Jeremiah Part 2

As I continue on this journey through Jeremiah, I was struck with one verse in particular. To me, it spoke volumes. (But I am going to include the verse before it as well.)

Jeremiah 5:19-20 "Yet even in those days," declares the LORD, "I will not destroy you completely. And when the people ask, 'Why has the LORD our God done all this to us?' you will tell them, 'As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your own land, so now you will serve foreigners in a land not your own.'"

I can imagine that as you read that you wonder why this verse stuck out to me. Well, it has to do with the truth that all sin leads to bondage. God didn't eliminate the nation of Israel and wipe them out. He allowed them to live in the consequences and bondage of their choices. The same is true for us.

Think about it this way (disclaimer-this may be a real life scenario in our home): My son disobeys. He is confronted about his disobedience and chooses to lie. The lie is questioned and when confronted again the lie gets bigger. My son now has to remember the lies he has told to keep himself from getting into trouble. He is now bound by those lies. When the truth is eventually admitted my son must face the consequences of not only the disobedience but the lies he has told. The effects of his lies not only damage his freedoms (most of the consequences are the loss of privileges) but also with the trust level we have with him.

In this simple example we see clearly that had our son just simply repented of his disobedience his life would be a lot more free. Free to enjoy privileges and free to gain trust from us in bigger and bigger ways.

If the nation of Israel had simply repented and turned from their wickedness and hard-heartedness they too could have been saved.

Jeremiah 4:14 "...wash the evil from your heart and be saved."

In what areas of my life is God saying to me, "Come, be cleansed and saved"? "Come and be set free."?

Do you feel trapped or bound by something in your life? Do you even realize the areas of your life that are not truly areas of freedom? I know I am often in a state of shock when I realize, "Wow, I am not free at all in that area. I need to figure out my sin issue and repent." 

It comes down to knowing The Truth.

John 14:6 "I am the way, the truth and the life."

Do you really know Jesus? Do I? He is The Truth! He is the way out of bondage and into freedom.

John 8:31b-32 "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."