Mon.’s Devo - Wise in Their Own Eyes

Read: Jeremiah 8:8-9:26; Colossians 3:1-17; Psalm 78:32-55; Proverbs 24:27
God asked Judah why they thought they are so wise when their scribes didn’t write the truth of what his law said and so their whole religion was based on what they wanted the people to believe. They kept putting bandaids on their sins instead of repenting and getting rid of them. They weren’t only sinning against God, they were sinning against each other. Jeremiah was so sad to watch his nation walking toward a cliff and refusing to hear the warnings.
Jeremiah saw the future destruction - dead corpses lying on the open field. The people were blinded because at the time they were living in wealth and everything looked safe, but they couldn’t see what Jeremiah could see and they refused to believe that God would punish their sins. Jeremiah pleaded with them to put their trust in the Lord, but they couldn’t hear it, just like God said would happen.
It was Jeremiah’s job to warn them, not to make them repent. It is our job to live our lives as a testimony of God’s goodness, but it is not our job to make someone repent. That is the work of the Holy Spirit. We are not responsible for the result, just to obey and be God’s voice.
Colossians gives us a picture of what a person who has died to their sin and been risen with Christ looks like. They have put off the old man and its desires and put on the new man and God’s desires. If we are in Christ, then we have his mind, his perspective, his heart, and his ways. We have to train ourselves to listen to our new man. Our old man is gone - crucified. The only enemy we have is the devil and he masquerades like our old man trying to deceive us into believing that we still have to act and think like he did. We can’t listen to his lies because we are new creatures with a new nature that is God’s nature and his desires. We can walk in righteousness.
Lord, I pray for overcoming power to walk in righteousness and peace. Renew our minds in your Word and give us discernment.
Help us to be wise in your eyes.