May 7: God Can Always Be Trusted
Bible Passage: Jeremiah 31
Christ Connection: God’s words are always true, so we can always trust God. Jeremiah told of God’s plan to forgive sin and help people want to obey God. Jesus made these words come true. God forgives our sin through His son, Jesus.
Bottom Line: I have a new heart and new life because of Jesus.
Context:
There’s a strong likelihood that you have had to repeat a message to the same person multiple times, whether that person is a spouse, child, coworker, or friend. Some things are so important they are worth repeating. And some people are so quick to forget, we must repeat. For example, each of my four children have gone through seasons when brushing their teeth was such a chore that you would have thought they were being asked to eat nails. My wife and I would remind them dozens of times in the morning and dozens of times in the evening to brush their teeth, and yet still we would later find evidence that it didn’t happen. I feel confident none of them were belligerent in wanting their teeth to rot, but we were loving enough to remind them that this was likely to happen if they didn’t remember to complete this menial task a couple of times a day. In Jeremiah 31, there is a phrase that is repeated by the Lord to the hearer of these words. The phrase, “the LORD’s declaration” occurs 10 times in these 40 verses. These words even appear at times in the middle of a thought or sentence, uniquely placed to garner great attention. In addition the phrase, “This is what the Lord says” occurs seven times. Clearly, the Lord wants the hearers to be abundantly clear from whom these words are coming. We are most certainly forgetful people, often forgetting the smallest of details and even the most significant of facts. The Lord knows us on the deepest level and knows how great our need is for direct reminders. Jeremiah 31 contains difficult truths and delightful promises. God knows that the hearer is likely to bristle at the warnings and rejoice in the hope, but he also seemingly wants to ensure that we who read these words do not forget that they are His words. As we read the Bible, it is crucial that we recall the voice behind the words: the voice of God. Only God has the highest authority, holds all knowledge, and is perfectly good. Maybe you need to remember as you read and listen to God’s Word that this is the Lord’s declaration.
Takeaways
- Jeremiah told about a day when God would forgive sin and change people’s hearts.
- Every promise God has made has either already come true or will one day come true.
- Every promise God made came true in Jesus.
- Only through Jesus are we able to have hope and a future with God.
- Through Jesus, we have new hearts and life with God forever.
- Bottom Line: I have a new heart and new life because of Jesus.
Discussion Questions
- What did God do to forgive our sins and give us a new heart? Talk to kids about Jesus, God’s gift to us, so that we can be forgiven and have a new heart. Help them see that Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection prove that all of God’s promises came true in Jesus. Invite kids who have never believed in their Savior Jesus to make today their day.
- When do we begin living the new life we have with Jesus? Life with God begins the moment that we believe in Jesus. We don’t wait until we get older or until we are in heaven to live for God. We follow Him with a new heart and live a new life with Him immediately.
- How does God give us a new heart and write His law on our hearts? Discuss how God does not literally write His law on our hearts, but He gives us a heart that wants to love and obey Him. Teach kids that God also does not literally place a new heart inside us. Emphasize that a “new heart” means that God gives us new desires and passions. Remind kids that we only receive this new heart through our faith in Jesus. Lead kids to understand that because of Jesus and the Holy Spirit in our lives, we can now obey God and love Him rightly. Remind kids that until Jesus comes again we will never obey perfectly, but Jesus obeyed perfectly for us.