April 23, 2024
Devotional for April 23, 2024
Scripture: Hebrews 9:27-28 – “Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”
What it means
Here’s a great little synopsis from the apostle Paul about what Jesus accomplished for us on the cross 2,000 years ago. It’s not a pleasant thought to think about our own mortality…the fact that we will all die one day, and even worse, to consider having to stand before an All-mighty, All-powerful, All-holy God and have Him judge us for all the bad things that we took part in during our entire life. My list is long, unfortunately – but the news from Paul is very good for a sinner such as myself. You see, Jesus has already paid the price for my many sins and made it possible for me to still get into Heaven, even though I absolutely don’t deserve to do so.
What it means to me
I especially like the latter part of verse 28 – “to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.” Another translation that I found takes it a step further: “to all who are eagerly waiting for Him.” That notches it up a bit for me – we should all be eager and joyful as we wait for Jesus’ second appearance. I guess that this idea of waiting for Messiah to come and rescue us isn’t as much of an issue today as it was before the coming of Jesus, and even immediately after His death and resurrection. Most thought that His coming would be imminent – Jesus would sweep things up a bit in Heaven for our grand arrival, and then swoop down and collect His children in a short period of time, but it’s been a bit longer than most thought would be the case. But that’s okay – we should still be eager and joyful in the waiting. I’m not a very patient person, but if what I’m waiting for is worth it, then I’m generally more okay with that. And trust me – this is well worth it!
Love you guys, talk to you on Thursday!
In Christ,
Brian