AN OPPORTUNITY TO CHANGE

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Early in the reign of Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from the Lord:

“This is what the Lord says: Stand in the courtyard of the Lord’s house and speak to all the people of the towns of Judah who come to worship in the house of the Lord. Tell them everything I command you; do not omit a word. Perhaps they will listen and each will turn from their evil ways. Then I will relent and not inflict on them the disaster I was planning because of the evil they have done. Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: If you do not listen to Me and follow My law, which I have set before you, and if you do not listen to the words of My servants the prophets, whom I have sent to you again and again (though you have not listened), then I will make this house like Shiloh and this city a curse among all the nations of the earth.’”

The priests, the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speak these words in the house of the Lord.

Jeremiah 26:1-7

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

When we think of the Lord and how we relate to Him, especially in regard to His mercy and grace, I don’t think that anyone would disagree that we serve a Lord who gives second chances (and third, and fourth, and fifth, and so on). Out of knowing we are sinners and His deep desire for us to become the people He wants us to be, the Lord God Almighty is willing to allow us to repent when we do wrong, offering us opportunities to change as we allow Him to reform us from the inside out through His Spirit.  

With this, it’s no accident that our scripture passage for today falls where it does as I return to our journey through the Book of Jeremiah at the same juncture where we have entered a new year. For many people are carrying the burdens of sins that they committed in 2015 over into 2016 and for them, God has a message today: You have an opportunity to change and let me make you new in the new year.

It’s certainly what He wished to do for the Old Testament Israelites of Jeremiah’s day early in the reign of King Jehoiakim. We know through His words delivered to “all the people of the towns of Judah” who were gathered for “worship in the house of the Lord.” Look again at what the Lord had to say to them and to all of us as we enter 2016:

“Tell them everything I command you; do not omit a word. Perhaps they will listen and each will turn from their evil ways. Then I will relent and not inflict on them the disaster I was planning because of the evil they have done. Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: If you do not listen to Me and follow My law, which I have set before you, and if you do not listen to the words of My servants the prophets, whom I have sent to you again and again (though you have not listened), then I will make this house like Shiloh and this city a curse among all the nations of the earth.’”

Essentially, the Lord was giving His people an opportunity to change but they would only do so if they listen with each deciding to turn from their evil ways. Note here the two critical elements required if the Israelites (and we as well) want to get back to a place where they are in God’s favor:

1. They needed to listen God.

God was and is always speaking to His people. He does so through His word. He does so through His Spirit. And He does so through messengers He chooses to share His words with other, messengers like the prophets, those who would preach His word, and those who teach His word like the way the Lord is using me through The Christian Walk ministry. Indeed, the word of God is coming to the people of God in many ways every day but that word is only going to be effective in the lives of those He is speaking to if they listen.

Unfortunately today, too many people are choosing to tune out the Lord and listen to the world instead.

2. Once they listened to God, they needed to turn from their evil ways.

It is possible for people to actually listen to God but then choose to not do what He tells them to do. It happens all the time. Many believers say they go to church or read their bibles but if you look at the way they are living, their actions would never reflect they are in any relationship with God. In fact, if they would tell someone they were a believer, it may be hard for someone who knows them to accept it as truth. This is because the alleged believer’s behavior would be no different than someone who claimed not to believe.

For when we truly listen to God and do what He tells us to do, then people will not be able to help seeing how different we are, drastically separated from the ways of the world because we are fully living out the Lord’s will and ways. It’s little wonder the scriptures exhort us to:

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22

If the people of God had listened to Jeremiah and turned from their evil ways, God would have relented on His plans to bring judgment upon them. There would have been no need for His punishment because His people would have self corrected. The same applies to us today.

It’s a matter of choice you see.

God gives us an opportunity to change. We have a choice to embrace that opportunity to experience His mercy, grace, and love or to reject it and accept His penalty for doing so.

The people of Israel chose the latter and God destroyed their homeland and sent them into exile for seventy years.

Are we willing to repeat their mistakes today in 2016?

We won’t if we simply listen to God and turn from our evil ways. Let’s all commit to doing just that.

Amen.

Let us pray.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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