EXPAND TO READ: HEBREWS 7 (HCSB)
EXPAND TO READ: HEBREWS 8 (HCSB)
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN (verse 8:13): Father, I often lean towards the “rules” of old from the old covenant instead of truly embracing Your new covenant through Jesus. Please forgive me for this old covenant approach, Father. Although I am not truly legalistic, I do find myself dwelling in many old covenant ways and thoughts instead of the new covenant of love that You want me to embrace. Please forgive me for this, Father. Help me to be better at embracing Your new covenant so that I may live in a way that is pleasing to You by overflowing Your love to those around me.
PROMISE (verses 7:22, 8:8-9): The promise You make us here is probably the most important promise and fulfilled promise You have ever made us, in my opinion. You promise us a new covenant because Your people failed so drastically at following Your old covenant. You showed us grace and mercy by promising and giving us this new covenant because You knew that without it we would all live in eternal damnation. You knew that we were not able to fulfill or embrace Your old covenant because we are week, so You took the core, most important and basic principle of that covenant (love) and embodied it into a new covenant through Jesus. Thank You so much for this merciful change, Father.
ATTITUDE (verse 8:12): Help me to be better at having a merciful attitude towards others, Father, just like You showed me a merciful attitude towards my wrongdoing and sinful nature. Thank You for forgiving and forgetting my sins; showing me unending mercy and grace through it all. Help me to be more like You, Father. Fill my heart with Your love, mercy, and grace so much that it overflows onto those around me. Help me to cleanse all of this darkness, hatred, mean-natured, and lack of mercy from my broken heart, Father.
COMMAND (verse 8:13): Going back to this verse, I also feel as though it is a command to Your followers. You tell us that just by You even saying there’s a new covenant, that the first one is considered old, again, and destined to disappear. Help me to live a new covenant life in my faith, Father. Teach me about what is expected of me in the new covenant, but also help me to embrace this way of living. Help me to praise, honor, respect, and embrace Your new covenant so that I may glorify You in this life.
EXAMPLE (verses 7:26-28): In the final verses of Hebrews 7, You give us such a perfect picture of the example of Jesus as our High Priest. He is holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, exalted above the heavens, has no need for daily sacrifices, gave Himself for the ultimate sacrifice, is appointed by You, and has been perfected forever. Such an amazing “resume” that Jesus gives us. He is the greatest example of what a faithful and perfect follower looks like, which I far too often fail at. Thanks to Jesus, however, even through my inevitable failures I am saved because I love Him and He loves me. Thank You!
*DAILY NOTE: While reading through just chapter 7, I wasn’t really feeling like I was done reading.I read chapter 7 three times before deciding to also read chapter 8.Once I started digging into chapter 8, I realized that the two chapters are so closely related that I needed to read both in order to get the full context of what You were trying to speak to me about.Thank You for pushing me to read both chapters today, Father.Thank You for always knowing what my brain needs in order to understand You in the moment.Continue to work in me, Father; continue to motivate me, mold me, nurture me, and mature me in my faith.
EXPAND TO READ: GENERAL NOTE FOR MY QUIET TIMES
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