Be Cleansed from Dead Works

[S] Hebrews 9:12-14 --

¹²and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

¹³For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh,

¹⁴how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

[O] God's covenant required blood to be shed in order for forgiveness to take place and so many animals were sacrificed to atone for the sin the flesh committed. However once Jesus came to earth and shed His own blood as the once-for-all sacrifice in our place we no longer have to keep sacrificing animals; instead we just have to be covered under that sacrifice which applies to my life eternally. As in verse 14, the outcome of this covering is serving the living God with living works. I notice in my own life that when my brain loses a strong grip in this graceful offering from God, my life becomes trapped deeper and deeper into the staleness of my own "greatness" which really is nothing close being great at all.

[A] God has led me to take part in a ministry at my church. Based on this covering of Jesus' own sacrifice, I need to be intentional about producing the "living works" of God. This can be easily seen by the fruitfulness of the ministry where there is joy, happiness, and spiritual growth in people's lives.

[P] Thank You, God for sending Your own Son Jesus Christ to shed His own blood for my own inaequacies once and for all. May my life reflect the true value of this wonderful offering for me. In Jesus' Christ name I pray. Amen.