THE STORY OF JESUS: Jeremiah 16-18
“Through your own fault you will lose the inheritance I gave you.” (Jeremiah 17:4)
Imagine a christian leader with a effective ministry and a loving family.
He gives in to an inappropriate relationship, and is found out.
Now he is out of work, his family is devastated, and he is terribly ashamed.
Imagine the warnings God would have given him, before he messed up.
‘You will lose so much, your shame will be awful, your family will be hurt.’
By these warnings, is God being mean, or is God being gracious?
In these words of Jeremiah God is warning His people about consequences.
God does not send violence, torture, misery, sickness, shame, etc.
These are the natural consequences without God in our life – the curse of sin.
Because we live in a sin-messed world, we all suffer shame and loss to some extent.
It’s not always the direct result of our sin, but it is due to sin in general.
Through our own fault we have lost our inheritance – the LIFE God made us for.
But He graciously calls us, warns us, and even promises to restore us (16:16-17).
As hard as the scriptures may sound, they are God’s gracious Voice calling us back!
What do you sense the Lord saying to you?
PRAYER
Lord, You are God’s Voice urging us to repent, calling us back to God, and opening the way for us to come back. Help me to see where I am undermining my inheritance by how I am living, and help me to change!