What's New?

Background Passage: Jeremiah 30 and 31
Focal Passage: Jeremiah 31:31, 33

What is the newest thing you have experienced lately? Do you remember the first time you did something or experienced something brand new? I remember the first brand new car Terri and I bought (and we are almost finished paying it off, yeah!). We were amazed that it only had 14 miles on the odometer. It had that new car smell, we didn't even have to buy the "new car" deodorizer, it naturally smelled that way. Last year, when we were moving our son into his college dorm room, Terri and I relived the first time we moved out on our own. We experienced for the first time what it was like to have a new place to live. Going to a new location or visiting a town you have never been, learning the way around the area, and meeting people for the very first time. Experiencing these new things can be exciting and nerve racking all at the same time.

In the focal passage, Jeremiah 31:31, God informs Jeremiah and the people that He will make a new covenant with His people. This covenant is different. One of the major characteristics of this new covenant is that God's law would no longer be on stone tablets but be written on the hearts of His people. He would enter into a relationship with His people through the perfect atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The comforting promise that He gave in this passage is that He will not only forgive ours sins but He remembers them no more. This new covenant has an ongoing characteristic to it. Because this new covenant is relationship based, the greater we get to know our Lord, the more time we spend with Him, the sweeter the relationship grows. It is as though we always are riding in a new vehicle.

What is the newest thing you have experienced lately? What new things has God taught you about who He is in your life? Share your comments.