#ayadailydevotion

I always pray before reading the bible, I guess that’s what you should do everytime, like a basic protocol. I just read chapter 10 and 11 of Hebrews and it’s just sooo refreshing. I’m amazed how every time I read the bible, I feel God’s love surrounds me. I feel like He is sending hugs from heaven down to my room, comforting me and always reminding me how He loves me. 

I wanna thank Him because He changed me. I feel so much closer to Him now. I remembered the day (4th yr college retreat at Caleruega) when I was crying because I know that my dream of being a doctor will not be fulfilled, instead I’m gonna study business and handle my dad’s company. Now that I am thinking of everything that has happened, I feel so blessed that He guided me in this path so I would know Him more and be closer to Him. Imagine if I did pursue med school, I would be sooo busy and will not prioritize God anymore. I wouldn’t be able to go to Colorado and meet those amazing Christian friends that I’ve met. I wouldn’t be able to go to Florida and attend the life-changing Bridges International conference. I wouldn’t be changed. Truly, God has a plan for me. I do not know why am I writing these stuff. I was supposed to write about my thoughts on Hebrews 10 & 11. 

Anyway, as I was saying, I was asking forgiveness from God. I did not pray for anything more, just that. Then, I came across this verse, 10:18 And when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices. I was relieved because the guilt inside was already consuming me (although Ptr. Paul already taught us about guilt, yes I still felt it. I’m pretty sure that’s not conviction. I am reminded that guilt is from Satan and conviction is from God). 

But then in verse 10:26-27 Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins. There is only the terrible expectation of God’s judgment and the raging fire that will consume his enemies. I was reminded that I should not abuse God’s grace for me, that if I continue sinning God’s judgement will be upon me because I know that what I am doing is not right. As what the bible is saying, I already received the knowledge of truth. My sins will have consequences. 

In chapter 11, it gave examples of people in the Bible who has great faith in God. As what pastor Paul said, prayer without faith is nothing! I wanna have faith in God like these people that were mentioned. 

11:38-40 They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground. All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us. 

THEY WERE TOO GOOD FOR THIS WORLD. Wow, Just wow! They understand that they are not from this world, we are citizens of heaven! That is why they have that strong faith in God while they were here on Earth, that everything that God has promised in them would be fulfilled because it’s their right! (maybe fulfilled in heaven, for some of their case) V10:35-36 35 So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! 36 Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. 

Isn’s it weird how everything that I am reading right now was already taught at church? I find it weird and cool at the same time!! 

Hebrews 7:19 For the law never made anything perfect. But now we have confidence in a better hope, through which we draw near to God.

I was surprised when I read this verse because I just prayed to God that I want to be a perfect servant even though that is totally impossible. I was rebuked when I read the next chapters about Jesus being the mediator between God and me. This is kinda the same with what I read in Galatians about us not living by the law anymore. Instead, we are living by grace through Jesus Christ.

Chapter 8 and 9 talks about Jesus as our high priest. In the old times, there was a high priest who goes in the most holy place inside a tabernacle. This high priest is an ordinary person like us, that is why he needs to offer something for his own sin and for the sins of other people who gave the offerings. This means that the tabernacle was not open for everyone who wants to communicate with God. But now that Jesus died for our sins, grace was given to us and we can now talk directly to God.

Truly, Jesus is the perfect sacrifice because He is not part of this created world.

Hebrews 9:24-25 24 For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with human hands, which was only a copy of the true one in heaven. He entered into heaven itself to appear now before God on our behalf. 25 And he did not enter heaven to offer himself again and again, like the high priest here on earth who enters the Most Holy Place year after year with the blood of an animal. 26 If that had been necessary, Christ would have had to die again and again, ever since the world began. But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice.