Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
Over the years in ministry, one of the things that I found myself doing a lot more than I thought I would do is counsel people through some really difficult moments, these moments where they're just stuck in sin and they feel like they can't figure out their left from the right when it comes to their spiritual walk with Jesus. It was always honestly a humbling privilege to walk with them through these times and help direct their eyes back onto the Lord.
I realized over time, probably a lot longer than it should have, that as much as I loved being able to help encourage people in those moments to turn back to Jesus, I wasn't as open to receiving them. Any time somebody sat down with me and they said, "Hey, I really feel like you might need to bring this to God." I would put up this wall of defense and go, "I've got it figured out on my own. I don't need your advice."
The Story of Humanity
Honestly, I think we do that more with God than we probably realize, because this is just a story of humanity. Ever since the garden, we've been trying to do things our own way, and when we get stuck in sin and the consequences of it, we typically will try to solve the problem on our own. So, when Adam and Eve ate of the fruit and they realized that they were naked and they were ashamed, they didn't run to God, they covered themselves up with fig leaves.
When we see that God didn't accept Cain's offering, instead of getting himself right with the Lord, he kills his brother Abel. When he's confronted about it, he lies to God. When the Israelites are encouraged in the wilderness to come up to Mount Sinai to meet with God, they're afraid. As Moses communes with God, instead of asking themselves how to get right with the Lord, they make a golden calf to worship.
Time and time again, the people want things done their own way, and when it goes wrong, they try to solve it themselves. Our Verse of the Day speaks powerfully into these moments where we're at a fork in the road spiritually and things are going wrong, and we're going to choose what to do next.
Read with me Lamentations chapter 3, verse 40. It says: "Instead, let us test and examine our ways, and let us turn back to the LORD."
Lamentations and the Babylonian Captivity
Lamentations chapter 3 is a poem that the prophet Jeremiah wrote as Jerusalem was falling to the Babylonians. This was the start of what is known as the Babylonian captivity. God allowed the Israelites to be in exile because of unrepentant sin. They had idols. They were disobedient, and in short, they wanted to do things their own way. Rather than getting themselves right with God, they pushed back. They kept trying to figure out how to do things their own way. They just sat in their misery over and over.
Jeremiah's walking into this situation, and he's reorienting their perspective. I actually love what he says right before this. In Lamentations chapter 3, verse 39, he says, "Then why should we mere humans complain when we're punished for our sins?" He's saying there's consequences for the sins we have. Why should we complain? We know they're bad.
Examine Our Ways
Rather than berating Israel, he says, "Here's what we should do. Let's examine our ways. Let's test them. Let's see where we've gone astray. Then let's turn back to the Lord." If you are in a season like that, or if you've been through a season like that, or maybe one day you will go through a season like that where you're just stuck in sin and its consequences, I want you to know that because of the work of Jesus, you're not being punished for your wrongdoing.
There are consequences to our sin. But there's also a great opportunity here to ask yourself, where have I gone astray in my relationship with God? Where is my thinking needing to be renewed? Where is my heart needing to be softened? Where am I not letting God lead me in the work of my hands to continue on in the ministry and mission of Jesus?
It's Worth It
It's not easy all the time to own up to when we need to get right with God. But I promise you, it's so beneficial. It's worth it to really dive deep into your relationship with God. When you find sin sneaking into your life, or if you've welcomed it through the front door, know that there's forgiveness in Christ Jesus for those who turn back to the Lord and repent of their sins, and God is always ready to lift you up and lead you down the path of healing and righteousness.
