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Friday November 15 - The assembly of the chosen
You have come... to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written
in heaven. Hebrews 12:22-23
I was once given tickets to see a friend’s band perform at a music festival. At the front gate, while security checked the ticket details I felt nervous. Would I really be allowed in? What if I was wrong and was about to look like a complete fool in front of everyone?
Finally the confirmation came through, not just for the entrance, but for VIP tickets and free food and drink for the entire festival! We were overwhelmed and walked in feeling special, important and chosen! We spent three days hanging out in the celebrity lounges, feasting and partying and trying to overcome our shock that we had really been given all this for free!
When you ask Jesus to be your Lord, your name is written on the guest list of heaven! You don’t need to be nervous as to whether or not you will be allowed in. You become legally registered. You are given permission to feast in the presence of the greatest celebrity of all time! You will walk in under the title of ‘firstborn’. Jesus is God’s firstborn and through him we gain the same rights, access and inheritance! We will walk in, for free, feeling special, important and chosen! There will be ‘thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly’ (v 22) in the festival of heaven, and this party will have no end!
Lord Jesus, thank you for confirming my place on your guest list. I look forward to the celebration with great anticipation! Amen.
Saturday November 16 - Reverent gratitude
...let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe... Hebrews 12:28
When someone gives a present to a child, their parent is usually there just behind saying to the child, “What do you say?” – and the child then duly thanks the giver of the present! Why does this happen? The parent is conscious of the ‘investment’ someone has made and it is right to give thanks. But the child normally needs to be trained to recognise that someone has made an effort especially for them, to show them that they care.
This interaction is a micro-reflection of the enormous investment God has made for us, to show us how much he cares. But often we don’t recognise the depth of the investment and our gratitude is therefore somewhat lacking. Hebrews 12 summarises what God did. He went to the cross and gave everything for us. He is a faithful coach, a loving father, a festival-party-planner, committed to the end, urging us on, teaching us, encouraging us and guiding us.
Our inheritance is a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and the right way to respond is with a depth of gratitude, thanks, honour, awe and admiration for our King of all kings! Everything else in the world can be shaken – wealth, status, relationships, nations and even the earth itself. But the kingdom of God will never be shaken!
Lord God, may my first thought of each day be to honour you with thanks, and my first act to kneel before you as my King. Amen.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
PRAYER FOR TODAY
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