- The bellows blow fiercely; the lead is consumed by the fire; in vain the refining goes on, for the wicked are not removed. Rejected silver they are called, for the Lord has rejected them. Jeremiah 6:29-30 – The prophet Jeremiah was given a symbolic title from the Lord, a tester of metals. The idea was that Israel was to be tested by the fire. Israel claimed itself to be a precious metal, so the Lord was to put them in the furnace to see what came out of the other end. Would it be a refined metal, glorious and useful? Or would it be dross, just the rejected part of the metals that are thrown away for it is useless for anything. The image of our verses show that the furnace burned wildly, so much so that all the extra metals put inside to help the process along was burned up. What’s seen though is this whole process was in vain, the end result wasn’t something precious but rejected metal that was of no use to the Lord. Israel’s sin and rejection of God’s word resulted in such an outcome of the refining process. The Lord’s people had all the parts to come out beautiful and precious through the fire, but their choice to hold onto their sin led them instead to the dross result. As the Lord allows us to go through fires in life, let them be an opportunity for us to lay aside the sins we’ve been clinging to. The result of these fires in our life can be renewing to our life if they result is less sin governing our story, yet the result can be like that of our passage if we choose to remain clinging to sin. If God is allowing your life to be put under the flames, know the intention is our refinement. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 3235
- …behold, the word of the Lord is to them an object of scorn; they take no pleasure in it. Jeremiah 6:10b – Sin blinds us to the beauty within God’s Word and the direction He gives within it. We see this in our passage today. The people were stubbornly refusing to following God’s way and the hearing of God’s Word to them brought them no peace or pleasure because it contradicted all the ways they wanted to live. Does though for us when we step into scripture bring us pleasure? Of course, we can come across passages we just don’t understand and can have difficultly always finding something in our readings, but as a whole, do we find peace and pleasure when we read God’s Word or hear it taught to us? If not, then that may be a sign to us something isn’t right in our walk with God currently. Spend some time in prayer then asking God what that is. Maybe though it’s obvious to you what isn’t right. Either way you have to ask yourself will you address what’s keeping you from finding pleasure from God’s Word or will you continue to let it be in your story? I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 925
- Thus says the Lord: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ I set watchmen over you, saying, ‘Pay attention to the sound of the trumpet!’ But they said, ‘We will not pay attention.’” Jeremiah6:16-17 – God is setting the scene of what He is longing for His people to do. He wants them curious about the holy path their fathers once walked. He wants them listening to the warnings He is giving them. He wants them to find the peace and rest that’s attached to a faithful walk after Him. Yet, they rejected the path and they rejected the warnings. This is why they are being told of this coming disaster. God as well has a path for us to walk and He also is bringing the voice of warning in our life. The path of following Jesus faithfully has been established…are we taking it? The voice of warning is being made through scripture, church leaders, and Christian brothers and sisters within our story…are we listening to it? Know today a path of faithfulness and intimacy with God is in front of you. Your choice is simply to walk it or walk a different path. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2138
Daily DEVO 