Daily Devotions
It's Always Right to Do Right
Reading for August 23rd: Jeremiah 38-41
Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “Thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: If you will surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then your life shall be spared, and this city shall not be burned with fire, and you and your house shall live. But if you do not surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then this city shall be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and you shall not escape from their hand.” King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Judeans who have deserted to the Chaldeans, lest I be handed over to them and they deal cruelly with me.”
Jeremiah 38:17-19
I've known people like Zedekiah. They won't listen to God. They ignore the warnings from his Word. They hear what the consequences of their sin will be but it doesn't change their behavior.
Then comes the suffering. Inevitably, the high cost of sin comes and smacks them in the face. Desperate, they come back to the "prophet" (who predicted this would happen) looking for advice.
But there is no quick fix. Doing the right thing is still hard. However, it's always right to do right. The consequences will not vanish away. But there is peace in knowing that you've done the right thing. God is pleased with you. And besides, there may even be a lessening of the severity of the consequences.
Sound familiar? Is this you? Are you suffering because of a lot of foolish and sinful decisions? Are you finally willing to swallow your pride and just do the right thing?
Father, please break our stubborn will and help us to see that your way is the only way!
