Sun.’s Devo - Obedience Comes With a Price, But So Does Disobedience

Read: Jeremiah 16:16-18:23; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-5:3; Psalm 81:1-16; Proverbs 25:6-8 God asked the simple question: “Can people make their own gods?” This was what his children were doing. They had rejected him - the only true God who had shown himself so strong for them with miracles and wonders for worthless pieces of wood they had carved with their own hands. Because of this, the wonderful things God had preserved just for them would slip from their hands. God would tell their enemies to take them from their land. The remnant of people who didn’t serve idols and trusted in the Lord would be blessed. They were the fruitful trees that are not affected by trials and temptations. God examines the heart and rewards it according to what he finds. Those whose hearts turned away from God will be disgraced. Jeremiah had told the people all these things and yet nothing seemed to happen. The people in his town plotted to kill him and everyone hated him for his predictions and rebukes. Jeremiah cried out to the Lord for him to do the things he had promised - to judge the people. God’s response was to send Jeremiah to the gates of Jerusalem. He was to go and stand at each gate of the city and tell them to stop trading on the Sabbath. If they would do this, their gates would remain and people would always use them. If they refused to obey and continued selling on the Sabbath, then the gates would burn with fire. Next, God sent Jeremiah to the potter’s house where he was to observe the potter making a pot. He started one but didn’t like the way it was turning out so he crushed it into a new lump of clay and started over. This was a picture of what God was doing to Israel. They were not turning out the way he wanted them to so he would crush them and start over. I’m sure this response was not what Jeremiah was wanting. The people were plotting a way to stop Jeremiah from prophesying. They decided to spread false rumors about him and ignore what he said. They dug a pit to throw his dead body in. They planned all this for the person who was trying to save their lives. Jeremiah’s only hope was in God. Paul was dealing with the same sins that Jeremiah was. He warned the church against following in the sins of the pagan. The answer was to love God and each other, then they wouldn’t be tempted to violate each others’ wives or fall into sin. He encouraged them with the resurrection. This life is so temporary. One day we will all leave this earth and be raised to live with the Lord in heaven. Lord, help us to see beyond this earth and live our lives with eternity as our goal. Let your love be our aim and may we love you with all our hearts.