Read: Hebrews 10: 11-12, 14
11 Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when this priest [Jesus] had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God...14 for by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.
CONSIDER THESE QUESTIONS
When you consider your “spiritual life,” do you ever feel like the priest in this passage?
OK, maybe we aren’t sacrificing lambs anymore (because let’s be honest, nowadays that would just be weird), but think about it:
Week after week, we go to church, or Bible study or Greek IV. Maybe we listen to Christian music and even volunteer to serve others. We spend a lot of time trying to do the right thing, in hopes that it will make up for all the ways we fall short. But I know for me, if I’m honest, none of this stuff ever feels like enough. Do you know what I mean?
But here’s the deal: these things don’t ever feel like enough because they aren’t! Sure, coming to church, studying your Bible and listening to Christian worship music are meant to be good things (and they are), but we have to remember that they were never intended to do what Jesus did for us once and for all on the cross—which was to pay our bill, cancel our debt, or redeem all our sin and shortcomings before God.
With all this in mind, we’re left with a few questions:
1) What in my life do I find myself doing to try to earn God’s grace?
2) Do I truly believe there is nothing I could ever do to make God love me more…or less?
3) How would my life be different if I daily received and lived in God’s grace and acceptance of me?
CLOSING REFLECTION
So going back to the Hebrews passage, in response to Jesus sitting down once and for all as our Passover Lamb, may we stop trying in vain to earn what God has already so freely given us. May we spend time this summer worshipping God with our whole hearts for what He has already done. And finally, may be return to campus in the fall (or enter the “real world” if you’ve graduated) ready to boldly and victoriously proclaim:
Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow!
Spend some time praising God for what He accomplished on the cross. Pray that the Gospel would take deeper root in your heart and that God would prepare you to boldly share this Good News with those around you.
THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™
Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
