December 17 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Jeremiah 31:1-14:

¹At the same time, saith the LORD, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.
²Thus saith the LORD, The people which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest.
³The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.
⁴Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry.
⁵Thou shalt yet plant vines upon the mountains of Samaria: the planters shall plant, and shall eat them as common things.
⁶For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the mount Ephraim shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the LORD our God.
⁷For thus saith the LORD; Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations: publish ye, praise ye, and say, O LORD, save thy people, the remnant of Israel.
⁸Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travaileth with child together: a great company shall return thither.
⁹They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.
¹⁰Hear the word of the LORD, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock.
¹¹For the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he.
¹²Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the LORD, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all.
¹³Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.
¹⁴And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the LORD.

Devotional

How great is God's love to us? What are we, or what have we done, that He should love us at all? Since when has He loved us? How long will He continue to love us? What about us, if He hated us? God's love to us was so great that He gave his only begotten Son for us. We have done nothing to deserve his love; on the contrary, on account of our wilful disobedience we have deserved his eternal wrath. Yet, He loves us. Since when? Ah! here lies that deep mystery. He loved us from all eternity. "He hath chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved." "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent; hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make good?" He has adopted us as his children. He loved us with an everlasting love. That love is unchangeable as He himself is. So He loves us for ever and ever. If God were changeable, we would have been consumed long ago. But He said, "For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed." His Father's love will never change to hate. It will remain constant, because He himself will never change.

Prayer

O Lord, how can we ever thank Thee, that Thou hast extended Thy lovingkindness unto us, Thine unworthy creatures? Help us to praise Thy name; to show forth Thy lovingkindness in the morning, and Thy faithfulness every night. How excellent is Thy lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Thy wings. O continue Thy lovingkindness unto them that know Thee, and Thy righteousness to the upright in heart. Grant that Thy way may be known upon earth, Thy saving health among all nations. Unto Thee be praise and adoration now and for ever. Amen.

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Scripture in Devotional: John 3:16; Eph. 1:4-6; Num. 23:19; Mal. 3:6.

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