Mon.’s Devo - We are Free

Read: Jeremiah 6:16-8:7; Colossians 2:8-23; Psalm 78:1-31; Proverbs 24:26 Jeremiah warned the people of coming disaster yet they refused to listen. They kept giving to the Lord what they wanted to give him, but it was not what he wanted. Their outward sacrifices couldn’t atone for their hard hearts. The enemy was coming to destroy and the only thing that could save them was a change of heart. *** God told Jeremiah he would be a metal tester. He would test Judah’s heart and find it was like rejected silver. Nothing about them was pure and holy. *** God sent Jeremiah to the entrance of the Temple to warn the people to repent of their evil ways. They distorted justice, oppressed the widow and the orphan and murdered. On top of that, they worshipped idols. They burned incense to Baal and gave their sons and daughters to Molech to be burned at the shrines at Topheth. Their bodies would become food for the vultures and wild animals. They refused to be taught God’s laws and his ways. *** Because they refused to obey the words of the Lord through Jeremiah and the other prophets, their land would become desolate and their bones would be defiled. They were on the road to self-destruction and no one was turning around. *** In Colossians, Paul gives a description of the sanctification process. It is a cutting away of our sinful nature. We were buried with Christ and raised to new life in Christ. He disarmed the spiritual leaders by canceling the charges they held against us. He won the victory over them on the cross. *** So, he told the believers not to let the religious leaders hold their pious rules over their heads. They are now free from religious expectations that require strong devotion, self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. These practices can not help us conquer our sinful desires. *** Lord, thank you that the power of the Holy Spirit is what can help us overcome our weaknesses. Thank you that we are free from the penalty of sin.