Read it: Jeremiah 1:5, Jeremiah 31:31-34, Psalm 119:11
Live it:
The relationship between Jeremiah and God is unique. In our first reading today, we learn something remarkable: God knew Jeremiah before he formed him in his womb. Furthermore, he is set apart and appointed to be a prophet to the nations. That is an amazing revelation for Jeremiah, but it’s not just for Jeremiah. God’s declaration is for us, too, because God is omniscient. He is all-seeing, all-knowing. Nothing exists outside of Him, and nothing happens without His knowledge, so God knew us before he formed us. God is not done with sharing amazing revelations with Jeremiah and with us.
Our second reading outlines the new covenant with us that Carl introduced yesterday. Through the new covenant, God says he will put his instructions deep within us. He will be our God. We will be his people, and he will forgive us and forget our sins.
Before sin got hold of us, he knew us. He knew we would struggle. We may not have seen it coming, but it hit us, and it impacted us, but we can’t let our sin corrupt or define us. Last month’s Binge the Bible was all about identity, and it taught us that we can’t have our identity in sin. Maybe there is a long list of failures that you are constantly rehashing; God has forgotten those failures. Maybe you should take the lessons you learned from those failures and stop rehashing them.
How should we respond to these amazing revelations? This does not mean we should go on sinning because God says he will forget them? No, we will still face the consequences of our sin. After today’s reading, I want to challenge you to pick a couple of scripture verses that are meaningful to you and memorize them. Use the scripture to protect your heart, help you love God, and help you love others.
Ps. James