“And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’” – Matthew 26:27-28

In the Bible, covenants are ratified by the shedding of innocent blood. In Hebrew, to make a covenant is literally to “cut” a covenant. The blood of animals was shed when God covenanted with Abraham and when He later covenanted with Israel. Jesus came to cut a new covenant between Holy God and sinful mankind. Jesus came to offer His blood for a new covenant of grace and forgiveness for sins that is freely given to everyone who believes in Him.

Like every biblical covenant, this new covenant required innocent blood to be shed. Jesus offered that blood Himself. It was His sinless life that was sacrificed and His holy blood that was shed on the cross to establish a new covenant free of the Law and founded on God’s amazing grace and mercy toward us. The cup of the Lord’s Supper is a vivid, visible, tangible reminder and proclamation of Christ’s sacrificial death on our behalf and why He gave Himself to that death. The cup engages our senses to deepen our awareness of the cost of our freedom and forgiveness.

Rejoice in what Jesus did for you in making Himself the sacrificial lamb cut for your covenant of rightstanding before God. Rejoice and remember. Thank you, Lord Jesus!

“Therefore you shall keep his statutes and his commandments, which I command you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for all time.” – Deuteronomy 4:40

Many today in our radically autonomous age of “you do you, I’ll do me” chafe at the very concept that the God of the Universe should have standards, rules, and expectations for those He created. We bristle at the concept that God defines right and wrong. We resist these ideas as “old fashioned”, “out of date”, “primitive”, “arbitrary”, and “backward”. As we worship Self above all in our culture, we reject any person or thing that tries to tell us what to do.

We need a dose of reality!!! God is the Creator of all things, which means He really does have authority over all things. He is all wise and all good, so he really does know what’s best. That’s perhaps where we’re most confused. God has standards and expectations for our behavior because they’re actually what’s best for our flourishing!

God gave His Law to Israel because it was not only best for them, it was a way to reveal God and His love to the rest of the world. He gave the Law so that EVERYONE could be blessed to have a relationship with Him. Israel’s failure to obey the Law not only condemned them to less than the best, it denied others the opportunity to see and know God for themselves.

As followers of Christ, we aren’t governed by the Law of Moses. That was for a specific people in a specific place. We’re governed by the Law of the Spirit (Romans 8:2). We’re governed by the even higher expectations and example of our perfect Savior, Jesus. These standards and expectations for our attitudes, words, and actions aren’t given to make our life gloomy and joyless. They’ve been given to us for our joy, delight, and happiness in the Lord! God really does know best. Where God’s standards go against our preferences and what we believe to be “most true for us” simply reflects the degree to which we’ve been deceived by our culture and our hearts. God’s way is the way of joy, delight, blessing, and flourishing. Trust Him, His wisdom, and His goodness!

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 8:38-39

Hold onto this promise, no matter what happens in your life! If you believe in Jesus, if He’s your Lord and Savior, then there’s absolutely nothing natural or supernatural that can ever separate you from God’s love. Ever.

God’s already demonstrated His vast, rock-solid love by the sacrifice of His Son Jesus on the cross for your salvation. There’s no greater act of love imaginable than Jesus taking the punishment for your sins. Remember this when doubt begins to rise in your mind. Remember this during hard, lonely seasons when God feels distant and uncaring. That’s simply a feeling and it’s deceiving. God’s never distant and He always cares.

There’s nothing you can do to earn God’s love and nothing you can do to lessen God’s love for you. God loves you more than you can possibly imagine. God may become displeased with the choices you make, but when you turn from them and return to Him, He’s always right there, ready to forgive you and embrace you in love.

The world may try to lie to you, claiming you’re unlovable. You aren’t. In Christ, God loves you. You may get confused and doubt God’s love for you, but His steadfast love for you will never end. God’s love is an objective reality guaranteed by the blood of Jesus, not a subjective feeling determined by you. Nothing and no one can separate you from God’s love. Walk in the bright light of this glorious love!

“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” – Romans 8:15

When we put our faith in Jesus Christ, we are sealed by God’s Holy Spirit. The Spirit comes to live within us and that changes everything inside us. Our external circumstances may look the same, but inside, we are new creations. Sometimes, though, we struggle to realize that everything’s changed and just keep living the same old way. That isn’t how it should be!

Having God’s Spirit within us is 100% proof that we are children of God. In Christ, God adopts us as His beloved sons and daughters. That means our relationship with God is no longer one of distance, hostility, and separation (because of sin), nor is it merely one of formality (as of a powerful King toward a powerless subject) or authority (as of a boss toward a subordinate). It’s a relationship of genuine familial affection. We’re able to cry out to our perfect Father in Heaven with intimacy, love, and confidence. We’re able to cry out to our “Abba” Father and KNOW that He’s listening with favor and affection. If Jesus is your Lord, this is true for you. Believe it!!!

Knowing that we’ve received the Spirit of adoption means we must resist the temptation to keep doing what we did before we believed in Jesus. We’re no longer slaves to sin and death. We aren’t meant to live in fear, for our eternity is secure in Christ and even death is simply a doorway to greater life. During seasons of widespread fear, uncertainty, doubt, and despair resist the temptation to sink into those things yourself. You are a child of God!

“Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” – Matthew 24:44

Ready is an important word for followers of Jesus. We’re called to constantly be ready. Ready for the ups and downs of life in a sinful and fallen world. Ready for war and persecution. Ready for life and death. Ready to give account for every word we’ve spoken and every action we’ve taken. Ready for our Lord and Savior to return at any moment.

That isn’t to say that Christ’s return is imminent. It’s simply that as His followers, we must always be ready for Him. We shouldn’t be putting things like obedience to God, growth in Christ, or sharing the Gospel off for ”when things are better”, “when we have more time”, “when the kids are grown”, or “when things aren’t so busy”. We must be busy doing our Lord’s business every day.

Being ready doesn’t mean we should be paralyzed by the prospect of Christ returning on a specific timeline. We shouldn’t live in a short-term mindset that ignores that fact that for God, a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like an day.

Being ready means that we each know what God has called us to do and we’re doing it. Every day. Being ready means that we’re loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength every day, not just Sundays. Being ready means that we’re loving our neighbors as ourselves all the time, not just when it’s convenient and we like them. Being ready means we’re making disciples continually as we go, baptize, and teach.

We don’t know when our life will end or our Savior will return. Being ready at all times means that we don’t have to be concerned about those things. Be ready!