DAILY MANNA DEVOTIONAL
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2018
WEIGHED AND FOUND WANTING
TEXT: JEREMIAH 7:16-28
KEY VERSE: ” Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee.” (Jeremiah 7:16)
“When God measures a person, He places the measuring-tape around the heart and not the mind…” Augustine (early Christian theologian and philosopher).
God told Prophet Jeremiah in the Bible passage under consideration not to bother himself praying for Israel because He would not answer. Thus, their access to God was effectively blocked because of their idolatry. The indictment was brought upon all Israelites including their fathers, mothers and children who offered sacrifices to the queen of heaven and to other deities. In His fury, God threatened judgement that would completely devastate the land and wipe out the trees and vegetation.
Their attempt to invoke His blessings through animal sacrifices was useless because God demands obedience rather than sacrifice.
Israel’s existence and continued progress depended on the presence of God in their midst to deliver them from surrounding stronger nations who opposed and often attacked them. They have had outcome of battles miraculously decided in their favour because God fought for them. They had enjoyed much favour through His help, usually secured through prayers offered by their priests and prophets. With that avenue of getting divine help now blocked, the road became wide open for the predicted Babylonian captivity to take effect.
We should be careful not to turn around to the sins we left behind. Allowing the old sins to come back in any form attracts God’s judgment. This accounts for the difficulty some unstable believers are having today in securing answers to their prayers because access to the throne of mercy and grace where prayers are answered will be denied once sin is accommodated. The way to restore divine pleasure is through repentance, cleansing and obedience to God.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Backsliding will deny you access to God.
COVER to COVER: EXODUS 19-21.
COVER to COVER: EXODUS 19-21.
PONDER:
1. Israel did not count the cost of disobedience. It has a generational implications v20. Always count the cost of disobedient before you make a choice or decision.
2. God did not close the door of mercy to them even though he discouraged Jeremiah from interceding for them v16. However, mercy,without repentance, will no more work for them even if the prophet interceded for them. God will always show mercy when there is repentance v3
3. The divine antidote to the evil coming is simple v23. Obey His voice. Why did they find it difficult to do this simple thing if not because of deceptions and blindness. A challenge to the soul winners to show compassion on the unrepentant.
1. Israel did not count the cost of disobedience. It has a generational implications v20. Always count the cost of disobedient before you make a choice or decision.
2. God did not close the door of mercy to them even though he discouraged Jeremiah from interceding for them v16. However, mercy,without repentance, will no more work for them even if the prophet interceded for them. God will always show mercy when there is repentance v3
3. The divine antidote to the evil coming is simple v23. Obey His voice. Why did they find it difficult to do this simple thing if not because of deceptions and blindness. A challenge to the soul winners to show compassion on the unrepentant.
HYMN: Have you counted the cost?
1.There's a line that is drawn by rejecting our Lord,
Where the call of His Spirit is lost,
And you hurry along with the pleasure-mad throng -
Have you counted, have you counted the cost?
Where the call of His Spirit is lost,
And you hurry along with the pleasure-mad throng -
Have you counted, have you counted the cost?
Chorus:
Have you counted the cost, if your soul should be lost
Tho' you gain the whole world for your own?
Even now it may be that the line you have crossed,
Have you counted, have you counted the cost?
Have you counted the cost, if your soul should be lost
Tho' you gain the whole world for your own?
Even now it may be that the line you have crossed,
Have you counted, have you counted the cost?
2 You may barter your hope of eternity's morn,
For a moment of joy at the most,
For the glitter of sin and the things it will win -
Have you counted, have you counted the cost? [Chorus]
For a moment of joy at the most,
For the glitter of sin and the things it will win -
Have you counted, have you counted the cost? [Chorus]
3 While the door of His mercy is open to you,
Ere the depth of His love you exhaust,
Won't you come and be healed, won't you whisper, I yield -
I have counted, I have counted the cost. [Chorus]
Ere the depth of His love you exhaust,
Won't you come and be healed, won't you whisper, I yield -
I have counted, I have counted the cost. [Chorus]
PRAYER POINTS:
1. Pray against all spiritual blindness and deceptions that may make you take God for granted at any time.
2. Ask God to raise up people to be interceding for you since you cannot make it alone.
3. Promise God not to be selfish in prayers but to be interceding for both saints and sinners, including your leaders.
4. Pray for wisdom unto repentance for those living in private sins in the church.
1. Pray against all spiritual blindness and deceptions that may make you take God for granted at any time.
2. Ask God to raise up people to be interceding for you since you cannot make it alone.
3. Promise God not to be selfish in prayers but to be interceding for both saints and sinners, including your leaders.
4. Pray for wisdom unto repentance for those living in private sins in the church.
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