Thursday November 1, 2012

Read Hebrews 9:7-15

 

A lot of Christians find it easy to forgive others but it hard, if not virtually impossible to forgive themselves! Are you in that group? Do you berate yourself and beat yourself up over some past mistake or sin that you committed? Do you hate yourself? Some believers hate themselves so much that they cut themselves or destroy their bodies by unhealthy binging or causing themselves to vomit after eating.

 

Wholeness and healing is found only in Jesus Christ. In the old system the High Priest would enter the inner room of the temple and seek forgiveness for the people of God. This was looking forward to the coming of Christ who is the true High Priest who alone can enter heaven (the true temple) on our behalf. He enters through His own blood, the blood of the perfect sacrifice, not the blood of goats and calves and lambs.

 

It is only the blood of the perfect ‘God-man’ that can clear and cleanse your conscience and put your mind at ease with perfect peace. Each one of us needs to come to that realisation that no matter how heinous or sinful our past deeds were, the blood of Christ has obtained for us eternal redemption. The sacrifices offered year after year could not cleanse the conscience of the worshipper but the blood of Christ could, and does!

 

Think of the Apostle Paul. Before he was a Christian he was a Christian-hating murderer. He was a violent man and a blasphemer. He dedicated his life to destroying the church, to wiping the name of Jesus off the face of the earth. Even so, he identified with and trusted in Jesus and His perfect sacrifice. He was washed clean by Jesus. And rather than hating himself, rather than berating himself, rather than beating himself up, he wrote for us these freeing words.

 

I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself.

 

Read the underlined bit again. Paul refused to judge himself. He refused to hate himself. He refused to condemn himself! He left that to God.

 

You too can be freed from self condemnation. Through the blood of Jesus you have permission to love yourself, to like yourself and to be at peace. You have permission to be happy. Jesus has redeemed you. He has freed you. Refuse to hate that which Jesus loves so preciously.

 

Prayer:

Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.

 

Adoration:

 

Confession:

 

Thanks:

 

Supplication:

¥ Pray that God would provide for the needs of the Reformed Bible College in Myanmar. Pray that the students and staff would be blessed with all the needed resources so that they can focus on learning, growing and reaching the world for Christ.

¥ Pray that the students who work in churches over the weekends would preach the Word powerfully and fearlessly. Pray that the Holy Spirit would work powerfully through the preached Word to grow the disciples and to bring many into the kingdom.

 

My Additional Prayer Points.

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