This is probably...
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This is probably a quote from Jeremiah. Don't try to hurry God. He does things in his good time. That is still true today. We want God to hurry up and fulfill his promises now. This one took hundreds of years.
God tells us that in addition to writing his law in books and on stone tablets, he will now put it in our hearts and write it in our minds. We should memorize God's promises. That is one way to write it in our minds. We should be guided by the Holy Spirit in our selection of passages.
I have a hard time forgetting some of my sins. I am a divorced pastor and some of my children are paying the price. I still haven't forgotten my sins, and my kids will remind me of it now and then. I may remember those sins, but God has not only forgiven them, he has forgotten them. Wow! Why is that? It is because the fine has been paid for our sins. Jesus paid it through his agony on the cross, so don't think it was an easy payment.
We no longer have to make sacrifices for our sins. Even if we sell all we have and give to the poor, it is not to pay for sin. It should be given out of love and thankfulness for what Jesus has done for us. That should be our only motive -- if his law is now in our hearts and minds.
In the Old Testament they were constantly making sacrifices because they kept remembering their sins. God ended that through Jesus' sacrifice. What could we possibly do to better that?
There is something in human minds that rebels against "cheap grace." We feel we ought to do something. If someone forgives a personal obligation, we feel we should do something to repay them. There is nothing wrong with "showing" our gratitude. I hope we show God our appreciation every Sunday. How dare we forget weekly church attendance -- joining the fellowship of other forgiven sinners -- and figure that if the debt is paid, why should we bother with church all the time? We have been washed clean (our baptism?) and don't need any more. It is like signing your insurance papers and then putting them in a locker.
When I left home for college, I stopped going to church. I felt I was saved but gave it little thought after that. It took years before the Lord woke me up.
Are any in your congregation C & E (Christmas and Easter) Christians who just drop in now and then to keep their names on the books and to make sure they still have their insurance policy safely in the church office? Think of what Jesus did for you on this day so long ago, and show that his law is written in your hearts and you will remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Remember that one?
God tells us that in addition to writing his law in books and on stone tablets, he will now put it in our hearts and write it in our minds. We should memorize God's promises. That is one way to write it in our minds. We should be guided by the Holy Spirit in our selection of passages.
I have a hard time forgetting some of my sins. I am a divorced pastor and some of my children are paying the price. I still haven't forgotten my sins, and my kids will remind me of it now and then. I may remember those sins, but God has not only forgiven them, he has forgotten them. Wow! Why is that? It is because the fine has been paid for our sins. Jesus paid it through his agony on the cross, so don't think it was an easy payment.
We no longer have to make sacrifices for our sins. Even if we sell all we have and give to the poor, it is not to pay for sin. It should be given out of love and thankfulness for what Jesus has done for us. That should be our only motive -- if his law is now in our hearts and minds.
In the Old Testament they were constantly making sacrifices because they kept remembering their sins. God ended that through Jesus' sacrifice. What could we possibly do to better that?
There is something in human minds that rebels against "cheap grace." We feel we ought to do something. If someone forgives a personal obligation, we feel we should do something to repay them. There is nothing wrong with "showing" our gratitude. I hope we show God our appreciation every Sunday. How dare we forget weekly church attendance -- joining the fellowship of other forgiven sinners -- and figure that if the debt is paid, why should we bother with church all the time? We have been washed clean (our baptism?) and don't need any more. It is like signing your insurance papers and then putting them in a locker.
When I left home for college, I stopped going to church. I felt I was saved but gave it little thought after that. It took years before the Lord woke me up.
Are any in your congregation C & E (Christmas and Easter) Christians who just drop in now and then to keep their names on the books and to make sure they still have their insurance policy safely in the church office? Think of what Jesus did for you on this day so long ago, and show that his law is written in your hearts and you will remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Remember that one?
