August 20 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

What a change in the tone of this letter to the Hebrews! In the one paragraph we read the most joyous statement on God's full and final forgiveness. The very next paragraph makes us tremble at the vengeance of God.

This change of tone should not really surprise us. After all, we have heard God's last word. The curtain has been torn. God's heart has been opened. We are now living on holy ground, under an open heaven, in the presence of the almighty God.

In such a situation of love and mutual possession, our bliss is beyond description. But the accidents can be fatal.

Many people know, or will find out, that marriage can be a source of either bliss or misery. Great joy may be possessed in sacred love. But love turns to disgust when the marriage is desecrated.

We have been wedded to God by the new covenant bond of the blood and the Spirit. Therefore we are often overwhelmed with a trembling joy. We know peace. And we have moments of great ecstasy. But all of this can suddenly turn to acute agony when the relationship is desecrated.

The writer is here describing an outrageous sin. He is talking about a person who has accepted the life of his lover and then trampled it underfoot. We call this the sin against the Holy Spirit.

We must reassure sensitive Christians that they have not committed this sin. Their very fear shows that they could not have done it.

Nevertheless, the warning is issued to all. A love relationship may never be taken for granted. It must be cultivated. God's love-word in Christ must forever move us to worship and praise, fear and trembling, joy and hope.

REFLECTIONS

What place do "fear and trembling" have in your walk with God?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.