September 26 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

The new covenant too was sealed by the shedding of blood. The blood of Jesus Christ was given on the last altar. All of his people must drink the cup of wine as an assurance that they are God's covenant partners.

Just as the people of God in the old covenant were not immediately placed in the promised land after they had been redeemed from Egypt, so the people of God in the New Testament are not taken out of the world when they are redeemed by Christ. They have to travel through this world. But they do not travel alone; God's people are wedded to him by an everlasting covenant.

Our union with God is celebrated and underlined in the Lord's Supper. Just as moments of intimate sharing constitute the strength of a marriage, so the intimacy of the Lord's Supper gives strength to our covenantal way of living.

We will never reach the end of the journey unless our relationship to God is real and our communion with him is constantly maintained. The Lord's Supper—the covenantal meal—is one of the means whereby the Lord himself strengthens us.

Paul underlines the importance of the Lord's Supper by raising an embarrassing matter. He chides the people of the congregation in Corinth for being greedy and selfish (vv. 20-22) when partaking of the Lord's Supper. Because of their unseemly behavior, God has sent his judgment on them (vv. 29-32).

Does the story of sin forever repeat itself, then? Must the people in the new covenant fall by the same kind of disobedience that made Israel lose its place of honor?

Celebrating the Lord's Supper does not merely assure us of God's love and the forgiveness of our sins; it is also an occasion for covenant renewal. God reminds us that he delivered us out of the house of bondage. By eating and drinking, we pledge that we will do whatever the Lord has commanded.

REFLECTIONS

How does the Lord strengthen you when you take communion?

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.