Friday, July 25, 2008

dirty

Jeremiah 2-4

This passage is pretty rough.  God calls out the Israelites as being "dirty," if you know what I mean.   Reading through this, I was reminded of my former lifestyle and how much I hurt God by my actions; I behaved similarly to the Israelites.  But praise be to the Lord, who got a hold of me and cleaned me up!  Not that I'm perfect - I've still got a long way to go - but at least I'm not doing that wicked stuff anymore.  Now it's on to the more subtle sins like pride (it's hard to see, let alone to fight).  Here are a couple of challenges from the Scriptures this morning:

2:13 "My people have committed two sins:
       They have forsaken me,
       the spring of living water,
       and have dug their own cisterns,
       broken cisterns that cannot hold water.
4:3 This is what the LORD says to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem:
       "Break up your unplowed ground
       and do not sow among thorns.  
   4 Circumcise yourselves to the LORD,
       circumcise your hearts,
       you men of Judah and people of Jerusalem, ...
   14 O Jerusalem, wash the evil from your heart and be saved.
       How long will you harbor wicked thoughts?

Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for saving me from a life of destruction.  Thank you for disciplining me as a child of the Holy One to save me out of the mess I was in and set me on a path to know you more.  Lord God, please reveal yourself to me and change me more into your image today.  I pray that I will soften my heart toward you and wash the evil from my heart.  I pray that you will transform my mind and cleanse me to make me holy like you.  I love you, Lord.  May I love you more.  I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

1 comment:

  1. yeah, from the picture on the left of your site, you seem to have your share of "dirty".
    it is only by the work of the Lord that i am saved. and only by the work of the Fruit of the Spirit, that my faith lives. i am by no means perfect in this either, and sometimes God has to "hose off" the dirt. but thank God He does, because i'd rather be hosed down than wallowing in the mud. :D
    good post

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