At the beginning of today's passage we see a few instances of Zedekiah and the people half heartedly trying to do what's right, or at least trying to get back into God's good graces. But it was never genuine, it never acknowledged God's warnings, and it was certainly never accompanied by repentance.
How often do we expect God to help us in our times of trouble, even though we have ignored Him in our times of prosperity. God is not a genie awaiting our command when we get around to summoning Him from His lamp. He wants a genuine and lasting relationship born out of repentance, faith, and love for Him.
This verse also struck me....
Ezekiel 29:3 Give them this message from the Sovereign Lord: "I am your enemy, O Pharaoh, king of Egypt - you great monster, lurking in the streams of the Nile. For you have said, 'The Nile River is mine; I made it for myself.'
My Life Application Bible says
The Nile was Egypt's pride and joy, a life-giving river cutting through the middle of the desert. But rather than thanking God, Egypt declared, "The Nile River is mine; I made it." We do the same when we say, "This house is mine; I built it," or "I have brought myself to the place where I am today," or "I have built this church, business, or reputation from the ground up." These statements reveal our pride. Sometimes we take for granted what God has given us, thinking we have made it ourselves. Of course, we have put forth a lot of hard effort, but God supplied the resources, gave us the abilities, and provided us with the opportunities to make it happen. Instead of proclaiming our own greatness, as the Egyptians did, we should proclaim God's greatness and give him the credit.
May we give Him the glory for every success in our lives!
Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Jeremiah 31-33
2 comments:
A good reminder from today's reading to not be thinking of ourselves first, but to think of God and our relationship with Him. To put Him first, asking for forgiveness from Him then doing our best for Him all the time.
Good points. We don't appreciate people being fake to us, why should we expect God to accept a fake faith.
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