Today Daily Devotional

The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed . . . meaning . . . Christ.
— Galatians 3:16

Disappointment can shrivel hope. A grandmother can pray for years, and yet her grand children may leave the faith. A man can work decades in a job and be let go. People can struggle for years in pain or mental distress, with no relief in sight. We may ask, “Where is the joy? Have God’s promises failed?”Sarah knew that kind of heartache. God had promised her husband, Abraham, a child, but over 24 years had gone by, and there was no baby in her womb. Her laugh grew hollow, hardened into cynicism (see Genesis 12:4; 17:17-18:15).But God did give them a son, Isaac (Genesis 21:1-7). And God didn’t just fulfill a promise or set redemption in motion (which he did!); he also healed Sarah’s laugh.In addition, Isaac, whose name means “laughter,” became a pointer to Jesus. Isaac brought joy to one family, and Jesus brings joy for all the nations.When Jesus was born, angels rejoiced, shepherds rejoiced, old Simeon and Anna rejoiced, and wise men from the East came to worship him (Matthew 2; Luke 2). Earlier, another baby, John, leapt in his mother’s womb, and Jesus’ mother, Mary, sang: “My spirit rejoices in God. . . . He has . . . remember[ ed] to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever” (Luke 1:41, 47, 54-55).Jesus, the ultimate promised Son, took all of our disappointments and hollow laughs onto himself. He died and rose to heal our dried-up hopes. And we can laugh again.

Lord, may we always see you keeping your promises in Jesus. Heal our hearts, we pray, and bring us joy in him. Amen.

Christ Jesus . . . is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.
— Romans 8:34

What is Jesus doing now, since he has ascended to heaven? Hebrews 7:25 (like Romans 8:34) says that he is always interceding for us. Jesus prays for us constantly!What a gift this is. We cannot enter God’s presence on the basis of our own goodness. We need the one, perfect Mediator/ High Priest to speak for us. As an old hymn puts it:Before the throne of God aboveI have a strong and perfect plea,a great High Priest whose name is Love,who ever lives and pleads for me.Jesus’ intercession is spoken and visible. Jesus speaks to the Father on our behalf, and his scars bear the testimony of his sacrifice for us. As the prophet Isaiah said, “By his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).So, through Jesus’ work for us, we are reconciled with God. And he mediates a new covenant for us with God so that God’s law is in our minds and in our hearts always. By living within us through his Spirit, Jesus impresses on our minds and hearts how to live for God each day. This is the new life Jesus makes possible for us, guiding us, through his Spirit, to live faithfully, as he did. And because of Jesus, we can have the confidence to draw near to God our Father always, anytime (Hebrews 10:19-23).Without Jesus, God would be a distant power. In Jesus, we have a Father. And nothing can separate us from his love!

Thank you, Lord Jesus, our faithful mediator and intercessor, for giving us new life in the Father’s love forever. Amen.

Since we have a great high priest who ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.
— Hebrews 4:14

Sometimes clothes tell a story. A letterman jacket. An apron. Baby shoes, never worn. Medals on a veteran’s uniform.The clothing of the Old Testament high priest told a story. The ephod was a vest made of gold, woven with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn—the same colors used inside the tabernacle (the special tent of God’s presence). On each shoulder of the ephod was an onyx stone, engraved with the names of the tribes of Israel. The ephod told the people that the priest was their mediator when he went into the presence of God.The high priest also wore a breastpiece over the ephod. It bore 12 gemstones, each engraved with a tribe’s name. In addition, a gold plate that read “HOLY TO THE LORD” was attached to the front of the high priest’s turban (see Exodus 28:6-30).The story these clothes told was that through the service of the high priest, God showed his love by promising forgiveness and a new start for his people. Today we know that Jesus Christ is the true and ultimate High Priest, mediating for us always. He is God’s presence in our midst (John 1:14). As High Priest, Jesus carries us before God, bearing our names and our guilt so that we can be forgiven and receive new life in him. What’s more, our great High Priest gave his own life as the final, perfect sacrifice. What amazing love!

Lord Jesus, how glorious you are! Thank you for being our perfect High Priest and for giving yourself as the perfect sacrifice for us, once for all. Hallelujah! Amen.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit. . . ."
— John 15:5

Before I married, I did not own a car. I did not know how to fix vehicles or install plumbing. (Still don’t.) But with a vow, suddenly I had access to all those riches through my husband.Being united to Jesus works in a way like that—only better. Jesus describes himself as a vine, and he says we are like branches—deeply connected to him and blessed with all the benefits of life in him.John Calvin wrote that through Christ all heavenly gifts flow to us. From him we get life, righteousness, holiness, and every true blessing. Imagine! Jesus’ joy, peace, strength, and reward. An old hymn proclaims: “How vast the benefits divine that we in Christ possess!”At the beginning of our reading for today, Jesus calls himself “the true vine.” There really is no other with whom we can have this flourishing relationship. Apart from him, we cannot bear fruit, so we need to remain in Jesus.What does “remaining” look like? I saw a short video called “If we treated our Bibles like our phones. . . .” As soon he woke in the morning, a man opened his Bible; he read it as he brushed his teeth, cooked his eggs, and ran on a treadmill. He even kept checking his Bible throughout the day.We know what it means to “remain” with our phones. Perhaps remaining in Christ looks something like that? We need to stay close with him, all day long.

Lord Jesus, how blessed we are to be united in you! Help us to remain in you always, in all we do, that we may bear your fruit. Amen.

He is the head of the body, the church. . . .
— Colossians 1:18

My daughter plays percussion for the Des Moines (Iowa) Youth Symphony. As we take our seats for a concert, the warmup sounds like cacophony and chaos. Every musician is doing their own thing as they tune up and warm up.Then . . . tap-tap-tap. The conductor calls everyone to attention, and everything changes! The mess becomes music. The chaos turns coherent. Every instrument finds its place in the unity of the written score. And beauty results.The church too has many parts, many “instruments.” Left to ourselves, we naturally do our own thing. We can also be competitive and chaotic, often resembling “a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal,” without love (1 Corinthians 13:1).But because we have Jesus as our Head, our Lord and Savior, we can “live in harmony with one another” (Romans 12:16). He directs us with his song.The picture of Jesus as a conductor doesn’t go far enough, though. A symphony can survive without a conductor. But a body can’t survive, even for a moment, without a head. The head sends the signals that animate and orchestrate every part and every function of the body.In the same way Jesus, our Head, gives his life to his church. By his Spirit, he transmits to his body forgiveness, righteousness, selflessness, and love. What he gives is more than direction; he gives himself.

Lord Jesus, our Head, make us, as your body, a beautiful symphony for you. May we tune our lives to be in harmony with you always. Amen.