Colossians 2:13-15 - He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

There is a written code that is against us. It consists of every action and thought that we have done that has fallen short of our Christian intents. Yet the Bible states that Christ has forgiven all of our sins. The code that wants to rightly hold our failures over us has been taken away. The guilt and shame that wants to hold us captive has been disarmed. The triumph of the cross breaks the power of condemnation and as a result releases the power of transformation in our lives. This is the paradox and the power of the cross.

Today's commentary by:
Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, GraceNYC.org

What do you think? Discussion at: http://facebook.com/DailyBibleVerse

Hebrews 4:9-11 - For anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work

There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience.

Just like the other commandments, the Sabbath of Moses was a shadow of the Sabbath that Christ gives us. Jewish adherents celebrate Sabbath once a week, but Christ wants to offer Sabbath to his people everyday. Notice that we are to take great effort to enter the rest of God, because we are prone to take the burden of our work and our lives everyday. But to constantly wrestle with those burdens, willingly lay them down and rest is an action of faith and obedience that God blesses.

Today's commentary by:
Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, GraceNYC.org

What do you think? Discussion at: http://facebook.com/DailyBibleVerse