October 16th Reflection - The Pledge - by Bill Lynch

Jeremiah 31:27–34
Individual Retribution
 The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of humans and the seed of animals. And just as I have watched over them to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring evil, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, says the Lord. In those days they shall no longer say:
‘The parents have eaten sour grapes,
   and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’
But all shall die for their own sins; the teeth of everyone who eats sour grapes shall be set on edge.

A New Covenant
 The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It 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. But 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. No 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.

Reflection
God is the Creator not the Destroyer. But in the presence of evil, God will defeat and destroy. If you choose evil and walk away from God; God will seek to restore you and forgive you, however, if your mind is made up and your will is evil, God will destroy that evil. Anyone can repent and turn to God. Anyone can go back and let God create something new and wonderful. Anyone and everyone must turn to God for life.

God has promised, God has pledged, to save all people for himself. Someday this salvation will be fulfilled in finality. But, for now, we have a Savior who is Jesus Christ. Jesus is the answer to the Creator's will to grant new life to all of those who turn and repent and believe in God. Jesus is the answer from God to bring anyone and everyone to God to be created new and wonderful once again.

Jesus came into this world because of my failure in sin. Jesus came to me and to you because we are sinners in need of salvation. Jesus came to give his life for your sin and my sin and the sin of all the world. Jesus came to us to save us and make something new out of what we have ruined through sin. Jesus came that sin may be driven once and for all time out of God's creation. Sin will be no more! Thanks be to God!

Prayer
I turn to you and repent. I repent of my sin and seek your forgiveness. Restore me that I may be made new. Create in me a clean heart. Renew me and restore me to your favour. You are my God, my Savior, my Creator, my Redeemer, my Spirit, my Joy, my Light, my Life... today... tomorrow... and forever. --- Amen