“The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will fulfill the gracious promise I made to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.” Jeremiah 33:14
In the days leading up to Christmas, it is traditional to hear readings from God’s Holy Word that focus on promises fulfilled. God’s first promise to us came the very same day Adam and Eve disobeyed God and brought sin into the world. As God cursed the serpent, which was the devil, God promised, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers, He will crush your head and you will strike His heel” (Genesis 3:15).
The very same day that Adam and Eve condemned themselves to death by breaking God’s law, God promised that one of their descendants would come and make everything right again between God and sinful people. God repeated this promise throughout history whenever His people needed to be reminded that He would rescue them from sin and its deadly consequences.
In the days of the prophet Jeremiah, God’s people had forgotten about Him and were facing their destruction at the hands of the Babylonians. But God had not forgotten them. Despite their disobedience and unbelief, God declared that He would still keep His part of the promise and send a Savior. The birth of Jesus in Bethlehem was the beginning of the fulfillment of this promise, and the death and resurrection of Jesus was the complete fulfillment of our salvation.
Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). According to Your will, enable me to share the gift of Your salvation with those I meet so that they to will know Your saving grace. Amen.
© 2006 Lutheran Hour Ministries
These devotions have been written by Rev. Paul and Kaye Wolff. Rev. Paul Wolff is a 1996 graduate of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. He has served as a pastor in the Detroit area for 10 years. He and co-author wife, Kaye, live in Southfield, Michigan.
Kaye Dumas Wolff is Chairperson of the Black Ministry Church Planting Task Force and a Mission Affiliate of LCMS World Missions where she serves as a training facilitator for laity in evangelism and mission work. Kaye serves on the Advisory Council of the Ethnic Immigrant Institute of Theology of Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, and she is a presenter for Lutheran Hour Ministries’ Equipping to Share Workshop.
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Today's Bible Readings: Ezekiel 47-48 1 John 3
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