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Jeremiah 31:3

NASB	NLT	VOICE
3 The Lord appeared to him long ago, saying, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore I have drawn you out with kindness.	3 Long ago the Lord said to Israel: “I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.	3 I appeared to them from far away and said: “I have love you with an everlasting love – out of faithfulness I have drawn you close.

God’s Reconciliation Focus

God has an active role in guiding and communication with His chosen people through history, such as through the patriarchs like Abraham. God’s everlasting love lasts for eternity, which shows us God’s unchanging nature. It’s a love that is intimate and grounded, and kept throughout all of our shortfalls – showing through His grace and mercy. It’s a sacrificial love that cost Him the life of His one and only son. To draw His chosen people to Him shows His goal of restoring and maintaining our relationship with Him. To draw is to attract or pull towards, which shows God’s gentle and persistent call to repentance and reconciliation. God was reminding the Israelites that were in exile that God had not abandoned them. At the same time, the sacrifice of Christ is the reminder that God has not abandoned us.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: God’s been active all throughout human history, working to restore our relationship with Him. Look back at this past year. Where did you fall away from God? How can you work towards righting the ship and getting back on the path He created for you?

God has taken the first step in drawing us back to Him. Through the sacrifice of His one and only one, we got to see what it meant to live a Christ-like life in human form. We got to read about and understand and comprehend the acts and words of Jesus to go out and love God and neighbor. The banner is torn. God has always loved; in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection God came to see what our suffering is, confronts sin, and shows us a new and better way forward. God is now available to all people. We can go boldly and confidently to the throne of God, no matter how far away we’ve strayed. We go to Him and seek His forgiveness. We repent – we turn away – from our sinful behavior and move towards the righteous path He designed for us.

God did not have to send His Son to us. God could have worked to strengthen the Old Testament sacrificial system, adjusted it over time, and helped re-teach each generation about the importance and ritual of what was needed to atone for their sins. He didn’t. He loves us too much to watch us continuously suffer for ages and ages. He wanted us to engage in a right and strong relationship with Him. That was only eligible to happen through an ultimate forgiveness, through the spotless, sinless son of God. We find God’s mercy through this sacrifice, as the ultimate atonement for our sins. We can accept that this mercy was given to us, just as had happened to the Israelites over 2,000 years ago. The sacrifice of Christ was not just for the Jews, but for all people. God’s mercy comes before all. The daily repentance is our Spirit-led response that lets us grow everyday into the grace that allowsus to be more Christ-like. The ability to be forgiven for our sinful actions and work towards a place that would allow constant progression to become more Christlike every single day forward. We honor the sacrifice of Christ through our gratitude for what He did and the principles He taught us to live by.

PRAY Action

Praise God for the sacrifice that He was willing to send for us. To allow us to have a right relationship with Him after humanity has fallen short. This comes from God’s compassion and path to restoration.

Read Ephesians 5:25

Ask God what it means for you to embrace God’s sacrificial love. See if ways will be revealed to you on how you can embrace God’s self-sacrificial love to all people.

You are made in God’s eyes, born into a world of sin. Embrace the forgiveness of Christ and allow yourself to continue life on the plan that God has for you.

Next slice of manna: Embracing Sincerity and Compassion || Romans 12:9 || Manna for the Mind #315