“Do you really think you can steal, murder, commit adultery, lie, and burn incense to Baal and all those other new gods of yours, and then come here and stand before me in my Temple and chant, ‘We are safe!’ – only to go right back to all those evils again?” Jeremiah 7:9-10 NLT
Christ, who knew no sin, cannot be with us when we observe and practice the desires and interests of the flesh. We can not claim having an interest in salvation when we practice wrongful actions or live in neglect of our known duties.
In Matthew Henry’s commentary on this chapter he wrote, “But all who continue in sin because grace has abounded, or that grace may abound, make Christ the minister of sin; and the cross of Christ, rightly understood, forms the most effectual remedy to such poisonous sentiments. The Son of God gave himself for our transgressions, to show the excellence of the Divine law, and the evil of sin. Never let us think we may do wickedness without suffering for it.”
In Romans 6:14-16, Paul wrote these words, “For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are salves of the one you obey – whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?”
We will either live for Christ, or we will live for ourselves. We cannot please both. May we choose to walk with the Spirit, so that we will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
Lock Your Wings 
Good thoughts.
This stood out for me:
“only if you stop exploiting foreigners, orphans, and widows; only if you stop your murdering; and only if you stop harming yourselves by worshiping idols.”
Jeremiah 7:6 NLT
Reading this it’s clear to see that the Bible is the living word. Not something written long ago and obsolete but applicable today as it was then. We live in a society that still harbours racist protocols when you look at the rate of incarceration between cultures, the disappearances of indigenous women, and the media’s portrayal of refugees. Abortion has taken the lives of over 60 million since the infamous Roe vs Wade court decision. Our idols may not be statues but we are often prone to worship and pursue sports, money, fame/recognition/status more than God. Jeremiah’s warnings are just as applicable to us as they were to the people back then.
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