August 25 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

We join hands with the believers of all ages, including all the Old Testament people who hoped in God. Essentially we are all in the same situation. All of us must respond to a Word of promise by an act of faith. Each one may take hold of the promise with the fingers of faith.

But the new covenant is much better than the old one, because Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the old promise. All these Old Testament men and women, who still serve as examples of what it means to trust in God, did not receive what was promised. But we did, because we know Jesus as Savior and Lord.

Now everything is "better," as the writer to the Hebrews says. We have a "better hope" (7:19) since we are in a "better covenant" (7:22) based on "better promises" (8:6) and "better sacrifices" (9:23). There may be many points of similarity between the covenant life of the fathers and mothers of faith and our relationship to God, but with us everything is "better."

It is not immodest to remind ourselves of this truth. As a matter of fact, it is necessary for us to be deeply aware of the excellence of the new situation as compared with the old. We live and work under the conditions, privileges, and obligations of a new covenant.

There is always a pull in the Christian church to return to the Old Testament. Many seem to prefer living under the law to living under grace. Most people love the spectacle of religious ritual and the hallowed atmosphere of temples made by hands. Besides, the laziness of people makes it easy for church leaders to behave as if the church were dependent on their teaching and intercession.

All these factors contribute to make backsliding a real danger and a constant threat. Watchfulness requires not only that we know history but also that we know Christ.

In these last days God has come to us in the Son. In the cross of Christ, the last word has been said about our sins. In Christ's exaltation, the decisive word has been spoken about our future.

REFLECTIONS

Express your thanks to God for the benefits of living under the new— and better—covenant.

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.