THINK TOGETHER
Have you ever broken a promise that you made?
READ TOGETHER
In the Old Testament God made promises to his people called covenants, and he never once broke a promise. Most of God’s covenants were what we might call “One Way” covenants. This means that only God had to keep promises (and he always did). But the Old Covenant made with God’s people at Mount Sinai was a “Two Way” covenant. This means that God would have to keep promises but so would the people.
But the people never kept their promises to God. They promised to love God, but then they worshiped false gods instead. They promised to be kind to each other, but then they were mean. They promised to serve God and obey him, but then they became selfish and disobedient.
The old covenant failed.
But it was supposed to fail. It was supposed to show us that we will never be like God. We will never be able to love and obey God on the outside unless first we are changed on the inside. And that is why God promised to make a new covenant with his people. The prophet Jeremiah describes the New Covenant that God will make with us. Listen to these amazing New Covenant promises:
Jeremiah 31:33-34. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for 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.”
The New Covenant makes two promises to us that are very, very important. Two promises that we must never forget. Two promises that are only possible if we receive Jesus.
The first promise – “I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sin no more.”
The second promise – “I will write my law on their hearts.”
God promises to forgive us of all our sins and then to change our hearts so that we will love and obey his law – the law to love God and love others.
Do you believe that these promises are true in your life? Do you believe that because of Jesus and his cross all your sins are forgive by God? Do you believe that because of Jesus and his eternal life you have a new heart that loves God and loves other people? I do, and I hope you do too.
Because of Jesus all my sins are forgiven and I can have a new heart.
With Jesus I can love God and others with my new heart that is full of his love for me.
DO SOMETHING TOGETHER
Review the verse from yesterday’s reading: 1 John 4:19. We love because he first loved us.
PRAY TOGETHER
Jesus,
Because of your cross I am forgiven and because of your resurrection I can have a new heart. Thank you for all you’ve done for me.
Amen.
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