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Day 220, or August 8. We are all included in God's plans. Our thoughts today are rooted

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in Jeremiah chapter 31 verse 31. The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will

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make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah.

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And now the big picture surrounding this verse. Jeremiah dedicates several chapters to the

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restoration of the land and its people. The forthcoming exile may appear to be the end

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and a disastrous one at that, but it will end in triumph. Interestingly, he refers to

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Israel and Judah even though the northern tribes of Israel have long since been scattered

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by the Assyrians. This confirms that many individuals must have migrated south before

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the Assyrians came, so even though the actual tribes have lost their identities, the people

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within those tribes were safe as soon as they trusted God and joined Judah in the south.

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They were secure because they trusted in their God rather than in their kinship as part of

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one of the tribes.

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And now our action step for today. God clearly promises a new covenant for Israel and Judah.

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Through the words of Jeremiah. In four verses in chapter 31, God's promise is explained.

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And if you take time to look for yourself, you will see how wonderfully it ends with

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a beautiful promise from God himself, I will forgive their wickedness and I will never

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again remember their sins. All of this is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ, through

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whom we have this special relationship with God, which is better than the Mosaic covenant,

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which was broken by the Israelites. This is a new one sealed with the blood of Jesus,

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God's only son. Part of this new covenant is the promise that it will be available to

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everyone, Gentiles as well as Jews. This is fulfilled in the New Testament many centuries

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later with the fleshly reality of the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If

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there are things in your life that are preventing you from getting closer to God, why not claim

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this ancient promise of forgiveness today? God is always as good as His word.