Jeremiah 3:9-11 - Because Israel's
immorality mattered so little to her, she defiled the land and
committed adultery with stone and wood. In spite of all this, her
unfaithful sister Judah did not return to me with all her heart,
but only in pretense," declares the LORD. The LORD said to me, "Faithless Israel is
more righteous than unfaithful Judah.
Jeremiah’s job came at a time in the kingdom had split into
two. Judah and Israel had both left God for the many other idols and other Gods
around them. He likened them to prostitutes…who had defiled themselves with the
many other relationships they had entered into with other gods. He was most DE
pleased with Judah…who had watched what had happened with her sister Israel…and
delayed coming back to God.
He called them unfaithful Judah…because the effort they made
to return to God’s ways was not with their heart. They showed no remorse…and if they did it was
completely fake…..a mere pretense. He relayed the message from God that he
would forgive them….if they would just return to him with their whole heart.
All he wanted was for their heart to feel true repentance…and have complete
faith in only God.
I understand this so well….for it described me at one time. I was a fake…doing good deeds just for show…just
to prove to myself that I was better than other people who did not. I was so
wrapped up in the doing side of my Christian walk …I justified gossiping….arguing
nonstop with my ex….getting susper angry about a lost job….and spending money
on credit that I knew would be difficult to pay back….to name just a few
things. At my worst…I allowed myself to
fall into a season of drinking that did nothing but tear down my faith even
more.
I came back to God eventually…but I still fight the battle
of being real all the time. I don’t ever
want to get so comfortable with the choices I have made to help others that it
gives me a false sense of confidence. I have not uncovered every sin that keeps
me from being all that I could be for God. I want to wake each morning and
listen to what God is telling me from his word….so I can cry real tears of
remorse for one more thing that he has shown me needs to be removed from my
life…so that I can finally do what he put me here to do for him.
I know with confidence when I cry real tears. I no longer want to do what God identified as
sin….I know that I know that I know it is wrong. I can even site the scripture that proves it….just
like Jesus did during his temptation.
The tears I cry of remorse and repentance wash away the need to
participate in the sin anymore. I become a new person…with God’s goals up front
in my head. I have a new confidence to
send satan packing….because I recognize his sneaky attack to tear me back down
and convince me to sin again.
The people around me see the difference too. They notice the changes God makes little by
little. They feed on the positive piece
of the transformation. They get power
from the huge smile on my face that begins to rest there full time. And if
anything goes wrong…they notice I am turning back right away…and call me out on
it. It should be a clue to me that selfishness and arrogance are trying to
return to my heart.
Father…thank you for the reminder that every tear I cry
should bring about a true repentance and remorse for the sin you have
identified in my life. Help me to use
every tear wisely…and let it wash the sin you see in me completely away from my
heart…so that I can draw as near to you as possible. Forgive me for sometimes letting
satan trick me into feeling arrogant and too self-confident. Guard my heart
from returning to the old me….keep selfishness and false pride far away …so I
can continue to grow in you and never slip back into old habits. Amen.
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