The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared (Hebrews 10:1-2 NLT).

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Have you ever stared and watched a washing machine go around and around? The cycle seems endless. That’s what I think of as we read this verse in Hebrews 10. Under the old system in Moses’ day, these sacrifices had to keep occurring. They were never really sufficient. It’s like the same old cycle over and over again.

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I think for so many of us, it can be easy to get caught up in a washing machine cycle where the same thing is happening over and over again – we miss the main thing and get stuck in a loop, distracted by the shadow of something greater.

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Thankfully, the writer of Hebrews is writing to bring us clarity on the purpose of the law and what it really represents. You see, the point was never the law itself. Rather, the law itself was meant to point to something so much greater. Now, as much as we may all need that reminder at times, I think the greater treasure in this passage is actually the gift that these sacrifices could never be enough.  

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When you read verse 2, do you consider that the insufficiency of these sacrifices is actually a gift? Because ultimately, it points us to Jesus, the perfect sacrifice. His work was fully sufficient.  

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In him, everything we need and long for is fully satisfied; his work on the cross is proof of that. You see, Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was fully sufficient for saving us, yet bringing us into right standing with God and the start of a relationship is only the beginning. The main thing isn’t perfection; it’s the relationship with God. He desires relationship with you so much that he made a way to remove your imperfections so you could be with him.

So here’s the point – we get to decide whether we stay in the cycles that will never be sufficient or step into the new beginning of life with Jesus! If you’ve already made that decision, let this reminder renew your strength today – that you were born again into a new life that started from a place of being made right with God. Each day you wake up and walk in the wholeness of Christ as He proves to be more than sufficient for every day, every circumstance, every need, and every desire.

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Take some time to pray and thank the Lord for his sufficiency. Ask him where you need to be reminded that everything you need is found in him.