Daily Reading: Ezekiel 16:42-17:24 ESV, Hebrews 8:1-13 ESV, Psalm 106:13-31 ESV, Proverbs 27:7-9 ESV
Daily Verse: “Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer.” (Hebrews 8:3 ESV)
ARCHIEREUS (749): “This word means “a chief priest, high priest” and is frequent in the gospels, Acts and Hebrews, but there only in the NT. It is used of Christ.”[1]
High Priest.
As head of the church, no one ranks higher than Jesus. The gifts and sacrifices Christ offers bring life to the fullest to all who receive them. No one can choose Jesus for you. Only you can decide to follow the Highest Priest of them all.
Reading comments on social media responding to an ad for the latest Christian film made my heart sink. People’s opinion of Christ’s church doesn’t baffle me. Having experienced pain at the hands of believers, I get it. But we must learn to forgive.
People will hurt you. My husband loves me more than anyone on earth, but he occasionally steps on my feelings. Relationships can’t exist without some strife because imperfect people create connections. We all have hurt people in our lives, sometimes intentionally. “Get off your high horse,” my mother used to say.
Let go.
Submit your life to Jesus, and give Him all of it. Don’t hold back. “The Cuckoo Syndrome,” by Andrea Anderson Polk, gave me a new perspective on dark periods in my life.
“The greatest treasures are often buried in the deepest, darkest places.” AAP
Life’s challenges can take us places we never thought about or wanted to go. But amid our valley, God exists. And when we give those dark places to Him, you will experience unexplainable grace.
But first, you must let go. Admit you need help. Stop posing; start living. Embrace God’s grace and mercy, fill yourself with His love, and let Him change your life. Nothing you have done or will do can separate you from Christ’s love.
Believe it today!
[1] Strong, J., & Strong, J. (2010). The New Strong’s expanded exhaustive concordance of the Bible. Greek Dictionary of the New Testament (p. 43) Thomas Nelson
