CRUX DAILY DEVO_Pray For Camp #3 from Adam Eaton on Vimeo.

CRUX DAILY DEVO_Pray for Camp #2 from Adam Eaton on Vimeo.

CRUX DAILY DEVO_PRAY from Adam Eaton on Vimeo.

Things are not looking good for the people of Judah.They are in the midst of a massive famine. There is not water to drink or rain to water their fields and therefore food is hard to come by. The people are crying out to God and telling Him of their pain and problems. Why was this happening? Was this really the promised land that God spoke about?

In an effort to appease God and gain His favor Jeremiah acts as the voice of the people and confesses their sin. Though Jeremiah meant this from the heart and he was really concerned for the people, this was not true repentance. I’m sure Jeremiah got some of the people to confess their sin but all they wanted was relief from the famine. It was not about pleasing God but about relieving discomfort. They were acknowledging their sin with their mouths but in their hearts they had no intention of stopping. It’s like when God said to them through the prophet Isaiah “this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me” (Isaiah 29:13)
If they had really changed in their hearts would God have forgiven them and brought blessing on them and stopped the famine? I think so. But God saw what was happening in their hearts. And God see’s what is in our hearts as well.

You may be facing consequences or punishment for a sin that you have been caught in. Know that God corrects and disciplines the ones that he loves. So this it is not happening because God hates you. He hates the sin but He does not hate you. He wants you to turn from your sin and turn to Him for forgiveness and strength. But, if you are like the people of Judah and you confess your sin to God but do not turn from your sin don’t count on God’s forgiveness. God see’s your heart, you can not fool Him.

Are you more concerned about living a life that is pleasing to God or getting out of facing the consequences for your sin? Sin can have some major consequences. The hard part is that you don’t get to choose what those consequences are. Instead of trying desperately to get out of facing consequences try actually repenting. Turn from your sin and rely on God. That will not only lead a life that is pleasing to God but it will bring blessing on your life as well.

In verse 11-12 God tells Jeremiah not to pray for the people anymore. Why would God do this? 1 John 5:16 tells us to pray for those who are sinning that they might come to (true)repentance but there is a sin that leads to death and we are not to pray for that. Do not get to the point in life where it will do no good to pray for you anymore. Don’t let yourself get so caught up in sin that God would say to us “don’t pray for them.” Repent today.

If you have given you life to Christ but are still struggling with one or multiple areas of sin, repent and turn to God. If you have never asked Christ into your heart click here!

Jeremiah 10:6 says, “There is none like you, O Lord; you are great, and your name is great in might.”

In this chapter the Lord speaks to Jeremiah about idols and how He is the only God. We see God speaking from the very beginning about what an idol is, a man made god which they decorate and bow down and worship. He responds that these idols cannot speak, they cannot walk, and they do not know what is good and they cannot do evil (vs 1-5). Judah was guilty of worshiping these false gods and displacing the place where God should be in someone life.

We have idols in the land too. It may not be a wooden statue that you put in your closet and pull out and bow down to. Instead, the idols of today are money, people, things, music, abilities. It is anything that you love more than God. It is easy to say I have no idols as we may not have the idols that Israel fell too but we do have things we decorate and put above God. A good question to ask yourself is, “How will I respond when this thing is taken away from me or if something happens to it?” We think joy, happiness, and the purpose in life is in things, but that is far from the truth. Stop right now, and pray to God. Ask Him to reveal what has been an idol in your life. Ask him to show you what you have been putting above him. What do you love more than God? Then, ask God to forgive you and to help you not to put anything above Him.

I can recount many different conversations I have had with young people throughout the years that they realized that they have put different things above God such as a boy or a girl, playing sports or an instrument as well as the things listed in the previous paragraph. What you and I need to do is guard against idol worship

Guarding against idol Worship

If you love God more than the other things than you are at a good place. In this chapter we see some great attributes of God. Verse 6 shows that nothing can compare with God, He is unique. Verse 10 says he is the Living God and King. Verses 12-13 shows his power in creation. We need to humbly view God and then we can realize we have sinned and put others and other things above him. We need to realize sin keeps us from having a proper and right view of God. Realize that God is what satisfies, fulfills and is full of grace and mercy. Nothing of this world can save us from sin, we have God’s grace for that. Here are some thoughts that can help. 1) When you go to God ask for forgiveness of sin. 2) Ask God to reveal any sin that you are unaware of. 3) Ask God to forgive you of any idols you have placed above him. 4) Then reflect on the greatness and might of the Lord. 5) Think of the goodness of God and how nothing can compare with that. Psalm 34:8 says, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man that takes refuge in him.”

Jeremiah 9:23-24 “Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches,”

Right after Jeremiah get through talking about the sin and coming judgment on the people he reminds the people that they have nothing to boast about. The smart guy, the jock, and the rich kid have nothing to boast about.

From a very early age people will boast about how smart they are. In kindergarten they kids will boast about how many stars or smiley faces they got. And when people get older and think they know everything, they will never say “I don’t know.” They think they have all the answers. For the Apostle Paul’s response to the “wise people” see 1 Corinthians 1:20, 23-25. The people with the highest grades have nothing to boast about!

The same is true for athletic people. It’s all about how much you can lift, how far you can throw, or how big your biceps are. Here is the apostle Paul’s response to those who boast like this in 1 Corinthians 1:25 “…the weakness of God is stronger than men.” The most athletic people you know have nothing to boast about.

What about all the rich people? It seems like they don’t have a care in the world and they can do whatever they want. They boast just as much as the wise guy and the athlete but do they have a reason too? riches do not last and you can not take it with you when you die. So what do the rich have to boast about? A nice coffin for their body to be buried in? The rich have nothing to boast about.

Jeremiah 9:24 “but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”

You as a human being will boast at some point. You were created to boast but we were created not to boast of ourselves but to boast in the Lord. Boast about the understanding and knowledge of God. Not the knowledge that you have gained but what God has revealed to you in His Word and His world.

Philippians 2:9-11 says “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. That is something to boast about! The Lordship of Jesus Christ is the Christians best boast.

Have you ever boasted about Christ and His love and what He accomplished on the cross? Here is my challenge for you; go one day without boasting about yourself at all and boast to as many people as you can about Christ! It’s a tough challenge but this is what we are here for!