Friday, January 20: Jeremiah 21- Are you walking with the Lord?.

I hear it from many people, “God is a God of love. He won’t judge anyone. Everyone gets to heaven…” We so desperately want to believe everything turns out well in the end for everyone. We like happy endings. And of course we want to believe that everything will be okay for us and our loved ones, no matter how they have lived or what their mouths have professed during their lives.

Today’s reading should put an end to that kind of thinking ….

Asked by the king if Jerusalem will survive the impending attack of Nebuchadnezzar, Jeremiah responds on behalf of the Lord, 'This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I am about to turn against you the weapons of war that are in your hands, which you are using to fight the king of Babylon and the Babylonians who are outside the wall besieging you. And I will gather them inside this city. I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm in anger and fury and great wrath. I will strike down those who live in this city--both men and animals--and they will die of a terrible plague. After that, declares the LORD, I will hand over Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials and the people in this city who survive the plague, sword and famine, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to their enemies who seek their lives. He will put them to the sword; he will show them no mercy or pity or compassion' (4-7).

The essence of God’s response is “No, Zedekiah, I am going to destroy Jerusalem. Jerusalem will not receive my mercy. Instead this is the time for my judgment.”

As hard as it is to read these words and think about what they mean, they give me pause because they show there will come a time when God will judge the sins and wrongs and evils of our lives.

Before you close your time with the Word, spend a few minutes assessing your life. Are you walking with God or not? There will come a day when you and I will stand before the Lord God Almighty and answer to Him. Think about it…

Jesus, my Lord and Savior, save me from the day of God’s wrath. Cover me in your righteousness so that I will live. Help me to proclaim Your name all the days of my life so that others will know that faith in You is the way of salvation. In Your name, I pray. Amen.