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O LORD, my strength and my fortress, My refuge in the day of affliction, The Gentiles shall come to you from the ends of the earth and say, “Surely our fathers have inherited lies, Worthlessness and unprofitable things. ” Will a man make gods for himself, Which are not gods?
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“Therefore behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know My hand and My might; And they shall know that My name is the LORD.”
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Jeremiah 16:19-21 NKJV
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In Jeremiah’s day the children of Israel had strayed far from God. They were following after the gods of other nations. Each generation was worse than the last. They listened to their own evil hearts and refused to listen to God (v12).
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So God, in His goodness and for His Glory, allows them to have their own way. He allows them to experience the consequences of their own sin. Not because He wanted to punish them (though they did deserve it), but show them He truly knows what is best; to show them that a life filled with praise and worship of Him leads to abundant life.
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Like the Israelites, when left to my own devices, when I choose to follow my own evil heart I am destined for disaster.
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But when I recognize the might of the Lord, when I yield to His hand I am destined for greatness. Not because I deserve it, but because He wants to give it.
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God is for all of us and we have been created for Him. Our relationship with Him, it’s intended to be a completely selfless relationship on both sides, not just His.
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““So you shall serve the LORD your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you. No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days.”
Exodus 23:25-26 NKJV
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“‘And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today, to love the LORD your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, then I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil. And I will send grass in your fields for your livestock, that you may eat and be filled.’”
Deuteronomy 11:13-15 NKJV
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Lord, teach us to be completely committed to You. Show us how to selflessly love and obey You and You alone. For Your Glory, amen.