Jeremiah 2:25 - Addicted

Do not run until your feet are bare
     and your throat is dry.
But you said,
 ‘It’s no use!
     I love foreign gods,
     and I must go after them.’
Jeremiah 2:25

This passage made me think of addiction. The Israelites were addicted to foreign gods. They would run after them, even though they really could do nothing to help them. A few lines down from this passage in 27 and 28 it says,  "yet when they are in trouble, they say, ‘Come and save us!’ Where then are the gods you made for yourselves? Let them come if they can save you when you are in trouble!" So what is the "foreign god" in your life? It might be heroin, pain killers, alcohol, food, work, success, television, our image, or our phone? Is there is anything you run after, you love, you cannot quit and that cannot save you when you are in trouble?

Lord, Thank you for always being there for us and accepting us back even when we have put other things before you. Please help us to see the things in our lives we are addicted to and help us to get rid of these addictions. Amen.

Jeremiah 1:10 - Tear down to rebuild

See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.” Jeremiah 1:10

Jeremiah was a prophet who predicted the fall of Jerusalem. God was preparing his people for great destruction because of their unfaithfulness. He was going to tear down so he could rebuild. This is a difficult concept and even more difficult when we are the ones being uprooted and torn down. This passage reminded me of the yard work I did yesterday. I wanted to do some planting, but before I could plant the new, I had to tear out the old. It was hard, back breaking work but weeding the flower bed had to happen before it could be replanted. The weedy, ugly area was transformed into a beautifully landscaped garden. When our lives seem to be falling apart, maybe God is allowing this to happen so that he can transform us.

Lord, Thank you for seeing the potential in us. Please help us to deal with the pain when we are going through this process of transformation. Amen.