"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
I maintain a pause of my study of 1 Corinthians as I continue using DesiringGod.com's Advent devotions where I pick up on Day 17. Here, John Piper describes what he refers to in the devotion title The Greatest Salvation Imaginable. Believers have this salvation through Jesus, who gave His life for us, and was promised, as Piper shares, 500 years prior to His birth through the prophet Jeremiah. This prophecy from Jeremiah also describes how - as Piper puts it - "[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. That would be the greatest salvation imaginable — if God should offer us the greatest Reality in the universe to enjoy and then move in us to know that Reality in such a way that we could enjoy it with the greatest freedom and the greatest pleasure possible. That would be a Christmas gift worth singing about." Christ is able to do this by cleansing us of our sin so that we could be holy in the eyes of God. Piper refers us to Hebrews 9:28, 1 Peter 2:24, Romans 8:3, Romans 8:1, Acts 10:43, and Jeremiah 31:34 to remind us of what Christ's "once for all" sacrifice did for us. Piper concludes the devotion by stating that with this salvation for believers, "God is now free, in his justice, to lavish us with all the unspeakably great new covenant promises. He gives us Christ, the greatest Reality in the universe, for our enjoyment. And he writes his own will — his own heart — on our hearts so that we can love Christ and trust Christ and follow Christ from the inside out, with freedom and joy." Amen - praise for the greatest salvation - and gift - of all time!
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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace for me, and who gives me salvation - the greatest gift of all time. Thank You Jesus! I am not deserving of such love and grace. My sin is great and it continues...daily. Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin 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.
