Today’s scripture: Hebrews 8:8-13 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (David Zier):
I know some who are always critical of others. It drives me crazy some times when I talk with them. I try to start the conversation in a positive way, but it always turns into a “nitpick” session. After awhile, I get drawn in; and there I am, doing the same thing. How did I let myself get into that mode? Maybe it is one of those things in my family history when I look back on myself.
It is so easy to go into “nitpick” mode, which is really “rule mode.” If things are not done quite the way I like, or what I think God wants, somehow that overrides everything. It is always a set of rules. If it does not measure up to my standards, then it is never good enough.
When Jesus was with us in the first century, God was teaching and showing us the rule of “mercy and grace.” Jesus taught us to not live by a list of rules, but to live by the greatest commandment: to love God and to love others as self. This puts God’s mercy, God’s love, God’s grace, and forgiveness, right up front; not as rules, but as a way of life, a way to live.
How has my heart changed? Verse 10 includes the words, “…I [God] will put my laws in their mind and write them on their hearts.” These words reveal that the Holy Spirit comes into our lives, and our minds and hearts are changed.
Verses 11 and 12: “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.”
I am thankful for a God that forgives me, and allows me to grow on this journey. I pray that I continue to grow to live in the new covenant, being kind, showing grace and mercy, and being able to forgive.
Thought for the day: Am I stuck with the old covenant way of life, or growing in the new?
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.