-Devotion by Cayce Fletcher
Reading through the books of the prophets can sometimes feel like you’re hearing the same things on repeat. But rather than become desensitized to what you read, remember this: If it’s repeated, it’s important.
What themes have we seen hit on again and again through these opening chapters of Jeremiah?
Jeremiah 7:3–4 says, “Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place. Do not trust in deceptive words and say, ‘This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!’” This call from God summarizes what has been repeated across all the preceding chapters.
We learn:
- God desires relationship with us. He wants to live in communion with us, but that can only happen in keeping with his holy character.
- We have to reform our ways and actions. We come just as we are, but we cannot stay that way.
- The natural bent of people is to soften sin and ritualize it. We live with fake religion, acting like if we just go through the motions of religion, that will be enough to ‘make God happy.’
Of course, nothing that we can do is ultimately enough to balance the ledgers of sin and righteousness in God’s book. Jesus paid it all, and all to him I owe.
After we have accepted Jesus and committed to following after him as Lord of our lives, what then must we do?
Jeremiah describes the types of things expected from us:
- We must “deal with each other justly” (v. 5–7). This looks like not being a bully to the people weaker than us—whether that’s the foreigner, widow, or fatherless. We cannot pervert justice and shed innocent blood.
- We must not “follow other gods to your own harm” (v. 7). Pursuing idolatry may feel good and right in the moment, but it will only result in pain in the end. God created in his perfect wisdom. When we choose to go our own way, we are choosing to reject that wisdom—which often just results in pain.
- We must not “steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury” (v. 9). What may look like a random collection of sins is actually a reference to ‘the big 10.’ Jeremiah is reminding us that we have to take a high view of the gravity of sin and avoid it at all costs.
From this passage we learn that we must treat each other rightly, be faithful to God, and pursue holiness (rejecting sin).
How do we have a life defined by these principles? In Luke 6, we read Jesus’ words: “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of” (v. 43-45).
Out of what we have stored up in our heart comes the fruit of our lives. If we want to have good fruit and live in the way that God is calling us to, we have to be feeding ourselves good things. Then from the good stored up, we will produce a life of lovely fruit.
What does it practically look like to feed ourselves good things?
- Spend time in Scripture before the world gets the first word. We are constantly being discipled by something. Make a habit of reading God’s Word—not simply to check a box, but to allow it to shape what you believe is true, good, and worth pursuing.
- Pay attention to what you consume. Think about the music you listen to, the shows you watch, the books you read, and especially what you scroll through. Ask yourself: What is this teaching me to love? What is it teaching me to laugh at, desire, envy, or accept? Not everything we consume has to be explicitly Christian, but we should notice what is shaping our hearts.
- Surround yourself with people who point you toward God. We need relationships where we can talk about more than schedules, work, kids, and what happened this week. Spend time with people who will remind you of truth, encourage you toward faithfulness, and lovingly correct you when you need it.
- Fill the ordinary moments with good things. Listen to Scripture while you drive. Put on worship music while you clean. Memorize a verse and think about it throughout the day. Talk about what you’re learning with your family. Small choices repeated over time determine what gets “stored up” in our hearts.
We cannot expect to continually fill our hearts with what is shallow, worldly, or sinful and somehow produce godly fruit. What we store up matters.
What are we storing up in our hearts? And what kind of fruit is it producing in our lives?
May we be a people who pursue what is good, holy, and righteous. For we are judged by our fruit.
Cayce Fletcher is a wife and mom of three. In addition to homeschooling and other ministry projects, she writes and podcasts at amorebeautifullifecollective.com about faith, motherhood, and theology.
Reflection Questions
- Look through the list of things we can learn from this passage in Jeremiah. Where do you see yourself excelling or falling short?
- What kind of fruit is your life producing? Think about your attitude and actions. What are you leaving in your ‘wake’?
- What is one practical way that you can add more ‘good things’ to your life this week?
Prayer
Dear Lord, thank you for being a God who always calls us back no matter what our current circumstances are. You are a good and holy God. May our actions reflect your character. Please fill our lives with the good things that produce good fruit—and please let us produce fruit that is in keeping with those good things. Soli Deo gloria. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
