Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown. Jeremiah 2:2 KJV
We really enjoy something when our feelings are strong about them.
We want to give our best to a person, group, or cause.
We sometimes hit a stumbling block.
It can be due to problems we are facing or our desire to do things our way.
Having the ability to stay on track makes it possible for things to end on a positive note.
That is what God wanted for His beloved Israel.
But they were stubborn.
They wanted to have things their way regardless of what was good for them and others.
In Jeremiah 2:2 NIV, God told them “‘I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved me and followed me through the wilderness, through a land not sown.”
Israel was loyal in the beginning but over a period began to change their ways.
God wanted them to go back to the days when they were following His lead.
The same can be said about our faith journey.
Our faith was strong when we first received Christ as our beloved Savior, and we were determined to follow Him.
In the early stages there was a powerful feeling of commitment.
We are dedicated to the cause.
We want things to move in a positive way.
Somewhere during all of it, self-satisfaction came in.
The love for what we are doing is lost.
Our feelings of doing things our way leads us to the point of unfaithfulness.
Causing problems with the relationship of love that we have with God.
Those are the times to remember what the true purpose for our commitment is and get back on track.
Vowing to let nothing cause us to do things the wrong way again.
It is a blessing to know that even when our dedication is not where it is supposed to be and we become faithless, God faithfully allows us to return to Him (Jeremiah 3:14-15).
In all we do, we must remain devoted to Him.
To know that all we learn and do leads to a positive outcome.
A WORD OF PRAYER
Father, help us to remember to let nothing cause us to forget the promises we made to You. That we remain devoted to following Your lead. That self-satisfaction only leads to hardships and defeat. We desire to do things in a positive manner, and we know we can only do it when we follow You. Thank You for being there for us. For keeping us on the right path.
In Jesus Name We Pray, Amen