---

Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 31:31-40

Title: Beyond Secondhand Stories

Key Verse: Jeremiah 31:34 (ESV) ~ And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

---

Devotional:

A young woman inherited her grandmother's recipe box after she passed away. For years, she had watched her grandmother cook, tasted the delicious meals, and heard stories about each treasured recipe. But when she tried to recreate her grandmother's famous apple pie using only the faded index card, something was missing. The measurements seemed right, the ingredients were correct, but the pie didn't taste the same.

It wasn't until she began experimenting—adjusting the spice blend, learning how the dough should feel in her hands, understanding how her oven worked differently—that she truly mastered the recipe. She had to move beyond secondhand knowledge to personal experience.

Our relationship with God works similarly. While testimonies, sermons, and others' experiences with God are valuable, they cannot substitute for our own personal encounter with Him. Jeremiah 31:34 promises a time when each person will know God directly, not just through what others teach about Him. This intimacy is available to us now through Christ.

God desires that we move beyond relying solely on others' descriptions of His character and develop our own personal history with Him. Through prayer, Scripture reading, and walking with Him through life's seasons, we build a foundation of faith that cannot be shaken by doubt or circumstances.

---

Additional Passages for Reflection:

• John 17:3 - "Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."


• Philippians 3:10 - "I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death."

---