The Heart of God

As grandparents and parents, we know the pain we experience when our children make wrong choices even after being adequately warned. The pain is more in the case of adult children for the consequences of their decisions hurt more! Our life experience will tell us that it is not going to end well. But to just helplessly watch them make wrong choices, is indeed heartbreaking!

As we read the book of Jeremiah, we can actually feel the heart of God anguishing over His children because of their choices. All that God ever wanted from the days of Eden was nothing but whole-hearted devotion and complete dependence on Him alone. But all through history, the chosen generation, served other gods and pursued wicked ways in spite of Word through the prophets, again and again!

We see the heart of God crying out, “O Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, that you may be saved. How long shall your evil thoughts lodge within you?” (Jer 4:14). The Lord’s complaint was, “For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water” (Jer 2:13). The call repeated by the prophet was, “Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place” (Jer 7:3).

It is not that we do not read the Bible or listen to sermons. We hear many preachers and we read many devotionals on our electronic devices. The million-dollar question facing us today is when the Word convicts us, do we amend our ways?

Our values dictate our behaviour and choices. If our values are not according to the Word, then it will lead to wrong choices, breaking the heart of God. Some people think of God as one who is watching with a stick just so He can punish us when we stumble and fall. But it is not so. God sent His Son to the Cross to bear our sins just so we will not be punished! But that is not a free ticket for us to continue in sin. We are called to “thoroughly amend our ways and doings”

My friend, today let us be sensitive to the voice of God and amend our ways for the Lord is longing to bless His children.

Categories: Weekly DevotionalsAuthor: Hephzibah StephenDate: 23rd January 2018 Share: newsletterDisplay date: 24th January 2018

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