Meditation

10/28/2021

“The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity and restore them to the land I gave their forefathers to possess, says the Lord. This is what the Lord says: ‘I will restore the fortunes of Jacob’s tents and have compassion on his dwellings; the city will be rebuilt on her ruins, and the palace will stand in its proper place.’” (Jeremiah 30:3, 18)

God’s restoration brings a new unity to His people and results from His compassion. God’s love will ultimately be expressed when His wrath has accomplished its purpose.

PRAYER FOR THE DAY:

Precious Abba, Your people had disobeyed the covenant relationship with you and after warnings were ignored, Your wrath led to their being exiled away from their lands. God’s wrath led to the people being removed from their own lands; yet, God’s love for them led to compassion and He allowed them to return. Our prayer today Abba, is that we seek Your loving relationship to continue with us, that you will give us a renewal of our hearts and minds for You and that our service is an acceptable result to you. Let our worship then flow out of grateful hearts. This we pray. Amen

THOUGHT OF THE DAY:

“Patience is a virtue which carries a lot of wait.”

KNOWING GOD:

“Then he said to me: ‘Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel.’ They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel.’ Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.” (Ezekiel 37:11-14)

Israel’s coming restoration was to be like scattered dry bones being brought back together and given new life or like a resurrection from the grace, God would put His Spirit upon His people. They would have a new body as well as a new heart and mind. In fact, they would be a new creation of God’s making. This promise foreshadows the new birth (John 3) and the new creation of which Paul and John spoke. God takes people dead and hopeless because of their sin and recreates them to be His people. This, beloved, is salvation.

I AM:

“Repent then, and return to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” (Acts 3:19)

History for God’s people should be refreshing, meaningful time. Such joy and meaning will be fully realize when Christ returns at the time the Father chooses to fulfill all His promises. Peter preached that refreshment from God came through repentance of sin. God renews those who get their sins wiped out.

SECOND THOUGHT OF THE DAY:

“And have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” (Colossians 3:10)

Beloved salvation changes a person from an old self to a new self. The new self is a self recreated in the image of God to be as He originally created us. Christ is the model, for He is the image of God. We grow daily to know Christ better and to be more like Him. We know His will and are determined to do His will in and through our lives.