Forever Perfect
8First he said, "Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them" (although the law required them to be made). 9Then he said, "Here I am, I have come to do your will." He sets aside the first to establish the second. 10And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
11Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. 13Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, 14because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.
15The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:
16"This is the covenant I will make with them
after that time, says the Lord.
I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them on their minds." 17Then he adds:
"Their sins and lawless acts
I will remember no more." 18And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.
Reflection of Bee:
By ourselves we are all sinful. We may try very hard not to sin but our old sinful nature tends to surface every now and then, making us feel rotten and guilty after that.
However, tonight God said He will remember our sins and lawless acts no more. How can that be? Because Jesus paid the price for us on the cross. What He did was a perfect sacrifice, unlike the sacrifices in the Old Testament. He therefore becomes our great High Priest to intercede for us. God sees the righteousness of Jesus Christ instead of our sins.
Dear Lord Jesus,
Thank You for what You have done for us that we can be perfect just as You are perfect, not by our works but by Your blood.
Forgive me for all my sins and give me strength to live a life that is pleasing to You.
In Your name I pray. Amen.
Reflection of Tommy:
We may feel surprised, ashamed or disappointed with our selves when we fail and fall. We are troubled by the fact that we have been made perfect, once for all, through the death and resurrection of Christ but yet we still falter.
The truth is God’s work in us is not finished yet. Although we have been made perfect in His sight, we are still, at the same time, “being made holy” (v14), progressively cleansed and made for His special use in our daily walk.
Instead of giving up when we fall, we should immediately ask God for forgiveness and God who is faithful and just will forgive us and cleanse us again from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). He will lift us up again and give us strength to go on. And, we can help and encourage this growth process by always taking time for God and deliberately applying His Word in all areas of our lives.
Dear Father, thank You for forgiving me completely and that You have made me perfect in Your sight. May I always know how immeasurable these gifts really are, and to respond by giving You my devotion and service, accepting Your guidance and discipline and giving You control of my desires and goals. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.
