Where can we find Perfect Love?
(Read Hebrews 8)
The author of Hebrews, reaffirmed the readers of the utmost perfection of Jesus as our high priest. As our direct connection to God, Jesus made all of God’s offers available to us. No earthly priest could ever deliver that.
“Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being.”
Despite our greed, envy, selfishness, and brokenness, thanks to Jesus our middleman, God looks at us in the present, forgives us, and wipes the board clean. Seated at the right hand of God, Jesus is the better priest who fulfills a better covenant. This new covenant involves a closer relationship between God and His people than any laws or human can deliver.
“For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. But God found fault with the people and said:
‘The days are coming, declares the Lord,
when I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel
and with the people of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant
I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they did not remain faithful to my covenant,
and I turned away from them,
declares the Lord.'”
The author of Hebrews stressed that Christianity requires obedience, not the external kind of ritualistic laws, but obedience from the heart. If our hearts show pure love of Christ, they also show true obedience.
Satan, the deceiver, aims at reducing the superiority and completeness of Jesus Christ in our minds. The early Jewish Christians at the time of the writing of Hebrews were tempted by this also. They felt it was easier to go back to their Jewish faith and traditions rather than the harder often persecuted life as a Christ follower.
“I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
No longer will they teach their neighbor,
or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest.
For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more.””
Sometimes life brings us trials which gets our focus off of Christ. And sometimes we allow these trials to turn us to worldly solutions rather than turning to Christ. Counsel from things of this world can fix things. They can make things better, but they can never deliver us to a closer relationship with Christ, our savior.
Since the outbreak of the Coronavirus, the world has become an even scarier place. In part, it has also become an uglier place. We need to not rely so heavily on social commentary and we need do more for those people worse off than us. We also need to keep love in our hearts and wholeheartedly trust our future in the the high priest of Jesus Christ.
True followers of Christ experience the new covenant described in Hebrews 8. With love for Christ in our hearts, we come into God’s grace. No matter where we came from or what our past has been like, we can be sure that we have God’s love. Forgive yourself for the same sins that God has already forgiven.
“He who is perfect love cannot hold grudges. If He does, then He isn’t perfect love.”
Max Lucado
Highlights:
- Consider a time when you’ve wronged someone. Did you need someone or something to make it right? How did you feel?
- With all of the scary things going on in our world, how can we ensure that we’re keeping our focus on Christ?
- What do you think it means for a Christian to be obedient?
Life application:
- Be the calm and the light in a stressful situation or conflict. If you get caught in the middle of a struggle, consider what Christ as our mediator does for us. How can you help others resolve issues?
- God has forgiven us and wiped our slate clean but that doesn’t give us a free pass to do whatever we like. How should we use God’s forgiveness to brighten the world?
- How can you grow your love for Jesus in your heart? Is it possible to strengthen your relationship with Him? Prayer is the first step. Release your grudges. Show perfect love.
Where else in your life can you live out the teachings of Christ? Look for next week’s Devotion.