Jeremiah 35:14-15

"The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons not to drink wine, are performed; for unto this day they drink none, but obey their father's commandment: notwithstanding I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye hearkened not unto me.
I have sent also unto you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and go not after other gods to serve them, and ye shall dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers: but ye have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened unto me."
Jeremiah 35:14-15


This is an interesting comparison... between a family that listened to their father and established a tradition of not indulging in wine, and the children of Israel, who didn't listen to God.  I can apply it to my life by just thinking about the people that I do listen to... probably in all of our lives there are people we would listen to as closely as Jonadab's sons listened to him.  The question is... is God one of them?  I mean, there are very few things that I *wouldn't* do for certain people in my life, but how much do I do for the Lord?  Do I take the time to talk to him?  Do I take the time to read the book that he recommends? :)  With my close friends, if one mentions a preference for a certain song, I'll go out and hunt for the CD.  Or search for a book that one of them recommends... take off a few days of work for a chance to talk to one who comes to town.  With God though, sometimes I leave for work on time instead of taking the opportunity to talk to him first.  I shovel down lunch without pausing to include him in conversation, and I often choose random reading material over his recommendations.  I would never do those things with my close friends, so how do I end up doing it with God?  Maybe I need to work on our friendship.
I also like God asking us to amend our doings.  Like an amendment... fixing the law, or making revisions to a document.  Fixing the mistakes, making things better.  That word "amend" sounds so much better than "bzzzzz, wrong answer." :)  It's like, instead of turning in your paper and getting a big red F, having your teacher hand it back with suggestions for improvement. :)  We're still in the draft stage!  That is such a hopeful thought for me... that, in the end, the story *will* be perfect, and we get feedback along the way to make it (ourselves) better. :)