the Third Week after Easter
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Daily Devotionals
Day by Day Devotional - Year 5 of 5
Hebrews 13:17-25
We have had faithful leaders. Let us respect their memory and imitate their faith – and read their writings (v. 7). Today also God gives us those who have the rule over us (vv. 17, 24). What is our duty towards them? To obey them, pray for them (v. 18) and so to behave that they can fulfil their service with joy – they take care of our souls. Equally we should accept the word of exhortation when it is addressed to us by them (v. 22). At all costs let no worker for the Lord cause His people to lose sight of the "great Shepherd of the sheep". He alone has given His life for them and now He leads them out with Himself from the camp of human religion. From now on all Christians form a single flock having only one Shepherd at its head (John 10:4; John 10:16).
One after the other in this epistle the elements of Judaism have been taken away and replaced by glorious Christian truths. They are all summed-up in Jesus Christ. Ultimately that is the work which God is accomplishing in us (v. 21): He breaks all our past links and rids us of formalism so as to join us to His risen and glorified Son. While we wait for His imminent appearing may this letter have taught us already by faith to fix our eyes upon Him (Hebrews 12:2).
