Thurs., 8/3/17 Devotion (Jer. 31:3)

Today's encouragement comes from Jeremiah 31:3, where these uplifting words are found:

"The LORD has appeared of old to me, saying: 'Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.' "

Without this promise there would never be any hope for any of God's people. God's love for His church is not conjured-up in space and time; it is not a re-sult of anything "good" in us, that draws His attention. Instead, God's affection for His church is bound up in Christ; and it was firmly established before The Holy Trinity ever created anything. And based on this sovereign and gracious decree, God "draws" His children, irresistibly, to Himself, in Jesus, according to His perfect time and plan.

Let us be thankful that ours is a God of love. Without this love, there would be nothing to live for.

[Puritan quote of the day: "Sinner, the day you leave your sins and set upon a course of holiness, God will pardon all that is past. . . . The Lord never up-braids a penitent with former unkindnesses.” —Thomas Watson, in, "The Mis-chief of Sin"]