Hebrews 13:12-21 12And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. 13Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. 14For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come. 15Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. 16And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. 17Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you. 18Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way. 19I particularly urge you to pray so that I may be restored to you soon. 20Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, 21equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
As any summer draws to a close, many students already begin to anticipate the start of the next new school year. I suppose their minds are full of questions: Who will my new teacher be? What will my classroom look like? For some students, the questions might be: Will I be able to find my room? Will I remember my locker combination? I still chuckle when I remember years ago, one of our sons went back to school to find his jacket. I was waiting out in the car for what seemed an inordinately long time; and when he finally came out to the car he explained that he went to his previous year’s classroom by mistake and couldn’t find his jacket. Then he remembered the right classroom. If I am honest, I did not find joy in waiting for my son that day.
Today’s passage reminds us of another kind of anticipation. This anticipation brings joy to every Christian. Truly we are looking for that Blessed Hope – “the city that is to come” (v. 14). So perhaps for us, the questions should be: Will I be ready? Have I done all that I can to make sure others are ready? Have I used my time wisely for the Lord?
Gracious Heavenly Father, our LORD God Almighty,
Thank you for that Blessed Hope. May we work faithfully for your kingdom with eager anticipation.
In the Name of Jesus Christ, our LORD and Savior, Amen.
The devotion Anticipation was originally written for Wednesday, August 4, 2010; for Maranatha Devotional Guide, an Advent Christian Publication https://acgc.us As the original author of this devotion, I reserve the right to update and share it on my current devotional blog Write From My Heart at https://writefrommyheartblog.blogspot.com
Email: Dotty Willmon, writefrommyheartblog@gmail.com
Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®, Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
No comments:
Post a Comment