Thursday, November 16, 2023

Jeremiah 18:11-12 -- On Hope

"Now therefore go to, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I frame evil against you, and devise a device against you: return ye now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good.
And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart."
Jeremiah 18:11-12


What strikes me about these verses is that the people don't take God's advice because they think there is no hope. ... I think we sometimes make mistakes for the same reason--because we think that it is too late for us, that God will never take us back, or that it's just impossible... there is no way to change. It's too much for us, and we've already proven that we can't sustain the level of effort required.

When we start feeling that way, let's take a lesson from these verses, and do as God asks anyway, because of course we can't do it alone, but if we stay the course and walk the path that God has laid out, he will do miracles on our behalf. He will make it possible for us to return, to cleanse the evil from our hearts... to find our way out of the darkness and into the light of hope, and love.

Today, let's hold on to hope, and keep trying to let go of evil and turn to the good.

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