Taking the Old and Making It New

Daily Reading: Hebrews 10

Scripture Focus: He does away with the first in order to establish the second. (Hebrews 10.9b)

Devotional Thought: In the first two churches that I pastored, I was privileged to serve older, established congregations. In that role, I led in remodeling efforts and building projects. It was demanding work while shepherding a flock. I remember one day, in the midst of a remodeling effort, when God came to reassure me of the importance of what I was doing. The thought clearly came to me that God had called me to take what was old and make it new. The more I thought about it, the more excited I got!

God does just that, doesn't he? He is in the transforming business. He takes what is old and makes it new:

• Old covenant. God entered a blood covenant with Abraham and circumcision, then codified it through Moses and the Ten Commandments. Now, however, there is new covenant. This covenant is through Jesus. It is a covenant in his blood. We commemorate it in the Lord's Supper.

• Old community. The old community, Israel, was established around The Law and Sabbath. The new community, The Church, is established around the Royal Law (of love) and around the Sabbath rest for the people of God. The old community was done away with, in order to establish a new and better community of faith.

• Old character. In Christ we are all new creations. We are no longer sinners, but we are saints. Then, in grace and through the Holy Spirit, God enables us to grow in the likeness of Christ. "From glory to glory he's changing me!"

God is in the transforming business. Be transformed through Christ today!

Prayer: Lord, thank you for taking this sinner and making him/her into a saint. Help me to live out what you have made me within, to grow more like you daily. Amen.

Psalm of the Day: Psalm 49.16-20

16 Be not afraid when a man becomes rich,

when the glory of his house increases.

17 For when he dies he will carry nothing away;

his glory will not go down after him.

18 For though, while he lives, he counts himself blessed

—and though you get praise when you do well for yourself—

19 his soul will go to the generation of his fathers,

who will never again see light.

20 Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish.