“But I will pass judgment
on you because you say, ‘I have not sinned.’” (Jeremiah 2:35b).
Our acts of rebellion and disobedience to the Lord are
certainly bad enough but when we choose to not repent of them, notice that God
says it is this lack of admittance that brings upon us His judgment.
In this particular verse, Jeremiah is talking to the people
of Judah who were living their lives in open contempt of the Lord. They were so
competent and wicked in their ways that the worse of prostitutes learned from
them. That is sad! But worse than this, they were in bondage to their own
doings and own insurgence.
Some sins in our life can be so much a part of us that we
don’t see the burden they heap on us. We are so accustomed to our repression
that it looks like freedom to us. The saddest thing about this is we are
unaware. We are so steeped in this sin that we cannot see through the fog of
suppression; we mindlessly and hopelessly pay servitude to it. Just like darkness
is light to God, sin is obedience to us.
This is not much different than the people of Judah. They
even replied to God, “I am innocent, God is not angry with me.” (Jeremiah 2:35a).
Some of the people thought that having a temporary political and economic
success was God’s blessing. What they ignored was that God “causes the sun to
rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the
unrighteous.” (Matthew 6:45).
In the end the people of Judah never knew the true freedom
of repentance. We are not different if we choose a life that lacks this
spiritual discipline. If only we would humble ourselves and recognize the truth
of where we are! This trap is kind of
like having your own homemade cheesecake made out of box vs. having the amazing
cheesecake from Olive Garden. There is NO comparison. They are very
different. Choosing to live a life of sin accepting moderate success is not
freedom like living a life of genuine repentance before the Lord.
Repentance gives us three joys that we cannot truly
experience living a life of unremorseful sin.
1.Favor of
God vs. His blessing. Favor propels us forward into the impossible of God. Blessing
is just that, a moderate every day success that helps us survive this life. But
with God’s favor we can know infinitely more that He has to offer.
2. Immortal
influence vs. mortal impact. The people of Judah certainly are remembered
but not for their positive influence on others. They certainly made an impact
on the people around them, but not for good. Living differently than the people
of Judah, we can make a powerful influence around us with a repentant heart; we
can live a life that still speaks long after we are gone. And what better way to
be remembered “God’s power lifting us” vs. “man’s power crippling us.”
3. Proactive
freedom vs. subjected servitude. I have asked my children, “Does life
happen to you, or do you happen on life?” I ask you the same. Your answer to
this determines which path you are taking in life: proactive freedom or subjected
servitude. The people of Judah were so trapped in their sin, they only saw that
serving Assyria and Egypt was their way to freedom yet it only kept them in repressive
bondage. So they lived their life allowing life happen to them. In repentance
God gives us not only freedom from our sin, but a powerful spirit that happens
on the life around us. No longer does sin rule our spirits, forgiveness does!
No comments:
Post a Comment