sinfulness – Page 8 – Be Still…

Jeremiah 6:1-15 – Stuck in Sin

Do the people understand who they should really be fearing? It’s not the army from the north, it’s the LORD himself. They’re being told to “Run for your lives!” That sounds dire, like a message they should be listening to. But they are stuck. Stuck in sin.

These people are truly who the apostle Paul likes to describe as “slaves to sin.” It’s like they are captive to it and can’t break the chains. They aren’t even trying anymore to break the chains because it has become comfortable and “normal.” Romans 6:16 reads, “Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.”

Jeremiah 4:19-22 – Bitter Tears

Read Jeremiah 4:19-22

Poor Jeremiah! His prophetic vision of what is coming has left him devastated. I can’t imagine what it would be like for my heart to “writhe in pain.” Looking back on my life, there have been plenty of bumps, but living through something like what Jeremiah envisions would be totally new for me. For most of us!

There are plenty of atrocities happening around the world rousting people out of their homes, exiling them to foreign lands as refugees. But the one Jeremiah describes is being orchestrated by God because of the people’s bad choices. The magnitude of seeing God’s predictions come true, being homeless and left behind. Terrifying!

Jeremiah 2:14-22 – Consequence of Sin

Read Jeremiah 2:14-22

The Lord’s rage continues as Jeremiah tells us what will happen because of the sinfulness. It’s not a pretty picture. Did the people not think about the consequences to their actions? It’s hard to know what motivated the people to choose idols, mere images of foreign gods, over the one true God. We can look at people making similar choices today and wonder why, for instance, they chose to sleep in versus getting up for church.

That’s a simplistic example. I used to feel extremely guilty when I found myself too busy to spend quality time with God. I’m not sure I thought about what the consequences might be. Would God stop loving me? Would he let bad things happen to me? Would he stop fighting my battles?

Micah 6:9-16 – Guilt & Punishment

Read Micah 6:9-16

girl sitting in front of a window with her head down as if ashamed

What do you say about this divine announcement of guilt and punishment? Their indictment charged them with many crimes and offenses. We are still familiar with shady business practices, dishonesty, extortion, and violence, are we not? That’s why when we’re followers of Christ we want to be better than that. We don’t want to fall prey to the very same behaviors that angered God to wish such disaster on his children.

I’m guilty. I cheated on a test once. I’m sure I did. Looking at the addition sheet on my neighbor’s desk was just too easy. I wanted to make sure my answer matched theirs. I confess. But that’s just a simple example of how we all stumble, especially when we may not “know any better.”

Amos 6:1-14 – Impending Doom

Read Amos 6:1-14

Do you ever wake up in the morning with a sense of “dread,” like there is some impending doom about to strike? That’s happened to me before, and it is totally unsettling. I often wonder where those thoughts come from. Perhaps I dreamt something horrific that I thankfully can’t remember. Whatever it is, this reading took me back to one of those moments.

How do you deal with impending doom? As a child growing up in the Midwest, I used to hate those news alerts during the summertime warning of a tornado in the area. Even more scary was hearing the sirens, grabbing the cats, and running for shelter in the basement. If you haven’t lived in tornado alley during the late spring into summer, it might be other weather warnings or fire drills at school bringing you fear.