Remain Faithful

Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings (Jeremiah 17:5-10).  
 
Jeremiah was tasked with a pretty unpopular project: Confront the Israelites of their sin, and warn them about their crumbling future if they kept worshiping false gods. 
 
Unfortunately, no one wanted to listen to anything Jeremiah had to say. Year after year, Jeremiah reminded them of the God who saved them from Egypt and even parted the sea for their exile, but they didn’t care; in fact, they just grew more annoyed. They weren’t interested in hearing about their sin, and they decided it was best to return to practices and gods of Egypt anyway. 
 
But for 40 years, Jeremiah preached the same message: Return to God, put your confidence in Him, and you’ll experience His grace. He could’ve just been talking to a brick wall though, because no one took him seriously and not one person changed course. 
 
You bet he was discouraged. Not only did his friends avoid him, but he never married, didn’t have children, and people dodged him walking down the street. Although Jeremiah was God’s chosen prophet, it’s safe to say his life wasn’t a very glamorous life, and he often felt unused and his work unfruitful. Yet God had called him to this mission specifically, and there was a purpose beyond what he could see—God just asked him to remain faithful and keep preaching His message. 
 
We may have friends and family who don’t yet know Christ and aren’t interested in hearing about our faith. But as unpopular as the topic may be, God has still tasked His people to share the Good News—and as unglamorous and lonely as it may be, God is asking you, “Will you remain faithful to me? Will you remain faithful to your call?” 
 
If our answer is yes, we can look forward to the day when we meet Jesus face to face and hear Him say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant!” 
 
Lord, it’s not always easy to share about the Gospel—some people don’t want to talk about sin, others don’t feel the need for a Savior, and there are some who just have a bad taste in their mouth about church and Christians. But as hard as it was for Jeremiah to stay true to the course and preach your message, he did it and you rewarded him. May I remain faithful to you, and even when it’s unpopular, rise up to share the Good News with those in my world. Amen. 
 
Wow, what a powerful devotion. I was touched by this today. When God calls you, remain faithful, no matter what it may look like, there is a purpose beyond what you can see. I don’t know about you but my answer is Yes Lord, I will remain faithful! 
 
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord! 
 
Today’s Reading is Jeremiah 17:10