupied were not benefited. ¹⁰ We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. ¹¹ For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the Holy Place by the high priest as an offering for sin are burned outside the camp. ¹² Therefore Jesus also suffered outside the gate, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood. ¹³ So then, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach. ¹⁴ For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.

¹⁵ Through Him then, let’s continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips praising His name. ¹⁶ And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

¹⁷ Obey your leaders and submit to them—for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account—so that they may do this with joy, not groaning; for this would be unhelpful for you.

¹⁸ Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a good conscience, desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in all things. ¹⁹ And I urge you all the more to do this, so that I may be restored to you more quickly.

²⁰ Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, that is, Jesus our Lord, ²¹ equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

²² But I urge you, brothers and sisters, listen patiently to this word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly. ²³ Know that our brother Timothy has been released, with whom, if he comes soon, I will see you. ²⁴ Greet all of your leaders and all the saints. Those from Italy greet you.

Some people may wonder why I begin each day since September of 2014 by writing and posting the Daily Nuggets meditation. Part of today’s reading in the One Year Bible explains it. Ezekiel 33:7-9 says: “Now as for you, son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for the house of Israel; so you will hear a message from My mouth and give them a warning from Me. When I say to the wicked, ‘You wicked person, you will certainly die,’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked about his way, that wicked person shall die for his wrongdoing, but I will require his blood from your hand. But if you on your part warn a wicked person to turn from his way and he does not turn from his way, he will die for his wrongdoing, but you have saved your life.”  2 Timothy 3:16 says: All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness.  Each day as I meditate on scripture, I ask the Holy Spirit to speak to me and hopefully through me to teach, rebuke, correct and exhort (train) in righteousness.  James 3:1 says:  Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we shall incur a stricter judgment.  I am not a Biblical scholar, but I take very seriously my accountability to and for the word of God.

In today’s text it says: Let love of the brothers and sisters continue. Do not neglect hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are badly treated, since you yourselves also are in the body. More even than entertaining angels, in Matthew 25:31-40 Jesus says: “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, just as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You as a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of Mine, you did it for Me.’”   The way we treat others, those Jesus died to redeem, is the way we treat Him.  

The text continues though saying: Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers. Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever abandon you,” so that we confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?” That we treat others well, does not mean that we embrace their immorality. In Matthew 7:13-14;21-23 Jesus says: “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it…  Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”  God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers. It is not just them though who will be judged. In Revelation 21:5-8 the Lord says: “Behold, I am making all things new. Write, for these words are faithful and true. It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give water to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life, without cost. The one who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. But for the cowardly, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and sexually immoral persons, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”  Again, “the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”  It is not that the way is hidden, difficult or complicated. It is not that the way is only for some based on their heritage, race, ethnicity or social standing.  In John 14:6 Jesus says: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.” And in John 3:16 He says: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.” Jesus is the way for everyone, for all who believe.We all will either be judged for our own deeds, by what we did, or by what Jesus did for us on the cross.

Let’s continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips praising His name.  And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased… Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, that is, Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.