Devotion
People Don’t Like To Have Their Faults Pointed Out
Frances Taylor
Jeremiah was trying to do God's work. He was charged with encouraging the people to return to God, to stop worshiping idols, to turn away from evil or they would be destroyed. So they decided to kill Jeremiah. God warned him about their plan. So appropriate that this comes as we are nearing the time when the chief priests and the Pharisees were plotting against Jesus. None of us likes to have someone point out our faults. Most of the time we don't act out of anger, but there are times when people have actually lost their jobs or their lives for being "whistle-blowers." Jeremiah did not stop prophesizing; he continued to work at bringing the people back to God. Have you ever been in a situation where you knew there was wrong-doing, and you had to make a choice whether or not to tell those responsible about it? Knowing that there can be repercussions for acting, would we have the courage to act? It is not easy to speak truth, and yet that is what God expects from us. When we believe we need to speak truth in any situation, the first thing to do is pray, and trust that God will provide the words as he did with Jeremiah.
Prayer
O Lord, it is not easy to be your messenger in our world today. When you need me to speak your truth, be with me and give me both the courage and the ability to do so. Amen.
Night Prayer
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
Inspiration
We despise the thought of a pile of dirty dishes in the sink. The outside is easy to clean; it's the caked-up residue on the inside that's so difficult to remove. Jesus compares the scribes and Pharisees with dishes that have been wiped clean on the outside while dirty inside. The Pharisees took exceptional care of their outward appearance and neglected their inward spirits. We are guilty of allowing our hearts to be left filthy as well. We look and act as we should while our souls are full of darkness. We must continue to converse with the Holy Spirit daily and trust His guidance to cleanse our sinful nature.
Prayer
Dear God, Please forgive our sinful nature. We yearn for cleansing from within, so we are genuine witnesses to Your name. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
