Daily Devotion

Friday, January 30, 2026  

Today's Scripture
Hebrews 10:11–25

And every priest stands day after day at his service, offering again and again the same sacrifices that can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, “he sat down at the right hand of God,” and since then has been waiting “until his enemies would be made a footstool for his feet.” For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds,” he also adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.

Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (NRSV)

The anonymous letter to the Hebrews has long been admired for its beauty and complexity, weaving references to the Pentateuch and Prophets, along with Proverbs and the Psalms, throughout its thirteen chapters. In our passage today, as the text builds towards the powerful proclamations of faith offered in chapters 11 and 12, the author begins by naming a truth that concludes every time of confession we offer in worship: in Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.

That truth is powerful and life-changing, but so often we view God’s forgiveness as an endpoint rather than an invitation to a new beginning. Hebrews challenges that view, stating that because we are forgiven by “the new and living way that Jesus opened for us” (10:20), we now approach God “with a true heart in full assurance of faith… holding fast to the confession of our hope without wavering… considering how to provoke one another to love and good deeds” (10:22–24).

In a season when I am struggling with a sense of powerlessness — uncertain what difference my faith, my actions, or whatever it is I have to give will ultimately matter when things feel so fundamentally broken — these words give me great hope. Having experienced what it means to be loved unconditionally through God’s forgiveness and mercy, we cannot stay still or quiet — we provoke one another to love, regardless of outcome, simply because that is what Christ taught us to do.

We hold fast to our hope in love’s transformative power, even at times when it might feel too weak or ineffective to change the world around us, because in Christ we have seen love triumph over hate, and life triumph over death — and life and love will always have the final word.

Prayer

Loving God, help me to walk the new and living way that Jesus has shown me: holding fast to hope, provoking love through all that I say or do. Amen.

Written by Matt Helms, Associate Pastor

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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