Verse
“But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day,” says the LORD. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the LORD.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already,” says the LORD. “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.”
Thought
Jeremiah is God’s voice, speaking about the promise of the LORD’s new covenant that he will make with his people. Empowered and transformed by the Holy Spirit, God’s people won’t need to have instructions on tablets of stone or on written pages, but the Spirit of the living God will place them on their hearts. The Holy Spirit will inform them, transform them, and conform God’s people to be like Jesus. This promise of a new covenant runs throughout the New Testament, but the work of the Spirit in this covenant is especially emphasized in John chapters 14-16 as Jesus promises the Comforter or Counselor or Advocate or Helper or Friend (depending on your translation). It is also emphasized powerfully in 2 Corinthians 3, which is probably a spiritual reflection about the fulfillment of Jeremiah’s promise. I encourage you to read 2 Corinthians 3 after reading these verses from Jeremiah and rejoice that we have this time of grace and presence available to us in the Holy Spirit!
Prayer
Almighty God, I rejoice in the sacrifice of Jesus and the work of your Holy Spirit to bring your promise of a new covenant alive in our day. I ask that this power, this force, this grace, be at work in me. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Devotional provided by Heartlight®
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