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Friday October 11 - A better covenant
“The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: You are a priest forever.’” ... Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant. Hebrews 7:21,22
Ifyouareadouble-glazingsalesman,Iaskforforgivenessinadvance. Itdidnottakemelongto see through their ruse; they advise you to sit down before offering an extortionate price, followed by a succession of ‘special’ discounts (including one if you are on a bus route), finally youareofferedwhatseemsahugelydiscountedprice. Ohyes!thenthere’sthecallforonefinal discountwhichonlythesalesmanagercangrant! Itisatthispointtherealhagglingbegins! God is not like this; his word is non-negotiable and his promises are guaranteed. The book of Hebrews was written to reassure persecuted Christians that Christ, and not the Old Testament Law, is God's ultimate plan for salvation. Part of this reassurance is explaining how Christ's priesthood is superior to its Old Testament counterpart. Old Testament priests were mortal, sinful, they merely inherited their position. Christ, on the other hand, is sinless, eternal, and guaranteedbyGod. Therefore,"Jesusistheguarantorofabettercovenant”–thebestand perfect deal!
Old Testament Law was limited and imperfect, and so could not be our ultimate salvation. This is key to the author's purpose: to encourage Jewish Christians, in particular, not to cave in to pressuretoreturntotheflawed,limitedsystemofJudaicallaw. So,let’sensureweguardagainst the ever-present danger of down-trading!
Thank you, Father for the blessèd assurance Jesus is mine! He is the foretaste of glory divine! Amen.
Saturday October 12 - King of all-compassion
Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through
him, because he always lives to intercede for them. Hebrew 7:25
Today, we come to the close of our journey through Hebrews 7. It’s not been an easy navigation, but we’ve made it! We end with one glorious truth; Jesus, our Great High Priest always lives to intercede for those who come to God through him.
It is wonderful when you have the inner sense that someone is praying for you. How much more glorious is the knowledge that the Lord of all glory constantly prays for you, in fact he lives to pray for you! Right now Jesus is bringing you before God your Father. You are not forgotten, irrelevant nor inferior in any way; far from it, you are constantly on Jesus’ heart.
It does not end there, Jesus is not praying on his own, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.” (Romans 8:26-27). Hallelujah! This heavenly prayer meeting is praying that the Father’s perfect will be done in your life. Could that prayer be rejected or ignored? If we have learnt anything this week, may we be aware of the commitment of the Trinity for our best interest – the will of God!
Dear Father, your will be done, your kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven. Amen.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
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PRAYER FOR TODAY