Lessons from Jeremiah 18: Hard Hearts Refuse Refreshment

It’s so tragic when one is offered the refreshment of repentance, but chooses evil instead. In Jeremiah 18:12, their response to the kind and necessary warnings of Yahweh was,

“But they say, ‘That is in vain!

We will follow our own plans,

and will every one act

according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.’”

Sounds familiar. Not only is this what Adam and Eve eventually decided when they disobeyed and turned in rebellion from God’s perfect order, but it is also the cry of our own rebellious hearts before repentance. Proverbs 3:7-8 says,

“Be not wise in your own eyes;

fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.

It will be healing to your flesh

and refreshment to your bones.”

The conviction of the Holy Spirit is not vague, but specific. Let’s pray and see if there is something He wants us to turn from; to see His perspective of what it looks like for one of His own to refuse His commands. His ways are good. They are for us. He is a good Shepherd and can be trusted. The Holy Spirit is a precious gift and one of His roles is to convict us of sin, so that we turn from it. Not only is God holy and worthy to be obeyed, He knows the dangers lurking outside of His commands.

Many churches are moving away from the Bible. They are saying no thank you to God’s Word and choosing to follow their own plans – calling good, evil and evil, good. They are actually like those in our text verse for today.

Let’s use the Bible as our guide and see if there is any evil way being embraced and called good in our churches or in our own lives. Lord, help us!