“But my people would not listen to me. They kept doing whatever they wanted, following the stubborn desires of their evil hearts. They went backward instead of forward. [Jeremiah 7.24]
These are not words we should wish to hear!
Devotion to God is just that - devotion. The Merriam-Webster 1.a. definition of devotion is this: "religious fervor."
Think about that, "religious fervor." That sounds downright fanatical, doesn't it? But that is what devotion does, it sets one apart from the "self"-fueled ways of the world by "devoting" one's life to doing only what God wants and directs.
The "stubborn desires of their evil hearts" even gives more clarity to what we see going on all around us today. Our feel-good society today makes a big deal about "following your heart." Ironically however, it is the heart from which comes the problem when it comes to serving God! We know from other scripture that the heart of man is "deceitful above all things and desperately wicked!" Is it any wonder that Jeremiah wrote that scripture in Jeremiah 17.9?
Following God is NOT following one's heart!
Father, help us to see that our hearts cannot be trusted when it comes to pleasing You.
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