They will be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them a singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me. I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and soul. Jeremiah 32:38-41

We hear the word ‘covenant’ fairly often in the church, but don’t often understand the full ramifications of this word. First, we know that a covenant is a promise that is made between to people. The keeping of a covenant is generally dependent upon both parties keeping it – and if one should break it, the other is released from the conditions of the covenant. It’s an if-then promise. If you do these then I will do thus. That was the covenant of the law – if the Israelites kept the law, them God would offer them his hand of protection. We often hear this covenant referred to as the ‘old covenant’ – a conditional covenant.

In Jeremiah 32, God is making a new covenant with his people. It is an unconditional covenant – one that cannot be broken when God’s laws are broken. It is a loving covenant, a gracious covenant, one filled with mercy.

Oh – and by the way, it is a covenant for you. Every promise given to the people of Israel is a promise that is for you today because through Christ you are made one of God’s people. Listen to what 1 Peter 2:9 says about you: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

So in light of this, let’s look at what God promises in his new covenant:

He promises so give us a singleness of heart and action. God places the desire to know him in you. As the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2) he goes even further than that – he provides his Holy Spirit as a deposit – a way of securing his promise to us – and a means of knowing him more.

He promises – through that Holy Spirit – to create in us a fear of him so that we might never turn away. Now, remember two things. First, a fear of God is an awe and reverence of God – it is a fear that leads not to trembling, but to worship. It is this fear of God – in knowing how Holy and loving he is – that keeps us from turning from him. And secondly, Notice that in Isaiah 11:2 says that the Holy Spirit that rested on Christ was a Spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord – and that Christ delighted in the fear of the Lord – it is a fear that creates delight.

He promises that the fear he creates in for our good and for the good of our children – and that he will never stop doing good for us. Here’s a question for you – anyone out there felt lately that what God was doing or allowing in your life was anything but good? It certainly can feel that way – often. But what he is doing is refining you – creating in you a faith that perseveres. We know that he MUST be doing good for us no matter what we feel because it is part of his covenant promise – and he says he works all things for good for those who love him (Romans 8:28). That persevering faith is an unshakable faith – James says that perseverance must finish its work so that we are mature and complete. What God is doing right now in your life has eternal consequences. It is here that God creates a singleness of heart for him. [I feel like I need to add a little side note here – what God is allowing into your life that might be painful right now might very well be the natural consequences of your own choices – God doesn’t promise to remove consequences of our choices or to remove pain – but he’ll use those also – just something to think about.]

Lastly, God promises to plant us in the land with all his heart and soul. Wow friends – a promise made by God when he says he will do it with all his heart and soul is a HUGE promise – because God has an amazingly huge, holy, and loving heart. So if he says he will do it – he will. What is this land? It is the land of restoration, it is the land of rest, it is a land of celebration, it is a land of promises fulfilled. Sounds like heaven, doesn’t it? Well, it is! But we don’t have to wait for heaven to experience God’s restoration, his rest, his promises, or to celebrate his faithfulness. The Kingdom of God came down to earth through Jesus Christ – and so while we wait and hold on to the ultimate promised land, watch and see what promises lands Christ will lead you to as you walk this earth.

My New Year's prayer for you is this – that God would continue to build you – that he would create singleness of heart and action for and towards Him. I pray that you will come to know God in a way that increases your fear of him so that you delight in fearing him so much that you will never turn away. I pray that you will share with your families and your children that same fear of God, and that he would create a singleness of heart and action in all those you love. I pray that you will know and trust that God is doing good for you – that his promises are not conditional and that you do not have to work to receive his good or to be planted in the land. I pray that you will accept his full measure of grace and mercy for you, walk in his ways, and experience the Kingdom of God while you walk the earth.

God’s blessings to you, my friends, in the coming year!

Today's blog was posted by Carol Bartels