July 5th - Reflection

Jeremiah 6:10-19 (NRSV)
Call to faithfulness

To whom shall I speak and give warning,
that they may hear?
See, their ears are closed,
they cannot listen.
The word of the Lord is to them an object of scorn;
they take no pleasure in it.
But I am full of the wrath of the Lord;
I am weary of holding it in.

Pour it out on the children in the street,
and on the gatherings of young men as well;
both husband and wife shall be taken,
the old folk and the very aged.
Their houses shall be turned over to others,
their fields and wives together;
for I will stretch out my hand
against the inhabitants of the land,

says the Lord.

For from the least to the greatest of them,
everyone is greedy for unjust gain;
and from prophet to priest,
everyone deals falsely.
They have treated the wound of my people carelessly,
saying, "Peace, peace,"
when there is no peace.
They acted shamefully, they committed abomination;
yet they were not ashamed,
they did not know how to blush.
Therefore they shall fall among those who fall;
at the time that I punish them, they shall be overthrown,

says the Lord.
Thus says the Lord:
Stand at the crossroads, and look,
and ask for the ancient paths,
where the good way lies;
and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.
But they said, "We will not walk in it."
Also I raised up sentinels for you:
"Give heed to the sound of the trumpet!"
But they said, "We will not give heed."
Therefore hear, O nations,
and know, O congregation, what will happen to them.
Hear, O earth; I am going to bring disaster on this people,
the fruit of their schemes,
because they have not given heed to my words;
and as for my teaching, they have rejected it.

Reflection
It's time to slow down a little. Listen and look for God. Stop, at those times of decision, and look at the paths that are in front of you. Listen for God to direct you on the path you are to take. If we don't even stop to pray, look, listen, and search for the direction God would have us take; we must not give God priority in our life. So, it's time to slow down a little. We don't have all the answers.

If we choose to walk with Jesus, we must look and listen for Jesus direction. We are followers of Jesus. Sometimes I tend to live as if I expect Jesus to follow me and solve it all as I mess it up. But that's not what this is about. This is about the listening, the looking, the giving heed to Jesus words and teachings. This is not about listening to my own ramblings.

So, it's time to slow down a little, make sure we are followers that listen, look and learn the way of the Master and the direction that God wants us to take.

Prayer
As I walk this day...I pause...I stop...I look...I listen...for your word and your way. Lead me Lord Jesus, I pray. --- Amen