Jeremiah 31:33-34
“This is the brand-new covenant
that I will make with Israel when the time comes. I will put my law
within them—write it on their hearts!—and be their God. And they will be
my people. They will no longer go around setting up schools to teach
each other about God. They’ll know me firsthand, the dull and the
bright, the smart and the slow. I’ll wipe the slate clean for each of
them. I’ll forget they ever sinned!” God’s Decree.
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
Yesterday, our Zola
“graduated” from pre-K. Kindergarten, here she comes! I looked at the
little girl who walked proudly across the stage to receive her
“diploma,” and I thought about all that she has learned in two years…and
what lies ahead of her. The world is truly her oyster, as the saying
goes. I also thought about how the crowning achievement for my little
niece – and her brothers – will be when they truly come to know Jesus
firsthand…when God’s laws are written on their hearts forever and ever.
We
can teach others about God. We can share Bible stories and help them
memorize the Ten Commandments. We can evangelize the world and spread
the Good News of Jesus. But until each and every one of us internalize
the message of Christ and “write it on our hearts”…we’ll keep stumbling
around in the dark for the most part…and we will be vulnerable to sin.
I
am not saying that once we truly develop a relationship with Jesus, we
never sin again. That is why the last lines of this passage are so
important, where God says that “I’ll wipe the slate clean for each of
them. I’ll forget they ever sinned!” Without the blood of Jesus and His
continual forgiveness, we’d all pretty well be sunk! But once we
“write God’s laws” on our heart and come into a full relationship with
Jesus and the Holy Spirit, we have a fighting chance against the desire
to succumb to sin. When serving Jesus becomes our focus, the lure of
sin is greatly diminished.
There is another component to this
that must be addressed. None of us is perfect. But for God’s grace and
Jesus’ blood over our sins, we would all be like the people of Israel
and Judah who stumbled in the wilderness and lived in disrespect and
disobedience. We are so incredibly blessed by God’s forgiveness through
Jesus. And we must honor this great gift and humbly forgive others in
return. That means no judging…no bickering or name calling…no
gossiping…and no hating of any kind!
We often so underestimate
how great forgiveness has been in our own lives…what Jesus has taken
from us – and what God has forgotten. We must not dishonor this great
Salvation by treating others with anything less than grace and mercy.
We must offer a great example of unconditional love to the world and let
others see Jesus in each of our words, thoughts, and actions. This
must be our gift to our children…and our demonstration of honor and
gratitude to Jesus.
I know that God’s laws will be written on the
hearts of our little ones someday. My job…and yours…is to embrace
Jesus and give the world a daily example of what it means to have
firsthand knowledge of His amazing grace, mercy, and forgiveness. We
must live in a way that makes others want to say, “I’ll take a hefty
dose of what he/she has!” We must give them a reason to want to write
God’s laws on their own hearts forever and ever.
Humble
yourself before God today…thank Him - for forgiving and forgetting your
sins. Ask Him to help you do the same toward others. Put your sinful
past behind you…and help others to do this in their own lives. Check
the condition of your “heart”…and get busy being the new creature in
Christ whom God has called you to be! People are watching…what are you showing them?
©2016 Debbie Robus
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