Sherman is back with his contributions …
Jeremiah 31.31-34
They were a people who had forgotten their covenant with the Lord. The sinned against him and adultered their relationship with him (Jeremiah 31.32). But God never forgets a covenant, and he never breaks a covenant. What he promises, he will invariably fulfil. Hence, he renews his covenant with Israel and promises to make them his people (Jeremiah 31.33).
We are often told that we must forgive those who sin against us, so that unforgiveness does not have a hold on us. But this is not why God forgives. God forgives because he loves. And for the sinner who truly grieves over his/her sin (Psalm 51.3, 4), God will surely renew his covenant with him/her. He will continue to be our God, and we, his people (Jeremiah 31. 33). And when we have known the magnitude of God’s forgiveness, we have a story to tell the world (Psalm 51.13).
Reflection: How often have you found yourself grieving over your state of sinfulness? How assured are you, upon repentance, that God truly desires to walk in faithful covenant with you? Look to him and be thankful that God forgives truly and deeply. Also, have you found a capacity within yourself to forgive others, not simply because you want to be free from unforgiveness, but more so because you want to love in the way that God loves?