"Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah[.]" Jeremiah 31:31
This morning, I continued with my listening/reading of a Christmas/Advent devotional from John Piper. Today's entry focuses on how God overcomes our sin such that we can experience the promises of the New Covenant with Jesus. A key promise Piper raises is that Jesus "would powerfully move into our lives and write his will on our hearts so that we are not constrained from outside, but are willing from inside, to love him and trust him and follow him." But first God must overcome our sin - which separates us from Him and the promises of the New Covenant. Piper then offers up several scriptures to demonstrate how Christ's death on the cross removed our sin. Piper writes: "Christ bore our sins in his own body when he died (1 Peter 2:24). He took our judgment (Romans 8:3). He canceled our guilt (Romans 8:1). And that means our sins are gone (Acts 10:43). They do not remain in God’s mind as a basis for condemnation. In that sense, he “forgets” them (Jeremiah 31:34). They are consumed in the death of Christ." Piper then wraps the devotion for today by stating by dying on the cross, "God is now free, in his justice, to lavish us with all the unspeakably great new covenant promises."
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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for the gift of salvation and for taking my sin on the cross - I am certainly not deserving of such a gift - the greatest gift of all time. Yet I am not deserving - I have worry and other sins. Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sins towards You. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength. Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo. Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior. Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin. Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.
