Jeremiah 4:14
O Jerusalem, cleanse your heart that you may be saved. How long will you harbor your evil thoughts?
The book of Jeremiah is one of the most powerful books in the Bible with 52 Chapters.
I love the name "Jeremiah" not only because it is a powerful book but also because my long awaited nephew is named after the prophet Jeremiah.
Jeremiah was called by God to be a prophet to Judah. He faithfully confronted the leaders and the people with their sin. After surviving the fall of Jerusalem, Jeremiah was forcefully taken to Egypt. The word Egypt brings back memories of bondage, hard labor, plagues, the red sea and finally the redemption to the promised land.
Jeremiah remained faithful in spite of Jerusalem's destruction.
Years of obedience had made him strong and courageous. This is small introduction about the weeping prophet as well as his faithfulness and obedience to God.
Coming to the verse from Jeremiah 4:14
O Jerusalem, cleanse your heart -We can see in this verse the Lord is not referring to a particular person. He is telling to the whole of Jerusalem.
We can see the cry of the Lord the way he addresses Jerusalem by saying "O Jerusalem"
I want to personalize this and add my own name here : O Zion!
The cry of the creator ever since He breathed His pure breath into us is to live a life just like Him. In whole of creation, the Lord brought everything into existence just by saying a word- Let there be________ and it came into being. The Creator did not say -Let there be man. Genesis 1:26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness. The creation of man was a combined effort by the triune God. "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness".
God took the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7) The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became living being.
The word of His mouth did not create us. He had to take his precious hands to pick dust from the ground that he already created to create you and me and then he breathed life into us. He breathed His life into us- it is the breath of life. That is how man became a living being.
How marvellous are your works towards me O Lord! His ways are higher than our ways, His thoughts higher than our thoughts. It was a triune effort- the effort of the Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit.
The reason I am personalising this verse is because I am a unique masterpiece of His choice creation. When He breathed into me the breath of life, His plans for me were amazing.
But what did Adam and Eve do? They fell a trap for the enemy who came to kill, steal and destroy.
Adam and Eve's disobedience destroyed everything. The initial disobedience brought upon mankind a continuing effect of sin and death.
The word of God says that the wages of sin is death. What is sin? The transgression of law is sin and the wage or the pay for that disobedience or transgression is death.
In verse 14, God is pleading with Jerusalem to cleanse their hearts.
The reason God is pleading with us today to cleanse our hearts is so that we may be saved.Vs.14 How long will you harbor your evil thoughts? It is not the thoughts of our spouse, children, parents, siblings or our friends. It is a call to discard OUR evil thoughts.
I John 1:9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
If "we" confess "our" sins, he is faithful and just to forgive "us our sins" and to cleanse "us" from all wickedness.
Friends, let us therefore do an intimate introspection today to cleanse our hearts and discard our evil thoughts. The Lord wants us to do this so that we will be saved.
Isaiah 1:16 Wash yourselves and be clean! Get your sins out of my sights. Give up your evil ways.
The Bible is very personal and the Lord is very personally talking to each one of us today. Wash yourselves, get your sins, give up your evil ways.
Jeremiah 13:27 I have seen your adultery and lust, and your disgusting idol worship out in the fields and on the hills. What sorrow awaits you, Jerusalem! How long before you are pure?
How Long? The same God who questioned Adam and Eve hiding behind the trees he created saying " Where are you?" is asking you and me today "Where are you?"
He sees us in sin, he continues to persue us, run after us, and waits with open arms to come running into His arms just like the prodigal son.
The same creator who took the dust of the ground with his precious hands, died a brutal death. The hands that created us were not pierced then but they are now just to secure our eternity with Him.
Where are you? What are the idols you are worshiping in the fields and on the hills? What is it that you are in today that the Lords eyes are seeing you right this moment?
He sees our adultery, our lust, our lack of reverance just for him and him alone.
Who are you in relationship with that is causing disgrace to the creator who breathed the breath of life int us?
I chose to be faithful to him until my last breath on this earth.
This is the cry of the Creator today- to cleanse our hearts and discard our evil thoughts so that we may be saved.
Are you attentive to the cry of the creator today? Two Saturday's ago my eldest sister called me and informed that my younger sister's father in law was in a critical condition with abdominal aortic aneurysm. I was awake all night fearing to hear the worst news that he is gone. Next day my younger sister texted me saying " My father in law passed away"
My heart was so sad. I wept bitterly because uncle Paul was a sweetheart and a person that dearly loved me.
The next few hours my husband and I started planning to drive down to his funeral.
Friends, his funeral is over and hes burried deep in the dust of the ground from where he came. On our way home from the funeral I hear another news that one of my other dearest uncles passed away.
It was one blow after another. Why I write this is not to scare you but to prepare us that life is short. Death is certain. We all must die one day.
What next? Are you prepared to live with our creator for eternity?
If so, heaven is a prepared place for prepared people.
Two days ago, our oldest daughter Jordan asked me if she can get baptized. I asked her why and in her little words she said to me "Mom, I want to know how it feels to be cleansed by Jesus."
Do you want to know how it feels to be cleansed by Jesus? If so, accept Him today as the Lord of your life. Tomorrow is not promised. This very moment is yours.
Would you come to him right now and ask him to cleanse you today of all your unrighteousness and he will.
The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life.
Jesus took our wages of death and in turn He is promising us eternal life. Come to him now.
What is it that you need cleansing from? Let us introspect ourselves.
