A Year with God

Selection Taken From:
A Year with God by R.P. Nettelhorst

Make this the year you let God's Word "dwell in you richly"---and marvel at the results! Each entry in this 365-day devotional features Scripture verses in which God speaks, accompanied by insights and applications to enhance your understanding. Learn what God says about hope and fear; perseverance and quitting; companionship and isolation; and more! 384 pages, softcover from Nelson, Copyright 2010.

Why Cling to Old Lies?

"In that day," says the LORD, "the enemy will break open the graves of the kings and officials of Judah, and the graves of the priests, prophets, and common people of Jerusalem. They will spread out their bones on the ground before the sun, moon, and stars—the gods my people have loved, sewed, and worshiped. Their bones will not be gathered up again or buried but will be scattered on the ground like manure. And the people of this evil nation who survive will wish to die rather than live where I will send them. I, the LORD of Heaven's Armies, have spoken!

"Jeremiah, say to the people, This is what the LORD says:
"When people fall down, don't they get up again?
When they discover they're on the wrong road, don't they turn back?
Then why do these people stay on their self-destructive path?
Why do the people of Jerusalem refuse to turn back?
They cling tightly to their lies and will not turn around.
I listen to their conversations and don't hear a word of truth.
Is anyone sorry for doing wrong?
Does anyone say, "What a terrible thing I have done"?
No! All are running down the path of sin as swiftly as a horse galloping into battle!
Even the stork that flies across the sky knows the time of her migration, as do the turtledove, the swallow, and the crane.
They all return at the proper time each year.
But not my people!
They do not know the LORD'S laws. - Jeremiah 8:1-7 NLT

Once something becomes a habit, it's hard to break, even when we know that its not good for us. Israel had been worshipping false gods for generations.

When Babylon invaded, they took their stuff. Part of an army's pay was the plunder. And since human beings tended to bury valuable items with their dead, armies commonly dug up the graves. For this reason, the bones of the dead wound up scattered beneath the sky. Those who had spent their lives worshipping the sun, moon, and stars were exposed to them until they rotted away.

Israel had repeatedly offered sacrifices and said prayers to their false gods. The rituals never satisfied and the gods never answered, but that didn't stop the Israelites because they knew nothing else.

We can't embrace lies and expect to discern the truth when we hear it.