Jeremiah 2 records God remembering Judah’s former faithfulness and their slow descent into idolatry. In verse 5, God asks, “What wrong did your fathers find in me that they went far from me…?” In other words, God wants to know what He had done to deserve the service, or lack thereof, He was receiving from then. We have to ask ourselves the same thing. When God looks down upon us, does He wonder why we have traveled so far from Him? Or can He look upon us and say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant?”
Seeking the Lord
In verses 6-8 of Jeremiah 2, we see one reason the people strayed from Him. They simply ceased seeking Him. Matthew 6:33 concludes Jesus’ thoughts about the cares of this world with this thought: “Seek first the kingdom of God.” Colossians 3:1-4 calls on us to die to the cares of this life and set our minds on things above. Simply put, God needs to come before everything else. He comes first, and everything else is just details – the demands of our jobs, the interests we wish to pursue, many of the things we think we need. Jesus promises us that God will look out for us; we should therefore be seeking Him before all things.
Fellowship with Our Spiritual Family
Jeremiah 5:26 and Jeremiah 7:1 both begin passages that call upon God’s people to reform their ways, to cease oppression, to be just, and to care for those in need. We so often limit our charity to our fellow Christians, but it is more than that. Now Colossians 3:12-14 clearly outlines how Christians are supposed to treat each other. We are to be meek, humble, patient, forgiving, and loving. Galatians 5:13-15 warns us against looking for problems, and Galatians 6:1-3 calls on us to bear each others' burdens and to look upon our brothers and sisters in Christ with compassion and gentleness. There are times when we will need to help each other through problems, and there are other times when we might be the ones in need of help. In all that we do, others come first. The days of putting ourselves first passed when we became living sacrifices to God.
A Perfect Sacrifice
Malachi 1:6-8 speaks to the people neglecting the glory and honor due God. They dishonored Him in their service. They were superficially spiritual, and we are too often guilty of the same thing. We come into worship, overly worried about how long certain acts of worship will take. Our minds are elsewhere while singing His praises. Back in Malachi 1, God decries imperfect sacrifices vowed to Him. We have promised Him our lives. We have promised to give Him the best, and that service continues whether we are within the walls of our meeting place or we are out in the world. Colossians 3:5 asks us to put away the material idolatry and blemishes in our own lives. When we vow to give our lives to Christ, we become a changed person, and we must be diligent to maintain that new perfection of spirit. This applies in worship, in how we treat our families, in how we conduct ourselves at work, in the way we treat others, in everything we do and everywhere we go.
Romans 5:5-10 reminds us of the hope we have because of the great sacrifice made for us. God gave us His best. When He looks down on us, does He see us giving our best in return? Do we present ourselves as living sacrifices, or does He ask Himself why we have gone so far from Him?
lesson by Kent Ward
Seeking the Lord
In verses 6-8 of Jeremiah 2, we see one reason the people strayed from Him. They simply ceased seeking Him. Matthew 6:33 concludes Jesus’ thoughts about the cares of this world with this thought: “Seek first the kingdom of God.” Colossians 3:1-4 calls on us to die to the cares of this life and set our minds on things above. Simply put, God needs to come before everything else. He comes first, and everything else is just details – the demands of our jobs, the interests we wish to pursue, many of the things we think we need. Jesus promises us that God will look out for us; we should therefore be seeking Him before all things.
Fellowship with Our Spiritual Family
Jeremiah 5:26 and Jeremiah 7:1 both begin passages that call upon God’s people to reform their ways, to cease oppression, to be just, and to care for those in need. We so often limit our charity to our fellow Christians, but it is more than that. Now Colossians 3:12-14 clearly outlines how Christians are supposed to treat each other. We are to be meek, humble, patient, forgiving, and loving. Galatians 5:13-15 warns us against looking for problems, and Galatians 6:1-3 calls on us to bear each others' burdens and to look upon our brothers and sisters in Christ with compassion and gentleness. There are times when we will need to help each other through problems, and there are other times when we might be the ones in need of help. In all that we do, others come first. The days of putting ourselves first passed when we became living sacrifices to God.
A Perfect Sacrifice
Malachi 1:6-8 speaks to the people neglecting the glory and honor due God. They dishonored Him in their service. They were superficially spiritual, and we are too often guilty of the same thing. We come into worship, overly worried about how long certain acts of worship will take. Our minds are elsewhere while singing His praises. Back in Malachi 1, God decries imperfect sacrifices vowed to Him. We have promised Him our lives. We have promised to give Him the best, and that service continues whether we are within the walls of our meeting place or we are out in the world. Colossians 3:5 asks us to put away the material idolatry and blemishes in our own lives. When we vow to give our lives to Christ, we become a changed person, and we must be diligent to maintain that new perfection of spirit. This applies in worship, in how we treat our families, in how we conduct ourselves at work, in the way we treat others, in everything we do and everywhere we go.
Romans 5:5-10 reminds us of the hope we have because of the great sacrifice made for us. God gave us His best. When He looks down on us, does He see us giving our best in return? Do we present ourselves as living sacrifices, or does He ask Himself why we have gone so far from Him?
lesson by Kent Ward
