Growing with God: A daily devotional with Tonia Slimm.
Jeremiah 32:30 (NIV)
“The people of Israel and Judah have done nothing but evil in my sight from their youth; indeed, the people of Israel have done nothing but arouse my anger with what their hands have made, declares the Lord.”
Jeremiah 32:30 (MSG)
“It isn’t as if this were the first time they had provoked me. The people of Israel and Judah have been doing this for a long time—doing what I hate, making me angry by the way they live.” God’s Decree.”
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“For the children of Israel and the children of Judah have done only evil in My sight from their youth; for the children of Israel have been provoking Me to anger by the [idols that are the] work of their hands,” says the Lord.” -AMPLIFIED
“He (God) amplifies the sin of the people, that they never departed from their vices.” ~John Calvin
The Lord tells Jeremiah that what He has foretold in the past, about the Babylonians conquering Jerusalem, will come to pass. And it will happen because he people have rebelled against Him, provoking Him. The Lord had given guidelines and boundaries, which the people had refused to obey:
“The Chaldeans who are fighting against this city will come and set this city on fire. They will burn it, including the houses where incense has been burned to Baal on their rooftops and where drink offerings have been poured out to other gods to anger me.” -Jeremiah 32:29 (CSB)
This sin, idolatry, was no longer just regulated to Israel, but it had spread to Judah as well, and it was an ongoing cycle of sin which offended the Lord.
“The people of Israel and Judah have done nothing but evil in My sight since their early days. They have done nothing except kindle My anger with their handmade idols and the way they live their lives.” -(VOICE)
The Lord declares that the sin of idolatry had been a continuing cycle for Israel and Judah. This is the very sin which the Lord had cautioned them about back in Exodus, at the beginning of their journey together.
Eternal One: “I am the Eternal your God. I led you out of Egypt and liberated you from lives of slavery and oppression. You are not to serve any other gods before Me. You are not to make any idol or image of other gods. In fact, you are not to make an image of anything in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath. You are not to bow down and serve any image, for I, the Eternal your God, am a jealous God. As for those who are not loyal to Me, their children will endure the consequences of their sins for three or four generations. But for those who love Me and keep My directives, their children will experience My loyal love for a thousand generations.” -Exodus 20:2-6 (VOICE)
And yet, though forewarned, they still fell into a cycle of sin. Though they knew what God’s expectations were, they chose to ignore His instructions and follow the ways of the nations around them. This provoked the Lord, and we will find Him speaking about this more over the coming days.
“For Israel and Judah have done nothing but wrong since their earliest days; they have infuriated me with all their evil deeds.” -(TLB)
“If they had offended me only by some particular single acts, or by some few omissions, or but for a small time, I might have been judged too severe upon them; but from the time they first began to be a nation they have made it their business, course, and trade, passing from one idolatry to another, &c.” ~Matthew Poole
Keep in mind, sin is rebelling against the Lord God and refusing to do His will or obeying His law.
“So if you know the right way to live and ignore it, it is sin—plain and simple.” -James 4:17 (VOICE)
“Sin is any failure to conform to the moral law of God in act, attitude, or nature.” ~Wayne Grudem
Guess what, Scripture tells us that we are all sinners.
“You see, all have sinned, and all their futile attempts to reach God in His glory fail.” -Romans 3:23 (VOICE)
We are reminded though that if we confess our sins to the Lord, that He will forgive us.
“But if we own up to our sins, God shows that He is faithful and just by forgiving us of our sins and purifying us from the pollution of all the bad things we have done.” -1 John 1:9 (VOICE)
If we have confessed that sin to the Lord, it no longer has power over us.
“We know this: whatever we used to be with our old sinful ways has been nailed to His cross. So our entire record of sin has been canceled, and we no longer have to bow down to sin’s power. A dead man, you see, cannot be bound by sin. But if we have died with the Anointed One, we believe that we shall also live together with Him. So we stand firm in the conviction that death holds no power over God’s Anointed, because He was resurrected from the dead never to face death again. When He died, He died to whatever power sin had, once and for all, and now He lives completely to God. So here is how to picture yourself now that you have been initiated into Jesus the Anointed: you are dead to sin’s power and influence, but you are alive to God’s rule.” -Romans 6:6-11 (VOICE)
Once we have been forgiven, should we return to doing that sin? Absolutely not!
