Nuggets
- Apostasy means not believing in the state religion or not being a Christian.
- Many people today believe that not being a Christian is not a “crime.”
- We have to take responsibility for our actions.
- There is no hope for people refuse to accept God as their Sovereign Lord.
- If we don’t choose to make God our Sovereign God, there will be consequences.
Is God really going to hold us accountable for not submitting ourselves to Him? There is a really interesting verse in Jeremiah that answers that question. This devotion explores whether our refusal to give our lives to God has consequences.
Let's Put It into Context
“Have you not brought this on yourself by abandoning the Lord your God while he was leading you along the way?” (Jer. 2: 20 CSB)
Long, long ago, it was a crime to not believe the way the state did. This meant that, if you were an atheist, you were a criminal. It also meant that, if you were not a Christian, you were a criminal. It is called apostasy.
Many people today believe that not being a Christian is not a “crime.” They believe that there will be no consequences for their having that belief.
They are wrong.
Jeremiah 2: 14-28 talks to apostasy. Jeremiah made no bones about. Israel became a slave because they had not been faithful to God. They had become prey to other nations.
Not only that, but Israel had also chosen to actively pursue the dark side. “Now what will you gain by traveling along the way to Egypt to drink the water of the Nile? What will you gain by traveling along the way to Assyria to drink the water of the Euphrates?” (Jer. 2: 18 CSB).
Let’s take a look at one of the verses in this section.
You Brought It On Yourself
“Keep your feet from going bare and your throat from thirst …” (Jer. 2: 25 CSB)
Oh, this is interesting. Look what it says. It is our responsibility that we don’t wear out our shoes and let ourselves become thirsty.
How do our shoes wear out? One way is when we wear them and don’t take care of them. We don’t keep them polished. We don’t get them resoled when they need it.
My shoes were damaged when I was renting my second apartment. I had an outside stairway because I lived in the second floor.
Going up was okay. Going down was hard on shoes. The steps were really narrow, so I scraped the back of my shoes on the step as I went down.
To me, shoes were more easily replaced than bones — or me. But I sure went through shoes.
While we can get thirsty if we forget to drink, pretend that we are walking through the desert. Even if we have some water with us, we are still going to get thirst if it is hot enough.
This verse says we have to take responsibility for our actions. It says we have to continue to seek God.
Searching for and Seeking God
Hearing His Word (Rom. 10: 17 NLT).
Reading His Word (Rev. 1: 3 ESV).
Praying to Him (Heb. 4: 16 ESV).
Studying His Word (Ac. 17: 11 NLT).
Meditating on His Word (Ps. 1: 1-2).
Memorizing His Word (Ps. 119: 11 NLT).
To read Has God Provided Everything We Need?, click the button below.
It doesn’t say that once saved, we’re done. It says that there are expectations once we submit to God.
No Hope
“… But say, “It’s hopeless …” (Jer. 2: 25 CSB)
Too many people refuse to accept God as their Sovereign Lord. So, there is no hope for them — as things stand.
Things can change. God can still be convicting them to turn to Him.
It isn’t over until it is over.
But don’t think that gives you until Jesus becomes a cloud rider.
If you keep denying God, God will deny you. We looked at Proverbs 29: 1 in When Should We Seek God? It says, “If you get more stubborn every time you are corrected, one day you will be crushed and never recover” (GNT).
One day, God will be over with you saying, “No, God. I am not going to submit to You.” Then your door will be closed.
Then your hope will be gone. You have been warned. You said no. You will have to suffer the consequences of your decision.
Choosing Sin
“… I love strangers …” (Jer. 2: 25 CSB)
If we look at this section of the verse by itself, the worldview would say, “Yes, yes, yes! We have to love everyone — even those who don’t believe in your God.”
This verse doesn’t mean love everybody.
It is saying, “… But you say, “It’s hopeless; I love strangers …” (Jer. 2: 25 CSB).
There is no hope because you are choosing sin over God. You love your sin, and you don’t want to give it up.
“… and I will continue to follow them” (Jer. 2: 25 CSB)
You don’t love God because you love the world more — and that isn’t going to change. You are spiritually dead.
Making the Connections
It is our choice whether we make God our Sovereign God. If we don’t, there will be consequences.
If we don’t grow our relationship with God, we let our shoes wear out. If we are too scared or feel unqualified to step out when God tells us to, we scuff our shoes. If we keep walking into sinful situations, we may find ourselves in a desert gasping for water.
Our choices have consequences. “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company corrupts good morals’” (I Cor. 15: 33 CSB). If we continue to flirt with sin, we may find ourselves being influenced by the “bad company.”
Currently, we have the free will whether to ask God to be our Sovereign Lord or not. We don’t have apostasy. You aren’t a criminal if you are not a disciple of Jesus.
Eventually, people will serve the consequences of their choices. One day, Jesus is going to return.
One day, the books will be open. “I also saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged according to their works by what was written in the books” (Rev. 20: 12 CSB).
Macdonald detailed what those books would be. They are the book of God’s works, the book of God’s Word (His law), the book of memory, the book of condemnation, and the book of life.
If our names aren’t written in the book of life, we suffer the consequences. Trust me, we don’t want to go there.
To read a related devotion, click the button below.
How Do We Apply This?
How do we escape the fury of hell? We admit our sins, believe on Jesus as Redeemer, confess God as Sovereign Lord and demonstrate that commitment by following our job description.
The ABCDs of Salvation
A – admit our sins
B – believe His Son Jesus is our Redeemer
C – confess God as Sovereign Lord
D – demonstrate that commitment by making any changes needed in our lives to
live the way in which God has called us
If you have not become a believer in Christ, please read through the Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
Father God. We admit our sins, believe on Jesus as our Savior and Redeemer, and confess You as Sovereign Lord. Help us to demonstrate that commitment by following Your laws and commands. May we always keep seeking You and growing closer to You. Amen.
What do you think?
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