Looking good

Looking good

Bible:Jeremiah 3:4-10

Reading

“Judah did not return to me with all her heart, but only in pretence,”

declares the Lord (V.10).

A guy accidentally bumped a parked car when he was driving. So he put a note under the car’s windshield wiper that read, “I have just smashed into your car. The people who saw the accident are watching me. They think I’m writing down my name and address. I’m not.” In Jeremiah 3, the people of Judah also pretended to do the right thing. They made a show of returning to God and saying sorry for how they had lived, but in reality the hearts of the people remained far from Him. They called God “Father,” but they continued doing whatever they could get away with (JEREMIAH 3:4-5). I can’t think of anything I’m more concerned about in myself than how I act towards God. Am I genuine? Do I love Him? Or is Jesus just a ‘get out of jail free’ card? He gets me into heaven, so I can just carry on doing whatever I want when no one is looking. That kind of attitude suggests we’re not really God’s people at all. It’s easy to say, “Jesus is my Lord and Saviour. He died for our sins and deserves my life and love.” But it’s not so easy to remember our commitment to Him when no one is watching how we live. Let’s not kid ourselves. We’re smart enough to look good in youth group and say the right things to our family and church friends. But what about our personal relationship with God? Do we have one? Who are we when we’re alone with God? Because in the end, looking good to others means nothing.

IF WE’RE LIVING TO IMPRESS OUR FRIENDS,
WE’RE NOT LIVING FOR GOD.

Youth Edition – Our Daily Bread Ministries