“Don’t invite that insufferable tyrant of sin back into your mortal body so you won’t become obedient to its destructive desires. Don’t offer your bodily members to sin’s service as tools of wickedness; instead, offer your body to God as those who are alive from the dead, and devote the parts of your body to God as tools for justice and goodness in this world. For sin is no longer a tyrant over you; indeed you are under grace and not the law.” -Romans 6:12-14 (VOICE)
Do not fall into cycle of continual, habitual sin.
“Everyone who lives a life of habitual sin is living in moral anarchy. That’s what sin is. You realize that He came to eradicate sins, that there is not the slightest bit of sin in Him. The ones who live in an intimate relationship with Him do not persist in sin, but anyone who persists in sin has not seen and does not know the real Jesus. Children, don’t let anyone pull one over on you. The one doing the right thing is just imitating Jesus, the Righteous One.” -1 John 3:4-7 (VOICE)
So, it is time to set aside those sinful desires, time to live a life that is holy and acceptable to the Lord.
“Brothers and sisters, in light of all I have shared with you about God’s mercies, I urge you to offer your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice to God, a sacred offering that brings Him pleasure; this is your reasonable, essential worship. Do not allow this world to mold you in its own image. Instead, be transformed from the inside out by renewing your mind. As a result, you will be able to discern what God wills and whatever God finds good, pleasing, and complete.” -Romans 12:1-2 (VOICE)
We must take action on our part. Actively putting aside the old desires, and obediently choosing instead to become like our Savior, holy.
“So get yourselves ready, prepare your minds to act, control yourselves, and look forward in hope as you focus on the grace that comes when Jesus the Anointed returns and is completely revealed to you. Be like obedient children as you put aside the desires you used to pursue when you didn’t know better. Since the One who called you is holy, be holy in all you do. For the Scripture says, “You are to be holy, for I am holy.” -1 Peter 1:13-16 (VOICE)
“Be vigilant; be conscious, so that the temptations don’t take you by surprise. Avoid situations that you know are dangerous. When you acknowledge that you are weak and powerless, then God will be strong on your behalf. All of the incredible power He has – a power so huge that He created the heavens and the earth from nothing – is available to you. Ask God to pour it over you, to baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire, so you can stand fast in that moment when sin is standing at the door and knocking. Jesus is right at the throne of God, making intercession for you too. (Romans 8:34) There is no reason in the world that it can’t succeed for you.” ~Ann Steiner
My friend, we all are sinners. We were born into sin. But Jesus paid the price for our sin. Every day we have a choice to make, will we choose to do things God’s way, or will we insist on doing things our own way. Sin stands at the door of our heart, beckoning us, but we do not have to give in to it. We have been set free from the power of sin. Make the choice to yell “NO” to that sin, and choose to live a life that is holy and acceptable to the Lord. It is time to break that cycle of sin.
“Abide in Jesus, the sinless One – which means, give up all of self and its life, and dwell in God’s will and rest in His strength. This is what brings the power that does not commit sin.” ~Andy Murray
My Prayer:
Adonai Elohim, my Great Lord, I am asking for your help today to live a life that is holy and acceptable to you. I have confessed my sin, and you have forgiven me, but each day is a battle. Each day I must make the choice to continually do things your way, not mine. Sometimes I have to make that choice moment by moment and some times are easier than others. I acknowledge that temptation to give into sin is a struggle. But Lord, I want to do things your way. Help me to be obedient. Help me to remember not to entertain things that are not holy and acceptable. Remind me to nip that thought of temptation in the bud by telling the Enemy to leave, by turning my thoughts to you, the Author and Finisher of my faith. Lord, I need your help, thank you for always being there for me.
Growing with God 