Thoughts From Hebrews - Day 26

                                  Hebrews 10:11- 18

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 had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. 14 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

15 The 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.”

17 Then he adds:

“Their sins and lawless acts
    I will remember no more.”

18 And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.

       These verses illustrate the 2 parts of salvation, the cleansing and the filling. This is illustrated in baptism - the dunking and the rising. Ezekiel illustrates it with the dry bones which come together but still need the breath of life breathed into them. John talks about it when he says that people would be baptized with water and fire. Jesus was the priest who brings his own blood to the altar and offers it once and for all ("made perfect forever") for the cleansing of our sins. He then sent the Holy spirit which teaches and convicts us of sins, but even and much more than that enables us to live Holy lives ("being made holy").

      Practically speaking, the Holy Spirit inside helps us to love those in vs. 13 - "the enemies of God." Why is God waiting to put all enemies under His feet? Why hasn't He already done it? Because he is giving them up to the last minute to repent. In the same way, with His power inside of us, we need to show grace to the enemies of God. For me, this means all those people on social media that think killing babies is right, those who let their kids pick out their genders, those who disrespect and dishonor the president - those are the people I need to love and pray for repentance of even just one of the throng. Yes, eventually all sinners, right wing as well as left wing will be judged, but in the meantime I need to rescue and love as many as I can. If God can be patient, so must I. So must you.