Jessica Albritton, NextGen Minister LHBC
Jeremiah 2:11-13
11 Has a nation changed its gods,
even though they are no gods?
But my people have changed their glory
for that which does not profit.
12 Be appalled, O heavens, at this;
be shocked, be utterly desolate,
declares the Lord,
13 for my people have committed two evils:
they have forsaken me,
the fountain of living waters,
and hewed out cisterns for themselves,
broken cisterns that can hold no water.
Have you ever been to the gym and found yourself focusing on those around you?
Maybe you see the guy next to you pumping iron and next thing you know you’re adding more weights to your own bar. Or maybe you’re on the treadmill and the person next to you starts running at a faster pace. Soon you find yourself in a full on sprint with incline, completely breathless. You start off with a plan of what you will accomplish that day but when comparison creeps in you end up forgetting the entire reason for which you came to the gym in the first place.
Theodore Roosevelt once said that comparison is the thief of joy. When we begin to compare what we have, or what we don’t have, to others we lose focus on what is really important.
In the book of Jeremiah we see the dire effects of comparison. The nation of Israel had become influenced by the nations surrounding them and slowly lost focus on the one true God. Comparison crept in and soon the nation of Israel had traded in a faith in the one true God for that of false idols that seemed to have something better to offer. These false gods made no demands on the people’s lives and were in harmony with the desires of the people. The idols were created to serve the people and not for the people to serve them. But these false gods were empty, worthless, and ineffective. The result of this decision was a life of emptiness, loss of blessings and a God who was not happy in the slightest.
In verse 11 God calls the nation out for this and makes it very clear that He is not happy with them choosing temporal gain over the creator of all things. In verse 12 the Lord calls it appalling that the nation of Israel would choose something so empty.
Have you ever seen a couple where one was really attractive, had a great personality, just overall a catch? And the partner was just… ok…
Thoughts immediately begin to surface. How did he get her to date him? What made him choose her? They could do so much better…
These are the same kinds of thoughts all of heaven has any time that we choose anything else over the one true God. Any time we choose empty worldly things over Jesus and the relationship he has offered us. When we take our eyes off of Jesus and instead focus on the flashy things of this world, when we compare the eternal God to the temporal pleasures of this world, we lose sight of the thing most important.
So how do we stop the comparison? Fix your eyes on Jesus. Keep your focus on the mission that’s been set before you. Run your race. And know that the temporary pleasures of this world are nothing in comparison to a God that loves you and desires a relationship with you!
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Heavenly Father, you are so good! Lord, help me keep my focus on you and you alone. I pray that I resist the temptation to seek comfort and security in the flashy things of this world and lose focus on the goodness of who you are! In Jesus name, amen!
MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK:
Proverbs 28:1
The wicked flee when trouble pursues, but the righteous are as bold as lions.