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Monday September 16 - God’s promise still stands!
Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. Hebrews 4:1
The book of Joshua describes how a new generation of Israelites, led by Joshua and Caleb, entered the Promised Land. Unlike their parents, they showed faith, by trusting in the good future God had promised.
Sadly, after centuries of ignoring God and rejecting his rule, the land of God’s Sabbath- rest was later lost again to his people, and their weeping echoes today in the earthly ‘Holy Land’. Yet Psalm 95 shows that God had already planned another ‘Today’ (v 7), when those with ‘softened hearts’ would enter his Sabbath-rest.
John the Baptist’s followers were clinging to this hope, and so dived joyfully into the waters of baptism when John preached ‘repent’ as ‘Today’ drew near! And the day dawned, with Jesus striding out of the Judean desert – calming raging storms, destroying sickness and death, and proclaiming himself “Lord of the Sabbath” (Matthew 12:8): “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
How incredible that our God, who made the universe, whose power and glory transcend everything it contains, loves us – and wants to share eternity with us! His love is so deep that before time began, he planned to become one of us, to die an excruciating death at our hands and in our place – in order to bring us home with him forever! What a God; what a Saviour!
Father God, I praise you that the promise of entering your rest still stands for me today, in Jesus. Amen.
Tuesday September 17 - Trusting God’s promises
...but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed. Hebrews 4:2
Today’s verse takes us back to Exodus, where God preached the gospel ‘rescue message’ to his ‘desert people’ in words and miracles: rescuing them from slavery, famine and death, and giving his unbreakable covenant promise of a beautiful life of peace and rest to come in their Promised Land.
God’s ‘Sabbath-rest’ promise was never solely about the earthly Promised Land: it foreshadowed God’s greater promise, of abundant and everlasting ‘rest’, both now and forever, in his everlasting kingdom. It’s wonderful to trace the ‘gospel message’ unfurling from the pages of the Old Testament. From Genesis on, it points forwards to Jesus and his fulfilment of God’s great salvation plan for mankind – for you, and for me! It was always God’s plan to defeat death and bring us back into his great ‘New Creation’ rest – beginning now with the coming of the Holy Spirit!
Many ‘desert Israelites’ heard God’s promise, but didn’t trust him, and so ‘fell short’ of his Promised Land. All of us will one day find ourselves in a ‘desert place’, and when we do, will we respond in faith, trusting that God’s gracious hand of love still holds us firm in Jesus, even in our desperate circumstances?
Let’s pray for God to root his Bible words in our hearts, growing our trust in Jesus.
Precious Holy Spirit, please grow my trust and certain hope that you ‘hold me fast’ in Jesus. Amen.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
PRAYER FOR TODAY
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