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Wednesday September 4 - Now crowned with glory
...now crowned with glory and honour because he suffered death, so that
by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. Hebrews 2:9
Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, returned to the place that was his from the beginning, seated at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven (Hebrews 1:3). He returned there crowned with both glory and honour, because he willingly, obediently, suffered death for you and me. He didn’t have to, but this was the grace of God in action.
It was mankind that got it wrong, listening to lies and being led astray from God’s instructions, so it was a human who needed to make things right again. The grace of God meant that he chose to send his Son Jesus, not to condemn the world, but to save it (John 3:17) by becoming one of us and taking our punishment on himself.
This is such an amazing, incredible, overwhelming demonstration of love that it’s sometimes hard for us to comprehend it. The grace of God is so radical and beautiful, and yet we can take it for granted – and even disregard it completely. When I find myself losing that wonder and taking my salvation for granted, I call to mind what Jesus did for me on the cross, and then, like the vision the Apostle John had of the courts of heaven (Revelation 4 & 5), I find myself joining with the multitudes in heaven worshipping ‘the Lamb who was slain’.
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honour and glory and power, for ever and ever. Amen” (Revelation 5:13-14).
Thursday September 5 - Same family
Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of
thesamefamily. Hebrews2:11
In Matthew 12:48, Jesus asks, “Who is my mother and who are my brothers?” He then goes on to answer his own question, by proclaiming that anyone who does the will of his Father in heaven is his brother and sister and mother (v 50). For Jesus, his spiritual family took priority over his biological family. On the day of his resurrection, Jesus told Mary Magdalene to go to his brothers (by which he meant his disciples) and tell them, “I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God” (John 20:17). Jesus and his disciples had the same Heavenly Father and same God, and so do we.
Along with other titles like Saviour, Prince of Peace, and Emmanuel, Jesus is our brother. We’re of the same family, but there is a significant difference between us and Jesus. He’s the natural begotten son of God, ‘the first-born over all creation’ (Colossians 1:15), while we are adopted children. We’re loved and seen as such by our Heavenly Father because in this world we are like Jesus (1 John 4:17), but our adoption is made possible only by his having gone first and made the way for us. Thanks to that, we are saved and now have family all over the world. All who follow Jesus and have been baptised in his name are our brothers and sisters.
Lord, thank you for my worldwide family. Help me to remember to connect with, support and pray for them. Amen.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
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PRAYER FOR TODAY