Today's Readings: New Testament -
Matthew 26:17-35
1 Peter 2:1-8
Old Testament -
Song of Songs 1
Jeremiah 44-46
Click on Text Links to Read Online
Focus Verses: Jeremiah 44:15-18
15 Then all the men who knew that their wives were burning incense to other gods, along with all the women who were present—a large assembly—and all the people living in Lower and Upper Egypt, said to Jeremiah, 16 "We will not listen to the message you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD! 17 We will certainly do everything we said we would: We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and will pour out drink offerings to her just as we and our fathers, our kings and our officials did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. At that time we had plenty of food and were well off and suffered no harm. 18 But ever since we stopped burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have had nothing and have been perishing by sword and famine."
Insight:
This passage of scripture gives a startling view of just how bold the people were in their rejection of God. "We were better off when we were worshiping idols," they said.
Not only were they unfaithful to God, they flagrantly rejected Jeremiah's message. "We will not listen to you," they said, "even if you claim to be speaking in the Name of the Lord."
Tragically they had decided to remain faithful to false gods, believing them to be better than the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The loyalty they should have had for the one true God was, instead, being given to the counterfeit idols and deities that had led their fathers and kings astray.
Response & Action:
I choose God. I believe that only the Almighty God—the maker of heaven and earth, the God of Abraham, the Father who sent his son Jesus into the world—is worthy of my life and my worship. I will look to God for the guidance, hope, and strength I need for life. I will guard against unfaithfulness and deception. I will be careful to acknowledge the one true God and put my trust in him alone. I will be sensitive and receptive to his message, given to me through the prophets and the apostles recorded in the pages of Scripture.
O God, give me a heart that is faithful to you. Give me the wisdom to recognize what is true and what is false. Help me to guard my heart and mind from anything that would turn me from you. I want to trust in you with all my heart. I will not lean on my own understanding. In all my ways, I want to acknowledge you. Only you, O God, know the straight path that leads to blessing, fulfillment, and life. Amen.
Spiritual Formation Verses: Proverbs: 17:24
"A discerning man keeps wisdom in view, but a fool's eyes wander to the ends of the earth."
Resources:
Breaking the Idols of Your Heart
by Dan B. Allender
