Daily Devotional
By Pastor Jerry Teboe
A Closer Walk with Christ in 2026
All Things New – Part 8
A New Rest Promised
Hebrews 3:7-13
Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith,) Today if ye will hear his voice, Heb 3:8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: Heb 3:9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Heb 3:10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. Heb 3:11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) Heb 3:12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. Heb 3:13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
Today, we see another new thing which was unknown in former times. The people were now given a promise of a rest that was waiting for them, but there was also a warning which came with that promise. Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith,) Today if ye will hear his voice, Heb 3:8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: Heb 3:9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Heb 3:10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do always err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.
The people of God in the time of Moses were constantly complaining against what God was doing. When God told them to enter the Promised Land, they refused to believe that He could take care of them. God had proven over and over that He could and would take care of them. At the Red Sea, He had opened the waters for their escape, then used the same Red Sea He had provided for them for safety to drown the Egyptians. He had provided water at Mara and made the bitter water sweet. He had provided manna for bread and quail for meat. He gave them water from the rock. Then He gave them victory over a great enemy in the battle with Amalek. What more did they need in order to trust God? But they would not accept what God had done for them. As a result, God was angry with them and told them that He would not let them enter His rest. That rest was their entrance into the Promised Land.
The writer then gives a warning to the readers to beware of unbelief in their own hearts in departing from the Living God. They were to encourage each other daily and, as a result, to avoid the deceitfulness of sin. However, they did not do what God asked of them.
This can happen to us too if we let other things come into our lives and make those things more important than our walk with God. For that reason, we need to guard our hearts but also realize that God has a rest ahead for us. That something is His eternal rest when we are finally home with Him forever! For this reason, we continue to pray for His soon return as we look forward to that promised time in eternity with Him!
Bible Reading for the Year
January 10th, Genesis 25-26; Matthew 9:1-17
January 11th, Genesis 27-28: Matthew 9:18-38
Prayer Needs
Pray for Sunday services as we continue
to look at the series of New Things in 2026.
Please pray for Griselda Ramirez and her family. All have been sick with the virus. Carlos and Jayden are better, but her mom, Luisa, and her older son are still struggling. Her mom especially is very sick.
Please pray for Linda Bowers who just found out she has covid.
Please continue to pray for Jennifer Teboe Buchamer. She completed all of the 28 radiation treatments. Please pray for the tumor to shrink. She will see the doctor at Duke on the 14th to discuss possible follow-up treatment.
Please pray for Melva Jordan, Dr. Jordan’s wife. She has several appointments in January for her heart. She had her visit at the Congestive Heart Failure Clinic. Next week she has several more appointments.
Please continue to pray for Beth Buchta. She had a hip replacement, on November 25th. She saw her orthopedic doctor yesterday and received a good report. She can begin to do a little more each day.
Please pray for Marvin Silverthorne. He will see his eye doctor on January 20th.
Please pray for Ricky Hill, a coworker of Jeremy Hewitt, who has a tumor on his kidneys which is cancerous.
Praise the Lord for Anderson and Meredith Womble, friends of Donna Dixion. THE BABY WAS BORN. Mother and baby are doing well! Please continue to pray as there may have to be heart surgery on the little one.
Please continue to pray for Phil Corey. Pray for his continual dialysis treatments.
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Pray for our Missionaries!
Sue Singleton and the mission in Cambodia
Dr. Joe Jordan and the CBM (Cross and Bible Ministries)
Travis and Caroline Fennessy – IBM missionaries to Southeast Asia