Daily Devotion

 With Pastor Ancel Presnell

“THE PRICE TAG OF PERFECT BLOOD”

The Law—the Ten Commandments, all of it—is like a spiritual speedometer. It doesn’t get you where you need to go, but it absolutely tells you that you’re speeding and deserve a ticket. Think about it: Have you ever wanted something that belongs to someone else (coveting)? Have you ever disrespected your parents? Jesus said just looking at someone with lust is the same as adultery. The Law proves one thing beyond a doubt: we are completely unable to meet God’s demands. It doesn’t let us escape; it just shows us how badly we need a way out.

This brings us to the wonderful part: How can we ever be made right with God? The answer is simple: by putting all our faith in Jesus Christ. We have all “missed the mark.” There’s no difference between the rich CEO and the homeless guy; we’ve all sinned and need to be born again. We are all equally guilty. Dr. McGee used to say he thought God had to reach lower for some people, but the Bible says that’s not true. We are all on the same sinking ship, and we all need the same life raft—Jesus. (McGee, 1998)

This is where the idea of the Mercy Seat comes in. Back in the Old Testament, the priest would sprinkle blood on the lid of the Ark of the Covenant once a year to cover the people’s sins. That was the temporary “mercy seat.” It had to be done every single year because sin kept coming back. But Jesus is our final, permanent Mercy Seat! He was put on display for us, and when we come to Him, we receive pardon and mercy. The blood He shed was perfect and completely acceptable to God. The Old Testament talks about “atonement” 81 times, but in the New Testament, it only took Christ one time to get the job done forever! Our job is just to come to Him and find out how amazing that saving love is.

Romans 3:24–25– “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.”