Once again, haven't written a blog post in a while! Life just gets so busy with a little one running around. :)
Currently, in my devotions, I have been going through the book of Jeremiah. I started in Genesis and have been working my way through. When I got to Isaiah I started feeling like I needed a little more to go along with what I was reading, so I started reading Matthew Henry's commentary alongside my daily reading. I cannot even begin to say how blessed I have been by doing that. Back to Jeremiah though, I am about half way through the book. I am being ministered to on SO many levels in this book! I think that current circumstances in life as well as the election we just had have made my reading all the more applicable.
I have never really spent a lot of time in the book of Jeremiah before because it's pretty much all about Jeremiah declaring God's judgement on Judah for their continual sin and unrepentance. The main sin that Judah struggled with was idolatry, although there were many more including adultery, lying, defiance, false teaching, etc. Honestly, all of the things that are so prevalent in today's society were happening back then. This is where I start to get frustrated and God speaks to me.
I am not frustrated by the unsaved people in this world. They do what they think is good and right in their own eyes and don't interfere with others who do the same. Those people I continually pray for and share the love of Christ with as opportunity arises, but I know that they are blind and lost and don't know any better. This makes it easier to explain away what scripture would portray as "bad" or "evil" behaviors.
I am frustrated with the modern day church, fellow "believers." The church today has gotten to a very dangerous place where everything is all talk about love and forgiveness. I am in no way arguing that these are very key characterisitics that a Christian should have, but that is where people are drawing the line. There is no such thing as conviction anymore. There is no more black and white, there is no more sharing the truth in love. There is no more need to live a life set apart.
If you try and share with someone that something they are doing is wrong scripturally, you are the bad guy, you are rejected and called unloving. If you do not cater to the sin in someones life, then you are unforgiving, bitter and angry. How did we get to this place? What happened to 2 Timothy 4:2?
"Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine."
I guess if you keep reading the following verses in 2 Timothy it explains itself.
"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."
It has been said that if you believe a lie long enough, it becomes your truth. That is what I see happening today. No one wants to be told that they are wrong. They tell themselves that something is ok and right long enough and then there is no changing their mind. Scripture that you share with them gets twisted or manipulated or completely dismissed for one reason or another. People justify their actions in whatever way they can and don't care who they hurt in the process. Pastor's are catering to sinful lifestyles, telling people that no one has a right to judge you and God is love and grace and therefore, no matter what you do, as long as you believe that Jesus is who He said He was, you're good.
This is exactly what was happening in Jeremiah's time. The priests, who were supposed to be the voice of the Lord to the people, were telling the people what they wanted to hear. They were proclaiming peace upon the land. In reality, God was not speaking to these priests, but He WAS speaking to Jeremiah. What was Jeremiah's message? Repent and turn from your ways, God is not pleased by your actions, and if you don't repent and change then there is judgement coming. The crazy thing is that some of Jeremiah's greatest opposition came from the priests and his closest family and friends. They were actually plotting against him to kill him simply because he spoke the truth. The truth just so happened to be what they didn't want to hear. It was not loving or catering to their sin. These people claimed to be close to God. These people were some of the most visible and prominent in the temple, yet they failed to heed or recognize God's word.
"Those shall be made to know how much they deceive themselves who say that they have not offended God, that they are innocent, though they have been guilty of the grossest enormities. Who expect that God will be reconciled to them though they do not repent and reform. They own that they had been under the tokens of God's anger, but they think that it was causeless, and that they by pleading innocency had proved it to be so, and therefore they conclude that God will immediately let fall His action and His anger shall be turned from them. This is very provoking and God will plead with them, and convince them that His anger is just, for they have sinned and He will never cease His controversy till they, instead of justifying themselves thus, humble and judge and condemn themselves." -Matthew Henry
This is so scary! The way that Christians down play sin! We do have a gracious and loving God, but we also have a just and righteous God who will not wink at sin in our lives.
The people in Jeremiah's time were not willing to own anything as the word of God that went against anything that they were doing. They would rather make God out to be a liar, than simply confess and forsake their sin. Jeremiah 7:8 "Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit."
"Those that think to excuse themselves in unchristian practices with the Christian name, and sin the more boldly and securely because there is a sin offering provided, do, in effect, make God's house of prayer a den of thieves, as the priests in Christ's time." -Matthew Henry
"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" -Romans 6:1-2
I know that we will never be perfect this side of heaven, but if we are truly following the Lord and seeking Him and His will for our lives, then we will not be able to live in continual sin. There will be conviction for wrong actions, which should lead to repentance and change. Change will always be the result of true repentance. It doesn't matter how many times you speak the words "I'm sorry" if you never do anything to show it. If someone goes out and kills someone and then says "I'm sorry" and goes out and kills again, do you think that person is truly sorry? Of course not! Your actions will back up your words. Your fruit will bear witness of who you belong to. It is not unloving to call something as it is.
"Ye shall know them by their fruits... A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." -Matthew 7:16, 18-21
All that being said, I guess what I really want to do is just encourage all of my brothers and sisters out there to really dig into the Word of God, know what it says, and grow in the knowledge and truth of it, applying it's principles to your life. Do not be so prideful as to not be able to receive a word spoken in truth to you. Do not allow the lukewarm attitude of this world to take root in your heart. That is not of the Lord! He has called us to live lives set apart, different from the rest of the world, yet being an example IN the world.
"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." -Hebrews 4:12
"Is not my word like as a fire? saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces. -Jeremiah 23:29
One last thing, to the people of Judah who would not repent and turn from their idolatry, adultery, lying and wickedness, this is the message God gave to them:
"And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten." -Jeremiah 23:40
Please don't let this happen to you! Be encouraged, check your heart and encourage and edify your brothers and sisters in the Lord to do the same. Hold one another accountable. This is what love looks like.
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