The Saved Life

Daily Reading: Jeremiah 46-47

Scripture Focus: But fear not, O Jacob my servant, nor be dismayed, O Israel, for behold, I will save you from far away, and your offspring from the land of their captivity.  Jacob shall return and have quiet and ease, and none shall make him afraid.  Fear not, O Jacob my servant, declares the Lord, for I am with you.  I will make a full end of all the nations to which I have driven you, but of you I will not make a full end.  I will discipline you in just measure, and I will by no means leave you unpunished. (Jeremiah 46.27-28)

Devotional Thought: What is life supposed to look like when God saves you?  Jeremiah's prophecy gives us a great picture of what God promises for those he saves:

·       Save you from captivity.  The Bible says that we are all prisoners of sin.  But, Jesus has set us free from the dominion of sin by his death and resurrection!  And when we are set free, those around us - especially our children - experience freedom with us.

·       Give you quiet and ease.  It's not that we live problem-free after we are saved, but in the midst of toil and trouble, God gives us peace in our hearts and rest for our souls.

·       Remain with you.  What produces this "quiet and ease"?  The presence of Jesus!  "Come unto me."  "I am with you always."  "I will give you another helper to be with you forever, even the Spirit."

·       Defeat your enemies.  What are those fears that hamper you, those memories that haunt you, those addictions that harm you?  Jesus defeated every enemy on the cross!

·       Preserve your life and identity.  "Of you I will not make a full end."  The Apostle Paul said it so aptly: "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me" (Galatians 2.20, KJV).

·       Discipline you.  The life of the Christian is not stagnant, but growing.  Through our circumstances, mistakes, obedience, and setbacks, Christ forms us into his likeness.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for saving me from sin and death.  Help me to live in love and service, strength and purity, freedom and confidence.  Through Jesus Christ my Savior I pray.  Amen.

Psalm of the Day: Psalm 123.1-4

1 To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens!

2 Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he has mercy upon us.

3 Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt.

4 Our soul has had more than enough of the scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud.