Welcome to Nick Stevens, long-time member at Hope Church as well as Chair of the Hope Church Leadership Team. He will share his reflections on the readings from Jeremiah 1-6.
SCRIPTURE: Jeremiah 3:1-13
OBSERVATIONS:
(ver 1-5) Israel’s behavior is being compared to a wife prostituting herself with other men and then returning to her husband. She has polluted the relationship with her spouse …..matter of fact she has propositioned herself to many partners and to make matters even worse, she shows no remorse or sense of wrong doing. Even through all this, amazingly God says ‘please say that you are sorry ….repent and I will not be angry with you any more’.
(Ver 6-7) more comparisons of Israel’s behavior being likened to a harlot …..it almost seems like an (comparison) obsession but it’s probably one that most accurately explains the situation and one that can be grasped by us mere humans.
(ver 8-10) Israel’s sister Judah, watched all this happen and did not learn anything from it ….she went and did the same and even worse ….pretending to give her heart back to the Lord but not completely.
(Ver 11) God declares that in being bad, both Israel and Judah certainly were …..but Judah made it even worse by not being honest.
(ver 12-13) again God pleads for backsliding Israel to return, to draw on God’s mercy, but first confess to all you have done wrong and repent.
APPLICATION:
God wants so much for us to make Him number one in our lives. He just wants me to repent, admit to my mistakes and to say that I am sorry for them …..then all can be forgiven and our relationship can be restored completely. This is not a quick fix or ‘cheap grace’ …..it’s just Amazing Grace!
PRAYER:
Father God, thank you for your Love and your Amazing Grace to me.
This passage reminds me once again that I must see Jesus in the daily activities of my life. The people were unfaithful, doing what was right in their own eyes. Yet our merciful God visited them with lack of rain so that they would turn from their evil ways. Yet they continued to live in their sin. They did not acknowledge their rebellion against God. If they did, God would forgive. How do I se God speaking to me today?
How true that is also today, going my own way, refusing to say that I am guilty of my sins. Mold me and fashion me Lord after Your will. May my heart always be pliable, being open, being formed by Your leading by Your Spirit. May I always hear what Your Spirit is teaching me each day. Open my eyes and ears Lord so that I live for Jesus always.
Lead me, guide me along the way,
For if you lead me I cannot stray.
Lord let me walk each day with Thee.
Lead me, oh Lord lead me.