Corona Devo 1613

God loves us so much that even though He has righteous anger toward His people's sin, He still has a soft-spot for His kids.

It's like when our children run us ragged all day...but then when it's time to tuck them in and say prayers at night...there is a melting-of-the-mad, and agape love shines through.  

God has that forever-love for us.

Not romantic love, but "agape" love: a willful love/a selfless love/a love that goes deeper than superficial levels and allows us to love-past faults.  

That (multiplied by about a million) defines God's love for us.

And so, when God saw sees His people (of Israel in the following passages) rebelling against Him, ignoring Him, worshiping other gods/idols, and completely disregarding His Word and Law (both of which He established for their benefit and well-being)...God was upset, and He told His prophet, Jeremiah that He was done with them:  

“Jeremiah, I have made you a tester of metals, that you may determine the quality of my people.  (28) They are the worst kind of rebel, full of slander.  They are as hard as bronze and iron, and they lead others into corruption.  

(29) The bellows fiercely fan the flames to burn out the corruption.  But it does not purify them, for the wickedness remains.  

(30) I will label them ‘Rejected Silver,’ for I, the Lord, am discarding them.”  ~Jeremiah 6:27-30   

God's people had abandoned Him, and then their enemies were approaching to harm them.  God saw it.  God knew it would mean hardship for His people, (and He also knew they deserved this consequence), but God still had a loving heart for His people.  We can hear it in His voice:

They are coming in battle formation, planning to destroy you, beautiful Jerusalem.  ~Jeremiah 6:23   

Did we hear the "beautiful" part? 

That's God's forever-love for us, sneaking into His conversation with Jeremiah.  

But it is up to us to stop (spiritually) misbehaving and return to Him and His love..   

~~~

I will label them ‘Rejected Silver,’ for I, the Lord, am discarding them.”  ~Jeremiah 6:30 

Noooooo, Lord!  Please no!

Do not label us as discarded and rejected silver that cannot be purified. 

We can be purified for You, Father, and Your people are being purified for you. 

Lord...see Your people coming back to you!  We are!

Showing up on Sunday mornings for church, after many Sunday's with no church...

Do not discard us, Lord.  We are (still) Your beautiful children.

Heavenly Father, hear the Salvation prayers of your people!  Young and old seeking You and seeking Truth over the din and sin of culture and worldliness. 

Do not discard us, Lord.  We are (still) Your beautiful children.

Father, see thousands of teens gathered in your name for church camps, conferences, and concerts: Learning about Your love for them and how You change hearts and lives and futures.   

Do not discard us, Lord.  We are (still) Your beautiful children.

See your faith-filled elderly-generation interceding in prayer and with influence and investment in order to shepherd and raise tomorrow's leaders in Your Name and Your ways.

Do not discard us, Lord.  We are (still) Your beautiful children.

~~~

God loves us, but He is also holy and has His limits to what He will put up with from His children.  

The Israelites (in their sin) had almost pushed God to His limits, and it was Jeremiah's job to tell the people about it.   But, like exhausted parents tucking in their kids at night, God still had agape love for His beautiful children.

The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, (2) “Go to the entrance of the Lord’s Temple, and give this message to the people: ‘O Judah, listen to this message from the Lord! Listen to it, all of you who worship here! 

(3) This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: “‘Even now, if you quit your evil ways, I will let you stay in your own land.  ~Jeremiah 7:1-3

God's agape love is the exact same for us today.  He always leaves the door unlocked for us to come back home to Him...and many are!  

But half-hearted devotion is no-devotion at all in God's book.  He wants all of us (mind/body/soul) to come back to Him.

But don’t be fooled by those who promise you safety simply because the Lord’s Temple is here… 

(5) But I will be merciful only if you stop your evil thoughts and deeds and start treating each other with justice; 

(6) only if you stop exploiting foreigners, orphans, and widows; only if you stop your murdering; and only if you stop harming yourselves by worshiping idols. 

(7) Then I will let you stay in this land that I gave to your ancestors to keep forever.  

(8) “‘Don’t be fooled into thinking that you will never suffer because the Temple is here. It’s a lie! 

(9) Do you really think you can steal, murder, commit adultery, lie, and burn incense to Baal and all those other new gods of yours, (10) and then come here and stand before me in my Temple and chant, “We are safe!”—only to go right back to all those evils again?

(11) Don’t you yourselves admit that this Temple, which bears my name, has become a den of thieves? Surely I see all the evil going on there. I, the Lord, have spoken!  ~Jeremiah 7:4-11

~~~

God is seeking purity.   Will we commit to being pure in our devotion to Him?

Do not label us ‘Rejected Silver,’, Lord!  Do not discard us, God! (Jeremiah 6:30)  We know (by Your Word) that you love us with an agape love, and we hear you call us beautiful (Jeremiah 6:23), today, even in our imperfections and sin. Do not discard us, Lord.  We are (still) Your beautiful children and we are coming back to You. Amen.

Blessings,

sarah

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com