Do You Have God’s Autograph?

Jeremiah 31:31-34

“The time is coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.

It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD.

“This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the LORD. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

An issue of of Christianity Today a couple years back had an article/interview by Bonnie Kristian entitled, “Politics Has a Strong Grip on Our Hearts. The Gospel’s Grip Should Be Stronger.”  The introduction includes the following:

“All political action tells a story. These stories teach us something about what is good or evil, what is heroic or cowardly, and which ideas—or even people—deserve a public hearing. Immersion in these stories is deeply formative, and that formation, when it goes unnoticed, can subvert our imitation of Christ. How are our politics molding us? And what does it mean to pursue habits of spiritual maturity with politics in mind?”

Jeremiah spoke of a time when God would not just have the studious attention of God’s people, but would HAVE THEIR HEARTS.  By that, he meant that God’s followers’ first allegiance (far above all others) would actually be following God – not an ideology, not a political party, not a specific politician/leader, not a specific pastor, not even a specific reading of scripture – God’s desire would be in their very hearts! 

Is that true of you?  You don’t have to answer that question for anyone but yourself.  Are you able to locate God’s handwriting on your heart or is there other graffiti written there?  My thoughts are captivated by the effect that such a thing might have on me.  If God had personally scribbled upon the tablet of my heart, I imagine that the ink might burn in the presence of injustice.  I imagine that the words might glow red at the sight of profound suffering in a way that causes tears to drop from my eyes and cause my hands and feet to respond compassionately.  I imagine that what God wrote on my heart would have to be spoken by my lips.  I imagine, that if the one-and-only God of the universe had autographed my heart, that would be the most noticeable feature people could observe about me. 

The Word of God was written into human flesh in the person of Jesus.  But God’s intention was not to stop there.  Jeremiah makes it clear that God’s pen was coming for our flesh as well.   And the effect of that is that our lives should look more and more like the life of Jesus.

Prayer:  God we hold our hearts up to you in hopes of you writing your word on them.  Amen

Prayer Focus:   Pray for the healing of the deep divisions in our country right now.

Song:  Sesame Street: Sing Through the Years Mashup