24 Do not forget your first love part 1

 

Do not forget your first love part 1


Jer 2 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem:

“This is what the Lord says:

“‘I remember the devotion of your youth,
how as a bride you loved me
and followed me through the wilderness,
through a land not sown.
3 Israel was holy to the Lord,
the first fruits of his harvest;
all who devoured her were held guilty,
and disaster overtook them,’”
declares the Lord.

The promises of the Lord had been steadfast and sure. Israel had known the Lord's blessing on them and delighted in them. Now God was rebuking them for leaving their first love. He begins by reminding them of the relationship they had and how far into idolatry they had slipped. A people who were separated and made holy in order to display the awesome might and love of God had now become no better than the godless people around them. Is this the case with the church today? Where our lives transformed at the time we came to know Christ as our saviour, and has the years where materially our lives have improved; led us to a place we scarcely rely or acknowledge the power of Christ in our lives? Do we pray as earnestly or as hopeful as we once did. Do we learn from scripture or simply fall into line with the teachings of modern day society? I have to say I have often had to take a long hard look at myself and question who I follow.


God took his people out of bondage, led them through the wilderness and eventually settled them in a land of plenty. But God is not some kind of public transport shunting people around, or a tour guide, showing the best spots to picnic. The Israelites once; settled and secure began to follow other gods who were not gods, they gave up seeking God in prayer; greed, gluttony, laziness all crept in. Is this a picture of you and I? Is it a picture of the church in general? Did our ancestors spend so much money on building cathedrals, churches and manses that the worship of a building became superior to the worship of whom it was built to represent? Do we come to church today to meet with God, or to simply meet with friends? Do we pray alone or only in the presence of others? We have been warned in the Old testament and we will look at the same warning towards the end of the New testament. God has set an eternal question, we do well to heed the answer.


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