Let us consider what regard we ought to have to our own duty and to the grace of God. Some would separate these things as inconsistent. If holiness be our duty, they would say, there is no room for grace; and if it be the result of grace there is no place for duty. But our duty and God’s grace are nowhere opposed in the matter of sanctification; for one absolutely supposes the other. We cannot perform our duty without the grace of God; nor does God give His grace for any other purpose than that we may perform our duty!
John Owen

86 BETTER THINGS AHEAD

86 BETTER THINGS AHEAD F O O T ================================

  • H O L D

READING

86 BETTER THINGS AHEAD

PRAY Ask God to help you really see the point of this important selection. —————————————————————- READ Jeremiah 31:23-34. —————————————————————- THINK What was God’s promise to his people? —————————————————————- FOCUS Jeremiah’s promises were not all of doom and gloom. There were signs of hope. 1. BACK HOME (23-30). here we read of the restoration of the people to their land. God was going to bring them back from exile in Babylon. And he did! 2. PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY (27-30). It’s always easy to blame our parents or genes or the way we were brought up! And certainly the hereditary or environment factors cannot be ignored. But, we do each have a will and are each finally responsible for our own lives. 3. A NEW GOVERNMENT (31-34). This must be nearly the most important section of Jeremiah. It leads quite naturally into the marvellous salvation themes of the New Testament. God had made a ‘covenant’ or ‘agreement’ with the Israelites at Sinai . . . highlighted in the Ten Commandments. This failed because of the people’s disobedience. Jeremiah looked ahead to a new covenant written not on stone but on the heart. This one would not fail. It all comes down to our relationship with God. Is it a knowledge based on rules or ideas or a code of decency? Or is it knowing God in a close, personal way with an inward dynamic to make the contract effective? The people who have the privilege to live in the A.D. span of history have seen the new agreement become a reality in Jesus’ death and resurrection. —————————————————————- PRAY Think of someone who needs to hear this news. Pray for him or her. Maybe you will be able to answer your own prayer!