"Recalculating"
"Jeremiah, say to the people, `This is what the Lord says: "`When people fall down, don't they get up again? When they discover they're on the wrong road, don't they turn back? Then why do these people stay on their self-destructive path? Why do the people of Jerusalem refuse to turn back? They cling tightly to their lies and will not turn around. (Jeremiah 8:4, 5 NLT)
Recalculating. It's a nightmare word to any traveler. Anytime you wander off course the GPS is there to quickly remind you of your error. The good thing is, about 5 seconds later it has you back on course. It's totally worth it too! Remember what we did before GPS? That's right, we had an atlas. We had a book with maps in it & we had to chart our own course. The sad thing is, there is a whole generation growing up before our eyes that doesn't even know what an atlas is! What a shame. Compared to an atlas, the word "recalculating" never sounded so good!
The prophets are to God what a GPS is to a car. They were God's messengers, sent to his people to alert them when they got off course. Not only that, they told them how to get back to God's ways. Anytime God's people would stray, God used them to say, "recalculating!"
The problem with the people here is, they are neglecting the correction. They are refusing to return to God's ways even with constant cries of "recalculating." They continue to walk down destructive paths. They continue to walk in disobedience. They would rather believe lies than the truth.
The Holy Spirit lives in us as believers to give us similar course correction. He is there to set us straight when we wander. Where has he been echoing "recalculating" and where have we neglected to turn back? Where do we need to realize we are on a path that leads to destruction? We must learn that the Holy Spirt's call for us to change our path is for our good. God doesn't want us to be destroyed. He doesn't want our lives to be in shambles. He doesn't want to see us ruin our lives. And so he utters a gentle "recalculating." Are we listening? Are we changing course with his Spirit?
No comments:
Post a Comment