Thursday, December 11, 2014

What Have I Done?


Why has this people slidden back, Jerusalem, in a perpetual backsliding? They hold fast to deceit, They refuse to return. I listened and heard, But they do not speak aright. No man repented of his wickedness, Saying, 'What have I done?' Everyone turned to his own course, As the horse rushes into the battle. -  Jeremiah 8:5-6 


The prophet Jeremiah warned the people to turn from their wickedness and return to the Lord. But Jerusalem carried out their temple rituals, and because of that they really thought they were doing only good things, and serving the Lord. “What have I done?”They were deceived in their thoughts and were perpetually slipping farther away from God. This happens when we start to really believe that we are not that sinful, just because we are doing religious activities. We believe we are getting closer to God but we can actually move away from Him. And the farther we get from God, the harder it is to repent and change.

We live in a world that is filled with deceit and wickedness. The world tells us what is acceptable. If it feels good, then do it. It you feel bad for doing it, then take a pill or do something to make yourself feel better. We have permission from the world to do whatever it takes to make ourselves feel better. Yet, so often, we end up feeling much worse. We can swing like a pendulum, from the heights of happiness to the depths of depression. And if we are not careful, we wake up one day wondering what happened. “What have I done?”

The Christian walk takes one day at a time. Some days are better than others, but every day belongs to the Lord. The only way to walk with the Lord consistently is to spend time with Him everyday. When times are hard and depression creeps in, do not look for the instant fix offered by the world. Turn to the Lord. When you feel good about yourself or things in your life, turn to the Lord and give Him thanks. None of us wants to feel badly, but when the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, we must be willing to repent and to turn from our sin. As we walk daily with the Lord, these convictions keep us from falling into deceitful ways of thinking. Ask the Lord today to help you answer the question: What have I done? You may be surprised at the answer. Listen to the Lord and be willing to change as He guides you.

~Daily Disciples Devotional~

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