GOD PAUSE DAILY DEVOTIONS of Lutheran Seminary of Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Monday, March 16, 2015 Scripture: Jeremiah 31:31-34

GOD PAUSE DAILY DEVOTIONS of Lutheran Seminary of Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Monday, March 16, 2015 Scripture: Jeremiah 31:31 (32) It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers on the day I took them by their hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt; because they, for their part, violated my covenant, even though I, for my part, was a husband to them,” says Adonai. 32 (33) “For this is the covenant I will make with the house of Isra’el after those days,” says Adonai: “I will put my Torah within them and write it on their hearts; I will be their God, and they will be my people. 33 (34) No longer will any of them teach his fellow community member or his brother, ‘Know Adonai’; for all will know me, from the least of them to the greatest; because I will forgive their wickednesses and remember their sins no more.”

34 (35) This is what Adonai says,

who gives the sun as light for the day,

who ordained the laws for the moon and stars

to provide light for the night,

who stirs up the sea until its waves roar —

Adonai-Tzva’ot is his name:[Complete Jewish Bible]
It's hard to watch the evening news or read the headlines and not feel hopeless by all that is happening in the world. Throughout history, God's people have strayed away from God's word. The Israelites made poor choices and were drifting farther away from the covenant God made with them on Mt. Sinai. God does not give up on them, in the midst of their failures. Jeremiah announces a new covenant. It is no longer a covenant made out of stones but written on their hearts.
We give thanks that in the midst of our unfaithfulness, God claims us as God's people. We might not be able to change the world, but we are called to do our part. With this new spirit, our response is to live out God's law each and every day, not because we have to but because our hearts are shaped that way.
God of grace, thank you for reminding us that even when we fall short, you remain faithful. Help us boldly live out your covenant. Amen.
Julie Wilson
Associate in Ministry, Lord of Life Lutheran Church, Maple Grove, Minn.
Master of Arts , 2007
Jeremiah 31:31 The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.
32 It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord.
33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34 No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, "Know the Lord," for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.[New Revised Standard Version]

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