Thurs., 1/9/20 Devotion (Gen. 9:8-9)

Today's encouragement comes from Genesis 9:8 & 9, which says this:

"Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying: 'And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you.' "

We often hear of God making these "covenants" with His people. Have we ever considered how gracious, merciful, and wonderful this is? If God did not bind Himself to His church through Jesus Christ, specifically and totally, there would be absolutely no hope at all for any of us, or for any other human being that has ever existed. The reason for this is because we are so wicked in our fallen state, that we would never seek God out.

So, the next time we witness a baptism in the church—let us recognize what is actually going on. God is making a covenant with that baby (or young per-son, or adult). This covenant is gracious, because it speaks of the life and death of the Son of God.

[Puritan quote of the day: "Acts of sin may be restrained out of fear or design, but a true penitent turns from sin out of a religious principle, namely, love to God.” —Thomas Watson, in, "The Doctrine of Repentance"]