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Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus… (Hebrews 10:19)

The holy places do not inspire confidence or swagger. A person who understands his sinfulness doesn’t confidently stroll into the holy places of God.

When the Lord descended upon Mount Sinai he told the people of Israel, “Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death” (Exodus 19:12)

Nadab and Abihu were consumed by holy fire when they offered unauthorized fire to the Lord (Lev. 10). Uzzah was struck dead when reached out to catch the Ark of the Covenant from falling (2 Sam. 6).

When Isaiah caught a glimpse of the Holy One upon his throne, he called out for divine judgment to fall upon him. (Isaiah 6)

The high priest, and only the high priest, entered the most holy place in the temple on time per year, and he did so with the utmost care.

Entering the holy places should fill a sinful man or woman with dread, not confidence.

But now, through Jesus Christ, we have confidence to enter the holy places. We have confidence to stand in the presence of the God who is described as a consuming fire. We have confidence to draw near and make our requests and petitions of the Most High God. We can enter the presence of God with thanksgiving, rather than dread.

Confidence is the last thing that we should take into the holy places. But through the gospel, we go confidently into the places where angels fear to tread.

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Last Tuesday night The Discovery Channel’s reality show, Deadliest Catch, documented the passing of Phil Harris, captain of the Alaskan crab fishing boat, the Cornelia Marie.

He suffered a massive stroke while his crew was offloading his boat in January and died in early February at age 53 while still in the hospital.

With the consent of his family, the reality show kept their cameras rolling throughout his ordeal, right up till the end.  There were a couple touching scenes with his sons, especially when he told them he loved them.

The Discovery Channel did a tasteful job though it seemed crass to me at first.  But a couple days before the episode I read these verses:

It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart.
Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad.
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. (Ecclesiastes 7:2-4)

Initially these verses caught me off guard.  Why is it better to mourn than feast?  Who likes funerals or intensive care units?  Why is sorrow better than laughter and how does sadness make the heart glad?

The answer is that we can grow wise by contemplating death – “the heart of the wise is in the house of mourning.”

In our culture, we’re shielded from death.  We shove it to the backs of our minds.  We’d rather party. But parties don’t make us wise.  Funerals are opportunities to see that death “is the end of all mankind” and we who are “living will take it to heart.”  Intensive care units can remind us of the life to come.

Seeing death should help us contemplate our own death, think about eternity and live wisely.

By “sadness of face the heart is made glad” when we put our hope in Jesus, not in this world.

I feel sad for Phil’s family.  But I’m glad they allowed the cameras to keep rolling.  I’m glad they showed the hospital scenes with all the tubes and machines and his final conversations with his sons.  I hope it helps me grow more wise.  It reminded me that my own life is a vapor, and someday I’ll be with the Lord.

I don’t want to miss opportunities to glorify Christ, and to tell my wife, children and grandchildren I love them.

Source: Mark Altrogge

Laughter is a gift from God, and I love to take advantage of that gift. Laughter helps me temporarily forget the struggles of this life. Laughter injects joy into an otherwise gloomy day. Laughter lifts me out of the pit of introspection. Laughter refreshes me and rejuvenates me. Nothing is better than a night spent with good friends, howling with laughter.

Proverbs 15:15 sums it up well: “All the days of the afflicted are evil, but the cheerful of heart has a continual feast.” (Proverbs 15:15)

Laughter helps me to have a cheerful heart.

So what makes you laugh? Here’s what makes me laugh…

- My brother, and my dad

- This sermon illustration by C.J. Mahaney

- This video by Brian Regan:

- This hilarious article by Dave Barry

- My friend Luke, who you probably don’t know, but he would make you laugh too

- This scene in Napoleon Dynamite:

Let’s create a list of things that make us laugh. What makes you laugh?

Source: Stephen Altrogge

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God commands believers to bear one another’s burdens.  Implied in this command is that we must allow others to bear our burdens as well.  To me, this is harder than bearing the burdens of others.

I would rather shoulder my own load and not bother others.  Sometimes this is because of pride.  I don’t want to appear weak.  I don’t want others to know that I’m struggling with discouragement or unbelief.

Many times it’s because of the fear of man, or craving the approval of others that I don’t share my burdens.  I don’t want others to know I fail as a parent.  I don’t want others to know I’m having challenges with my teen or that I’ve been harsh or lax.  I want to look like I have it all together, that I’m the perfect parent.

I don’t want others to know I’ve sinned.  I don’t like to admit I’ve lied or given a false impression, or given in to lust or anger.  I don’t want others to know I’ve been living in unbelief.  I’ll just work through this myself.

Sometimes I fail to let others bear my burdens because I’m unteachable.  I think I can figure things out on my own.  Thanks for your suggestions, Tonto, but I got this one under control.  After all, I’m the LONE Ranger, remember?  Maybe the Marlboro Man could use your advice.

We need friends who will ask questions, like, “How are you doing in your heart?  Are you tempted to unbelief or discouragement?  Are you tempted to anger or being cold toward your child?  Is Facebook a source of temptation for you in the midst of your marriage problems?  Are you feeling bitter toward that person who sinned against you?”

It’s humbling.  But humility is the path to victory.  If we seek to cover our sins we won’t prosper, but if we confess and forsake them, we’ll find mercy.

How about you?  Do you struggle to allow others to bear your burdens?

Source: Mark Altrogge

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Source: Stephen Altrogge