Welcome to Redeem the Commute. I’m Ryan, your host for this daily challenge. It’s Thursday, the day we try to apply and live out what we’ve learned this week from the Bible. This week we’ve been studying

People needed to know that even when the temple was destroyed, they were expelled from their land with no king, God would still care for them, and they would be his people.

God wasn’t limited by those vessels he’d chosen to use for communicating his presence and care here on earth.

The new covenant would be completely portable, travelling in the hearts of God’s people.   It would be between God and his people, not mediated by the temple or priests.

When Jesus died on the cross, God showed this quite vividly.  The veil of the temple, a heavy curtain between God’s physical presence and everyone but the high priest, was torn in two.  Now every human could experience the presence of God through the Holy Spirit – whom they could invite to live in their heart.

This is the Spirit of Jesus, who said he was greater than the temple.  He could only say this if he was truly the presence of God on earth.

The greatest hope is this: they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

Like a veil of sin was separating us from God, and when Jesus died on the cross, he tore that open as well, so nothing would separate us from the love of God.

Whatever has separated you from God, whatever sin and brokenness in your life feels like it should keep God away, know that he has made it possible to leave that behind, and enter his holy presence.  Just give that to Jesus, and let it die with him on the cross.

Challenge: What has been separating you from God?  Ask him to forgive you, and remember that sin no more.  Then invite his Holy Spirit into your heart, to write his new covenant there forever.