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They Shall Be My People
Andrea Lende • April 25, 2021
Hebrews 8:10 and 12
They Shall Be My People
You can also listen to the devotion and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/They-Shall-Be-My-People-evkpbp
Hebrews 8:10 and 12
“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will imprint My laws upon their minds, even upon their innermost thoughts and understanding, and engrave them upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”
“For I will be merciful and gracious toward their sins and I will remember their deeds of unrighteousness no more.”
As I read our passages today, I was thankful to live in this day and age.
Thankful to live under grace rather than under the Law.
The gifts we receive because Jesus gave His life as the final sacrifice are remarkable.
The Lord said He imprints His laws on our minds.
He touches our inner most thoughts.
He gives us understanding.
These things are so important to me.
The Lord made me to want to know all the how’s and why’s.
I want to know the inner workings of the Lord and His Kingdom.
I want to deeply know and understand the Lord.
So, if I had been born over two thousand years ago, my greatest longings would not have been realized.
I’m pretty sure I would not have been a good Israelite.
God knew exactly when He should plant me here on this earth.
We have the gift of serving the Most-High God and even more than that, being in intimate relationship with Him.
He said we would be His.
We could be anybody’s, but He declared we’d be His.
I am so grateful to be His and not be swallowed up by this world.
Lastly, we are forgiven.
The Lord said, “For I will be merciful and gracious toward their sins and I will remember their deeds of unrighteousness no more.”
Undeserving of His mercy and grace, He covers us.
He has no remembrance of our sins.
To be seen as perfect by the only One God, is the greatest gift of all.
To be seen like no one else can see, is a mighty blessing.
The world taints our vision.
It is hard and pain abounds, so we see through the lens of pain and distrust.
But the Lord purely sees our souls.
He sees the beauty He created.
He sees His child and it is good.
Today I am thankful the Lord had a plan to save me, make me His, and bring me close to Him.
May you find the Lord is gracious and merciful toward you and He will keep you as His own.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for placing me here on this planet at this time. Thank You for making a way to bring me close to You. Thank You for choosing me to know You. Thank You for teaching me about You and Your ways. Thank You for covering me in mercy and grace, so You can look upon me and see me without blemish. Purify my heart and soul as You continue to make me Yours, Lord. Help me follow You more closely. Let me rest in the shadow of Your wings. May You infill me with more of Your wisdom and knowledge. Lead and guide me today and every day. Keep me seeking You all the days of my life. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: You are Mine, sayeth the Lord and I will watch over you and keep you Mine.
Response: Thank You most gracious and loving Father.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.