Today's Reading:O.T. - Jeremiah 13 - 15
N.T. - Galatians 5:16-26
Focus Verses: Jeremiah 14:10
10 This is what the LORD says about this people: "They greatly love to wander; they do not restrain their feet. So the LORD does not accept them; he will now remember their wickedness and punish them for their sins."
Insight:
Though God had clearly shown himself to his people and given them his word, they turned from him. Though he had blessed them and been faithful to his promises, they turned to idols and foreign gods. The judgment of God, Jeremiah says, was coming upon the people because of their own actions. They had loved wandering more than they loved God. They did not make wise choices and restrain themselves, and so judgment would not be held back from them. Wandering and a lack of self-restraint lead to judgment and discipline from God.
Response and Action:
I will love God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. I will treasure God's word and look to God for guidance. I will value self-discipline and exercise wisdom and restraint. I will ask God to strengthen me to follow him by the power of the Holy Spirit. I will surrender my will to God and ask him to shape my heart and desires so that I would do the things that honor and please him.
O God, help me to live for you and through you in thought, word, and deed. By the power and grace of your Holy Spirit, lead, teach, transform, shape, and strengthen me that I might delight in your will and walk in your ways to the glory of your name. Grant me the wisdom and the will to guard my heart, feed my spirit, stimulate my mind, and care for my body. Help me to follow closely after you and never wander from your path and your presence. Amen.
Proverbs: 7:24,25
"Now then, my sons, listen to me; pay attention to what I say. Do not let your heart turn to her ways or stray into her paths."
Resources:
Walking Away from Faith: Unraveling the Mystery of Belief and Unbelief
by Ruth Tucker
