“This is the covenant I will make with the people 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 they teach their neighbor,

   or say to one another, ‘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.” (NIV)

Over 2,500 years ago, the prophet Jeremiah proclaimed today's passage to the nations of Israel and Judah. Though made ages ago, this proclamation is just as pertinent today. The covenant Jeremiah prophesies in verse 33 has been made anew through the death and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ (Luke 22:20). But I digress...

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A while back, I was one of several people invited to write a short piece of advice for a friend’s son for his upcoming 16^th birthday. My friend would then pass on this collective wisdom to his son to help him navigate life as he grew into adulthood.

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Recalling this invitation got me thinking...what if I could glean the collective wisdom of people much smarter than I to discern the key message in today's passage? Well, why not? Open your imagination and join me in my time machine. We'll travel back in time where I'll read today's passage to any people of renown that we meet. From their response, we'll glean their wisdom concerning its message. Let's go...

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“Look at the cross and you will know what one soul means to Jesus.” - Mother Teresa

“You will never look into the eyes of someone whom God doesn't love.” - Anonymous

“This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” - Apostle Paul

“Every contact you make with everyone you meet will help them or hinder them on their journey to heaven.” - C. S. Lewis

“God does not need your good works, but your neighbor does.” - Martin Luther

“Whatever a person may be like, we must still love them because we love God.” - John Calvin

“Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” - Dr. Martin Luther King

“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” - Mark Twain

“Judging others makes us blind, whereas love is illuminating.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.” - William Shakespeare

“It isn't what we say or think that defines us, but what we do.” - Jane Austen

“Love your neighbor as yourself.” - Jesus

We are back. We sure met many people of renown on our time-traveling journey.

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What wisdom can we glean from them regarding today's passage? Reading their responses, I think the focus is on this phrase in verse 33, “I will be their God, and they will be my people.”

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As He did 2,500 years ago, our God is calling us to be His people. And by us, He means all of us, for it is further written, “’…from the least of them to the greatest,’ declares the Lord.”

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God's will is for all of us to be His people.

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This begs the next question, if this is God's will, how do we enact it? Again, I believe the wisdom of the renowned gives us the answer: we are to live our lives as if every soul is important to God. More specifically, we are to witness to all by being kind, helpful, unassuming, patient, faithful, fair, gentle, self-controlled, and most important of all, loving. Jesus sums it up best when He calls us to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31).

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I hope this collective wisdom is an encouragement to you as it is to me. Knowing that every soul is important to God, how will you live your life today? After all, “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” - J. R. R. Tolkien  

Lord, you are timeless. Your message yesterday is the same as today. Thank You for calling all of us to be Your people. From the least of us to the greatest, every soul is precious to You. Forgive me when I forget that. Thank You for this collection of collective wisdom. May it nourish my soul. I invite You to walk with me today as Your witness. May Your will be fulfilled. In Jesus' name, Amen.