The World as I Know it

I read in the Radical Reformation that there are two different kinds of sin, universal and particular. Universal are the ones that are the same for everyone (i.e. murder, adultery, etc), particular sins are those which are only a problem for certain individuals (like drinking or gambling). At the time, I had long since realized which universal sins I was constantly falling into (duh!), but didn't quite see my particular sin as clearly. Now I do.

"...they have not obeyed me or followed my law. Instead they have followed the stubborness of their hearts..." (Jer. 9:13b-14a) In teh margins of my bible, I had to write "that's me!" because it so it! I am so stubborn! God sends clear and distince messages to me to stop what I am doing. After I ask for signs to show that I'm wrong, He sends me one that someone in China could see it's so clear! And yet, I still go on and continue whatever I'm doing. This is not only blatently ignoring and turning away from God, but it is food to my sinful nature.

My stubborness, my inability to let go of my old way of life, my pride, my expectations, of my own strength, weakened me and made me susceptible to sin. It is hard to let go of something that is so ingrained within us, but it must be done. We all have this insane urge to survive, one that is so biologically embedded into our DNA that most people would kill others before letting thmselves die. Jesus fought this instinct and won. Because of Him, we all have hope for the future. I must look to Him for the strength, the courage and teh example, for He is those things embodied.
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"I know, O Lord, that a man's life is not his own; it is not for mat to direct his steps. Correct me, O Lord, but only justice--not in your anger, lest you reduce me to nothing" (Jer. 10:23-24).

My life is not my own; I did not will myself into existence, so why do I continue to act as if I have? I do things that I wouldn't do to someone else's belongings. So why do I do this?

I am stubborn in more ways than one. I refuse to believe that this life is not my own, that the things I do are things that are for me. I guess perhaps my stubborness is a perverse, hidden form of narcism or egotism.

I will be the first to say that I am not the most self-loving person (which can sometimes be a good thing), so to realize that I have a hidden thing within myself frightens me.

But there is hope: the rest of the passage. "Correct me, O Lord..." And I believe I will be corrected, that He will correct me. He has pointed out what I am doing and that knowledge is the first step. He has shown me the way and I shall do my best to walk in that way (Jer. 7:23).

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I must say, that at first, I thought that this chapter (Jeremiah 11) was redundant for the most part. Then a thought came to me. If it is repeated, it must be important. So, here's what I got:

1) do NOT follow "the stubborness of [your] evil hearts" (v.8)
2)OBEY! (v. 4, 7)
3)LISTEN! (v. 8, 10)

The Lord will have his vengence. We are made to go with Him. He rejoices in it. But to go against Him is to go against our very nature, and that always has bad consequences. Do not be "like a gentle lamb led to teh slaughter" (v. 19). Be a warrior and flight! Obey and listen to your father, your Lord. You will not be forgotten.

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Pride is a hurtful thing. So much of our sin stems from our pride. We think we know best, we think we can do something the best; we think we are the best.

But the Lord dispises pride--as He should! Who are we tho think we're awesome?!? "Who endowed the heart with wisdom or gave understanding to the mind?...Have you ever given orders to teh morning, or shown the dawn its place...? (Job 38:37, 12).

In Jeremiah's time, there was a mad amount of pride in Jerusalem. They worshipped other gods because they thought they could make better ones. They stopped listening because they were obviously better...or so they thought.

But God is greater than us, greater than anyone. he is the great I Am. if that doesn't show how amazing He is, that He can simply state that He is, than nothing will.

We have no reason for pride. Compared to God, we are just about nothing. It is His grace and His mercy that allows us to continue being. We will never be as good as God, will will never reach the divine, so "come down from your thrones, for your glorious crowns will fall from your hands" (Jer. 13:18).

___AND FINALLY..._______

Without the Lord in our lives,we are not fulfilled. Jerusalem figured that out when a great drought struck the land. In truth, the drought was just a physical emulation of a spiritual drought which had begun long ago.

The culture, the lives of Jerusalem was disrupted because of a lack of God: "the ground is cracked because there is no rain in the land;" (Jer. 14:4). Our souls are no different. "...my soul thirsts for You; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water" (Ps. 63:1). So don't delay. Fill up your cup daily, for in a hot world such as this one, we constantly need to drink.