Jeremiah 2:1-3 (NIV)

Good Morning,

Jeremiah 2:1-3 (NIV)
The word of the LORD came to me: "Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem:
" 'I remember the devotion of your youth,
how as a bride you loved me
and followed me through the desert,
through a land not sown.
Israel was holy to the LORD,
the firstfruits of his harvest;
all who devoured her were held guilty,
and disaster overtook them,' "
declares the LORD.

Some would argue that these words, given to the prophet Jeremiah some thousands of years ago, simply don't apply to us, nor to our world, today. I would contend that these words are just as viable today as they were to those in Jerusalem when God said them in that long ago time.

These words apply to each one of individually who proclaimed a love of God, and then walked away and abandoned Him and His teachings. These words also apply to all of us as nations, religions, and peoples who once said that they loved the Lord and followed Him through the good and bad that came their way. God told Jeremiah that those to whom He was speaking were, "...holy to the LORD, the firstfruits of his harvest..." These same words could be spoken to those same nations, religions, and peoples who turned their backs on God.

God remembers when we loved Him and followed Him, as we should always have done. God has called us as His firstfruits of His harvest. God has stood against our enemies, even in recent history, just as He did those of Jerusalem so long ago.

Why, then, do these words of lament ring so loudly today? Simply put, the world...well, much of it (even most of it?)...has abandoned God. Those who once knew Him and loved Him no longer follow Him nor love Him. How sad He must be, sitting on His throne and looking down on this earth He created. He has given us so much...even to the life and death of Jesus...and so many have gone astray.

We have definitely been given words to think about today in these verses. We've been given ideas to ponder. We have God's very Word to meditate upon.

It's up to us, each of us and all of us, to change the world so that it can return to loving God and following Him. It is up to us to begin today and then to continue every day that we live. We all know what we need to do in our lives to bring about the changes that are needed. It's not necessary to go into all the minutiae once again, I don't think. We know. And if there's any doubt in any mind, all we have to do is to listen to what God tells us.

Love, peace, and blessings,

David