Jeremiah 11:1-2 and 5 – The LORD gave another message to Jeremiah. He
said, "Remind the people of Judah
and Jerusalem about the terms of their covenant with me.
I said this so I
could keep my promise to your ancestors to give you a land flowing with milk
and honey -- the land you live in today.'" Then I replied, "So be it, LORD!"
Jeremiah was prophet during the reign of Hilkiah…the high
priest who uncovered the commandments Moses had written down on Mount Sanai…the
same commandments that the priests had his so they could justify worshiping the
way they wanted too. You can read 2 Kings 22 for the whole story.
Post people had become so accustomed to the way they were doing
things …they had no intentions to change.
Their hearts had grown up not knowing God at all…so they discounted
Hilkiah and Jeremiah. They kept on worshiping those idols….and ignored the laws
that God had given them when they made the covenant with God.
Just because Jeremiah was God’s chosen prophet …doesn’t mean
his life was easy. His obedience to God
brought delivered hatred of his message…not repentance and satisfaction in a
job well done. What stands out the most for me is the way Jeremiah just said…let
it be so…even though he knew he was going to meet with opposition. He said yes…and was obedient….even to the
threats of death around him.
Once again I am reminded how very disobedient I am. I sure
don’t say yes every time God tells me to do something. My guilt increases with the fact that I am
pretty sure I don’t even hear him tell me what to do half the time. I don’t jump out of bed in the mornings to
visit with him…my sleepy voice just asks him to give me enough strength to
listen and write down the thoughts he gives me for the day. That selfish shell
I built around me for years is still not completely cracked away.
What I need…what I suspect most every believer needs ….is a
big dose of passion and love that only God can infuse in our hearts. The kind
that causes us to smile as soon as our eyes open and whisper thanks to God for
another day. The kind that spurs us to
lift up no matter how tired or painful it is to move our body. The kind that
will power us through the day with a passion to do as much as we can for God…not
a little as we can justify being enough. The kind that made Jeremiah say….let
it be so…even though he knew already that he was going to fail. The kind that gave Jesus the courage to say…let
it be so…your will be done… not mine.
Father…thank you for this reminder that this is the day that
you made for me to do something great for you…not a day to complain and whine
about how hard life can be. Forgive me
for the times I have said no…or even distracted myself so I could not hear you
at all. Help me to renew the covenant I
made with you when I was 14….and say yes….let it be so…no matter what it is
that you ask me to do. Amen.
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