Daily Devotional

When was the last time you upgraded your phone? The truth is most folks wait a couple of years and allow a few models to go by before upgrading to the “new and improved" version. Of course, nowadays I wouldn't know anything about that as I'm rocking a flip phone like it's 1999. The point being is that there’s nothing like the feeling of getting your hands on something "brand new” whether it be a phone, a car, a computer, you name it. Much of the time the new and improved is exciting. Yet, how silly would it be to continue using something old when you have a newer version of it? What a waste! And I can make the argument that we are benefiting in our relationship with Christ from the "new and improved."

 Before Christ, the Old Covenant, or another word for covenant, “promise”, was about a bunch of different things that people needed to do to maintain their good standing/relationship with God. And the covenant screamed of the desperate need for a savior. When Christ came, died on the cross, and rose again, He paid our debt and now through acceptance of His atonement, we may live in the New Covenant. The Bible says that “...the letter kills, the but the Spirit gives life” (2 Cor. 3:6b). The "letter" governed by the law of the Old Covenant showed us that we could never do enough things to earn our salvation. While the letter may teach “what”, the Spirit teaches “how”. And because of Jesus's death and resurrection, we're under the New Covenant of the Holy Spirit that lives inside of us which shows us how to live when we follow Christ.

Without question, there was a heavy burden on the law and the Old Covenant. But the contrast is the blessing of the New Covenant that we get to experience. This makes our relationship with Jesus so much more meaningful because we approach God personally not as individuals following a set of rules but as His sons and daughters. Knowing what He has done for us, should inspire us to take advantage of His incredible love, and focus more on Him and living in the grace of the New Covenant rather than the duty of the Old Covenant. While Abel’s blood called for God’s vengeance (Gen. 4:10), the blood of Jesus cries for forgiveness, redemption, and reconciliation for the children of God (Heb. 9:12–15; 10:19–22). May the "new and improved" life we find in Jesus continue to be our guide this day as we continue looking to Him.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.