Jeremiah 31:31-34 (NRSV)
Read Jeremiah 31:31-34 on biblegateway.com
Verse 31The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. Verse 32It 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. Verse 33But 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. Verse 34No 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.
Devotion
The heart symbol is everywhere—on T-shirts, on chains around necks, on mugs, tattooed on skin. It’s the symbol of love. It can symbolize the muscle that pumps blood through our bodies; the central, most innermost part of something; a feeling; courage or enthusiasm. For the prophet Jeremiah, “heart” is where God connects with us most deeply. God has imprinted on our hearts the essence of our knowledge of God. It is precisely the knowledge of the steadfast love and faithfulness of God. It is precisely the knowledge that God’s heart will never be emptied of this love because God has forgiven and will forever forgive our sins. It is precisely the knowledge that our sin has no place in God’s heart. It is precisely the knowledge that no matter where we are, God is there with a heart filled with love. All roads lead to God. All hearts beat in God’s heart. It is this heart God offers through us to the world.
Prayer
O God, we offer our gratitude, for your loving heart fills our hearts to overflowing. Amen.