9 remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me

10 declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all My purpose,’

— Isaiah 46:10

but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,

— 1 Peter 1:15

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

— Ezekiel 36:26

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

— Ephesians 2:8

He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit

— Titus 3:5

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, mercy and love from Christ to you.

God is always sovereign, holy, and omniscient! God’s glorious eternal attributes contrast radically with our tarnished, time-bound, fickle, sinful human desires. In our unredeemed, unbelieving, unsaved state, we not only dislike God, we reject His authority over creation and our lives. Even redeemed believers continue to battle lingering fleshly appetites that rebel against God and rationalize pet sins and avoid challenging truths.

Despite this radical contrast and our ongoing rebellion, the sovereign God has not abandoned us in sins. In His perfect holiness and omniscience He sent His Son, who perfectly obeyed where we failed, bore the penalty our rebellion deserved, and rose to break the power of sin. Through the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, God awakens dead hearts, grants repentance and faith, renews even our stubborn appetites so that we learn to love what He loves and hate what He hates. Thus the same God exposes our corruption also supplies grace justifying the ungodly and sanctifying the believers.