Lord's Day Devotion - Loving Arms of Grace

Jeremiah, the prophet of God, was so often found in lament and/or proclaiming repentance and judgement for his people.  There was so much negativity.  Kind of a prophet of doom.  Rather depressing to read the book of Jeremiah yet it is part of God's Word and he was obeying God in his proclaiming the proclamations.

Jeremiah was God's man of his day.  He spoke very blunt, strong words straight from God.  The words went right into one ear of the people, and zoom, out the other, if indeed, it went in at all.

The people of Judah had...

 "...made their faces harder than rock; they refused to repent" (Jeremiah 5:3 ESV).

Imagine trying to talk to such people and knock some sense into them!

You may ask, what had they done, or not done?

These were supposed to be God's chosen people who obeyed Him and were blessed by Him.  They were the "apple of His eye" (Psalm 17:8; Proverbs 7:2; Zechariah 2:8).  However, they had gone willfully and wantonly astray.

Here's what Jeremiah had to tell them that God had said,

"...Where have you not been ravished?  By the waysides you have sat awaiting lovers...You have polluted the land with your vile whoredom..." (Jeremiah 3:2 ESV).

There had been call after call to repentance back to God who with loving outstretched arms, awaited their return.  He extended and extended His grace and mercy to them (Jeremiah 4), to any who would repent.

"O Jerusalem, wash your heart from evil, that you may be saved" (Jeremiah 4:14 ESV).

They had turned from the one true God, to prostrate themselves, to degrade themselves before any other plethora of other gods.  That went against the very first two of the Ten Commandments God had given them to follow.

God was in anguish over their stubborn, willful choices.

"My anguish, my anguish!  I writhe in pain!  Oh the walls of my heart!  My heart is beating wildly; I cannot keep silent, for I hear the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war" (Jeremiah 4:19 ESV).

Down throughout the ages, how God's heart must have continually ached.  Human nature wanted to only turn away; turn away; turn away.  He wanted to connect and commune with His human creation.  Yet time and again, they turned away.

Are our hearts any different today?  Sometimes we deal with people, whether colleagues, students, or even our own children.  We want to reach out and help them.  They go blithely, uncaringly along.  In this, we can get a 'feel' of how God feels.  Keep in mind though, God's mercy and grace in this 'Day of Grace'.

Doom and destruction is pending just as it was in Jeremiah's day.  There is still time to repent though at this second; at this moment.  Who knows, though, how much time they have left to get right with God.

Come to God's throne of grace in this Day of Grace to receive His grace which is sufficient for you.  It is sufficient for you no matter what!

God's forgiveness is available now!  Take it while you can.

As we mediate on God's grace, despite the hardness and willfulness of our hearts, even hearts that have been justified through the work of Jesus on the cross and through His resurrection power, let your heart be melted, softened, by His grace.  Let the grace and goodness of God lead us to repentance and sanctification.

Able then to dish out grace to others in the Name and by the power of Jesus Christ.

It can be a really tough job but...

"...God's grace is sufficient..." (2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV).

Thank God for that!!

On Lord's Day, when we pass the emblems of the bread and wine, recall this marvelous grace of God that has been extended to us and can flow through us by the power of the Holy Spirit to others in similar manner.  

Thank Him again.  Let it keep our hearts from wandering.  Let the 'staying' power of Christ, keep us in His loving arms of grace.

                                                   ~ERC  October 2018~


Here is an old, old hymn from a hymn book called (long title), A Few Hymns and Some Spiritual Songs For the Little Flock.  If you are looking for the number in the book it is #5 in the appendix of the book.  

The hymns and songs were selected back in 1856 and revised in 1881, so we're are digging up the past.  However, the twenty-three year old author of this particular hymn was Robert Robinson.  He put the idea of our wandering hearts succinctly.  I will only give three stanzas of the five stanza hymn.  It's more commonly known as "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing".

"Jesus sought me when a stranger,  Wandering from the fold of God;  He, to rescue me from danger,  Interposed His precious blood."

"O to grace how great a debtor  Daily I'm constrained to be!  Let that grace, Lord, like a fetter,  Bind my wandering heart to Thee."

Now the verse I especially want to share...

"Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it;  Prone to leave the God I love:  Yet Thou, Lord, hast deigned to seal it  With Thy Spirit from above."