All Blog Posts (3,232)

Day By Day By Grace - Bob Hoekstra

More on Substance, not Shadows, under Grace

For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come . . . Therefore let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. (Hebrews 10:1; Colossians 2:16-17)

Just as an approaching shadow points to the arrival of the person casting the shadow, so the law pointed to the coming of the…

Day By Day By Grace - Bob Hoekstra

Substance, not Shadows, under Grace

For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect . . . Therefore let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. (Hebrews 10:1;…

Day By Day By Grace - Bob Hoekstra

A Greater Intimacy under Grace

Then indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and the earthly sanctuary. For a tabernacle was prepared: the first part, in which was the lampstand, the table, and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary; and behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All . . . Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a…

Day By Day By Grace - Bob Hoekstra

A Better Sacrifice under Grace

For such a High Priest was fitting for us . . . who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices . . . for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself . . . Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. (Hebrews 7:26-27; 9:12)

Another better aspect of the new covenant of grace is…

Day By Day By Grace - Bob Hoekstra

A Better High Priest under Grace

"You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek" . . . by so much more Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant . . . Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He ever lives to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:21-22,25)

One of the better aspects of the new covenant of grace is Jesus, our High Priest. The priests under the law…

Day By Day By Grace - Bob Hoekstra

The Better Aspects of the New Covenant of Grace

He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. Because finding fault with them, He says: "Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the…

Day By Day By Grace - Bob Hoekstra

More Reflections on Obedience by God's Grace

Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? . . . Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God. (Galatians 3:3; 2 Corinthians 3:5)

Once again, let's reflect on previously studied passages that show how obedience to God is related to His grace. Galatians 3:3 fits in this…

Day By Day By Grace - Bob Hoekstra

Reflections on Obedience by God's Grace

For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace . . . that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (Romans 6:14; 8:4)

Before we leave this vital subject of obedience, let's reflect upon how it is related to God's grace. Various key passages that we have examined previously…

Day By Day By Grace - Bob Hoekstra

God Glorified by Working Obedience in Us

Now may the God of peace . . . make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. (Hebrews 13:20-21)

Let's make one more visit to these tremendous words in Hebrews 13:20-21. When the Lord works in us unto obedience ("what is well pleasing in His sight"), He Himself is the one who…

Day By Day By Grace - Bob Hoekstra

Day By Day By Grace - Bob Hoekstra

God Working in Us What Pleases Him

Now may the God of peace . . . make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. (Hebrews 13:20-21)

Once again, our attention is focused upon Hebrews 13:20-21. In the two previous devotionals, we saw that the God of peace makes obedience…

Day By Day By Grace - Bob Hoekstra

God Equipping Us to Do His Will

Now may the God of peace . . . make you complete in every good work to do His will. (Hebrews 13:20-21)

Again, our devotional study is from Hebrews 13:20-21. In our previous meditation, we saw that the God of peace makes obedience available through the shed blood of the crucified, risen Christ. That shed blood forgives our sins, making friends out of formerly disobedient enemies. Furthermore, that shed…

Day By Day By Grace - Bob Hoekstra

The God of Peace Making Obedience Available to Us

Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will. (Hebrews 13:20-21)

These powerful verses continue our inquiry concerning a life of obedience. They conclude with what results when God is allowed to do His work in our lives. We become…

Day By Day By Grace - Bob Hoekstra

God Working in Us Both to Will and to Do

Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12-13)

Again, our meditation is from Philippians 2:12-13. Yesterday, we saw that God must be allowed to work within our hearts, if we are to walk in obedience. "It is God who works in you . . . for His good pleasure." Today, we will consider the extent…

Day By Day By Grace - Bob Hoekstra

God Working in Us Unto Obedience

Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12-13)

We have been considering from various perspectives the great truth that God wants us to grow in obedience to His will. The lordship of Jesus makes disobedience unacceptable. "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say? "…

Day By Day By Grace - Bob Hoekstra

Obedience and the Life of Jesus

And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him . . . Christ in you, the hope of glory. (John 8:29; Colossians 1:27)

Our Lord Jesus wants His followers to live in obedience to His will: "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:20a). Our Lord is also with us every step of our pilgrimage, granting us His grace…

Day By Day By Grace - Bob Hoekstra

Obedience and the Lordship of Jesus

But why do you call Me "Lord, Lord," and do not do the things which I say? . . . Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them . . . [and] teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. (Luke 6:46; Matthew 28:19-20)

As servants of the new covenant of grace, the Lordship of Jesus is part of our message. "For…

Day By Day By Grace - Bob Hoekstra

The Work of the Holy Spirit unto Obedience

I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. (Ezekiel 36:27)

When we placed our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, we were born again. We were made new in Christ. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17). We received a new…

American King James Version

II Kings 2

1 And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.2 And Elijah said to Elisha, Tarry here, I pray you; for the LORD has sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said to him, As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you. So they went down to Bethel.3 And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said to him, Know you that the…

Day By Day By Grace - Bob Hoekstra

The New Covenant Promise of a New Heart

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. (Ezekiel 36:26)

To live in obedience to the will of God, man needs more than his own best efforts and intentions. The history of Israel emphatically demonstrates this. God gave His law. He commanded them, saying,"Walk in My statutes, keep My judgments, and do…

El shaddai, El shaddai,

El-elyon na adonai,

Age to age youre still the same,

By the power of the name.

El shaddai, El shaddai,

Erkamka na adonai,

I will praise and lift you high,

El shaddai.

Through your love and through the ram,

You saved the son of abraham;

Through the power of your hand,

You turned the sea into dry land.

To the outcast on her knees,

You were the God who really sees,

And by your might,

You set…