Last week I touched on our need to obey God and some issues through the book of Jeremiah that Judah was not willing to turn from their idol worship and obey God. I challenged us to be willing to obey before God "helped" us obey, i.e. discipline/punishment, as Jeremiah was called to warn Judah of.
Thinking more about the book of Jeremiah, and looking historically in 2 Kings, we see that King Josiah (he was 8 when he started to rule!) decided to bring back the law and try to clean up the idol worship. 2 Kings 23:25 (ESV) "before him (King Josiah) there was no king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him." Outwardly it looked like Judah (2 tribes of the nation of Israel after divide) was coming back to the LORD. They were doing lip service and following their king. 2 Kings 22:3 (ESV) "and the king (King Josiah) stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statues with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people joined in the covenant." But as we read in Jeremiah, their hearts were not following the King. Jeremiah 17:5 (ESV) "thus says the LORD: "cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD."
It is true that there are times when Israel/Judah was called to just obey, and we can apply that to our lives. I may not want to be kind to those around me, but sometimes I need to just obey. But we cannot live our lives in an ongoing obligation mode. Something must change in our hearts. It is a choice we make, and it is the Holy Spirit (those of us who have believed and trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior and God) who helps us to have softened hearts towards the things of God. When that happens the obedience is just an overflow of our hearts.
It is one thing to have charge of a compliant child. Things get done, there seems to be peace. Oh but how much better is it to have a child that has a softened heart by God and they trust and obey you because their hearts are obedient. That is God's desire for us as His children.
Jeremiah 17:9-10 (ESV) "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds."
Quote from the notes in Gospel Transformation Bible (ESV), Copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
In reference to Jeremiah 17:9-10
"The heart--that is, the center of willing and desiring that drives all that we do-is so deceitful that none can really understand it. But the Lord can and does search our inmost thoughts, and nothing is hidden from him (cf. 1 Cor. 4:5). Ezekiel saw the need for God to give us cleansed and renewed hearts (Ezek. 36:25-28). Jesus recalls Ezekiel's words when he declares to Nicodemus the need to be born of water and the Spirit (John 3:5).
Sin will continue to cling to us our whole lives long, but the gospel of grace does not simply forgive us and then leave us as we were. God changes us. He gives us a thirst for holiness and re-sensitizes us to true beauty. We become human again."
May we be ready as Christians to be obedient even when we don't want to. Let's not stop there...Let us pray that God would change our hearts towards the attitude and mindset that would bring Him glory. Our joy will overflow, we will serve others with a cheerful heart, and we may end up being asked why we are the way we are and be given an opportunity to share the Gospel and the Hope we have in Christ Jesus.
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