Saturday Reading: Hebrews 8 6-12
Key Verse: Hebrews 8 6
6 But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by so much He is also the Mediator of a better covenant, which was built upon better promises.
Devotion:
Is there such a thing as a better promise? Is not a promise something that is going to last forever and not change? How can another then be better than one which is going to last forever? Well, it is not the fact that the next promise is going to last longer or be any more of a promise, but the fact that it is a better thing that is being promised... the content of the promise is better!
God made a covenant with the Jews and stood by it. The Jews were the ones that turned that covenant into something that they could live with rather than following the rules – they tried to re-negotiate the contract after it had been signed, sealed and delivered. Now we see that sort of thing happening all the time in our modern world where people are trying to re-negotiate contracts just because they have realised that they do not like them after trying them out; but the fact remains that they agreed a contract and that is what should be stuck to.
God already knew that man would try to re-negotiate the contract after trying it out and not liking it. He already knew that man would try to re-structure things so that it would be less work for him to do to keep up his end of the contract. God also knew that man would not be able to keep up his end of the contract not because he did not want to but because he could not. God wants us to realise that fact – we are simply not good enough to keep our end of the bargain! That is why He entered into a new covenant with us, set, not by human minds and hands that could get things wrong, but by Heavenly hands that would get it right! God made sure that Christ laid down the contract from our side so that we would no longer get it wrong. He gave us a perfect substitute so that we would never have to try and find that blameless, perfect sacrifice ourselves. God supplied both ends of the contract so that it would stand forever more. All we now need do is to live by that covenant, agreeing with it and upholding it as the truth...
Points to Ponder:
Have you always kept every word you have said?
Have you always kept every word you have said to God?
Key Verse: Hebrews 8 6
6 But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by so much He is also the Mediator of a better covenant, which was built upon better promises.
Devotion:
Is there such a thing as a better promise? Is not a promise something that is going to last forever and not change? How can another then be better than one which is going to last forever? Well, it is not the fact that the next promise is going to last longer or be any more of a promise, but the fact that it is a better thing that is being promised... the content of the promise is better!
God made a covenant with the Jews and stood by it. The Jews were the ones that turned that covenant into something that they could live with rather than following the rules – they tried to re-negotiate the contract after it had been signed, sealed and delivered. Now we see that sort of thing happening all the time in our modern world where people are trying to re-negotiate contracts just because they have realised that they do not like them after trying them out; but the fact remains that they agreed a contract and that is what should be stuck to.
God already knew that man would try to re-negotiate the contract after trying it out and not liking it. He already knew that man would try to re-structure things so that it would be less work for him to do to keep up his end of the contract. God also knew that man would not be able to keep up his end of the contract not because he did not want to but because he could not. God wants us to realise that fact – we are simply not good enough to keep our end of the bargain! That is why He entered into a new covenant with us, set, not by human minds and hands that could get things wrong, but by Heavenly hands that would get it right! God made sure that Christ laid down the contract from our side so that we would no longer get it wrong. He gave us a perfect substitute so that we would never have to try and find that blameless, perfect sacrifice ourselves. God supplied both ends of the contract so that it would stand forever more. All we now need do is to live by that covenant, agreeing with it and upholding it as the truth...
Points to Ponder:
Have you always kept every word you have said?
Have you always kept every word you have said to God?