Fri.’s Devo - Do Not Be Deceived

Read: Jeremiah 2:31-4:18; Colossians 1:1-17; Psalm 76:1-12; Proverbs 24:21-22 God asks the people of Judah if he has been oppressive or invisible to them. How could they just forget him and be glad they don’t need him anymore? *** Judah had flirted with the gods of other nations and when they got in trouble, they just hired the army of another nation to help them. They had forgotten who they were as a nation and who their god was. So, they would lose their nation and be taken to another in exile. *** When this happens, will they turn back to the Lord? They wanted the Lord to deliver them but they don’t want to serve him with all their hearts. King Josiah had tried to bring spiritual reform to Judah, but she continued to worship her false gods. He looked at what had happened to Israel. She had not returned to the Lord. *** Jeremiah proclaimed that though Israel had sinned, Judah was much worse. Judah pretended to be sorry when she had no intention of turning back. Jeremiah pleaded with Israel to return to the Lord and confess her sins; He would have mercy and forgive her. He would bring her back to her homeland and give her shepherds after his own heart. *** When they return home, there will be no reason to rebuild the old way of worship because the temple will be in their hearts. *** In the third Chapter starting with the 19th verse, God laments how he longed to treat the people as his children. He was so excited to give them the land of Israel and have them never turn from him again. But they left him like a faithless wife and went after many lovers. God calls them back and promises to heal their hearts. *** Israel responds that they are coming. She acknowledges that the idols she has worshiped are only a delusion. She had watched her fathers build their whole lives on a delusion. *** God tells them that they can trade their delusions for truth. They can choose to become a blessing to the nations of the world like they were created to be. But, they must begin with a total change in their hearts. *** Jeremiah sounds the alarm to warn them of the enemy that is coming from the north to destroy them. The only hope they have of saving their lives is to repent. They could not stop what was coming but they could save their souls. *** In our reading in the New Testament we are beginning Colossians. The church of Colosse was probably an outgrowth of the church in Ephesians. It was believed to be started by Epaphras who was its leader. They met in the home of Philemon. Paul had never been to this church but was asked by Epaphras to help him deal with the false teaching which was trying to lead the people astray. This false teaching was a mixture of pagan-occultism, Jewish legalism and Christianity. It was like Gnosticism which taught that Jesus was not fully God and fully man, but a one of the semi divine beings sent from God to bridge the gap between God and man. He lacked in the authority and ability to meet their needs, so the believer could achieve spiritual fullness through special knowledge and rigorous self-discipline. What a lie! *** Paul begins his letter by praising them for their faith in Jesus and their love for people. He reminds them that they have been rescued from the kingdom of darkness and transferred into the Kingdom of God’s dear Son who purchased their freedom. *** Then, Paul gets to the crux of the matter. He declares that Christ is the visible image of God and is supreme over all creation both earthly and heavenly. He made everything we can see and what we cannot see. He made thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. He existed before anything made and is supreme over it all. *** Lord, in this world of information over-load, sometimes the truth can get distorted. May we return to the elemental truths of who Christ is and who we are. We are created to worship the one and only God who sent his son to die for our sins. If we choose to die with him to our sins then we are raised with him to live an abundant, set-apart life. May our lives be filled with his Spirit and bring him glory and honor.