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Jeremiah 9 (ESV)
12 Who is the man so wise that he can understand this? To whom has the mouth of the Lord spoken, that he may declare it? Why is the land ruined and laid waste like a wilderness, so that no one passes through? 13 And the Lord says: “Because they have forsaken my law that I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice or walked in accord with it, 14 but have stubbornly followed their own hearts and have gone after the Baals, as their fathers taught them. 15 Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will feed this people with bitter food, and give them poisonous water to drink. 16 I will scatter them among the nations whom neither they nor their fathers have known, and I will send the sword after them, until I have consumed them.”
REFLECTION:
Stubbornness is a trait that every proud person will show. Pride makes people stubborn, and stubbornness makes people unrepentant and do whatever they want according to their own will. The result is self-defeating and ruin. It was the case of Judah in ancient times, and it is the same for many people today. We should be vigilant. When we see others swallowing the bitter fruit of pride and stubbornness, we should not forget that we are also not a person who obeys God in everything. Our hearts also hide pride and stubbornness that people don’t know. Some of the twists and turns in our lives are also caused by our own pride and stubbornness. What people don’t know, God can see clearly. Each of us is naked and open before God. May God remove all the pride in our hearts and make our lives more humble and holy, so we will taste more of the sweetness bestowed by God.
PRAYER:
Come to God humbly, and ask God to enlighten you so that you can see the hidden pride and stubbornness in your heart. Ask God to make you understand the danger of pride and stubbornness: if you let it develop, you will also become one who devour bitter fruits and are punished by God. Ask God to be king in your life completely, remove all the pride in your heart, so that you can walk humbly in all things.
HYMN:
Humble My Heart – youtu.be/pTW6ctyXm1o
