Jeremiah 17:9-10 The Message -
"The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful,
a puzzle that no one can figure out.
But I, God, search the heart
and examine the mind.
I get to the heart of the human.
I get to the root of things.
I treat them as they really are,
not as they pretend to be."
a puzzle that no one can figure out.
But I, God, search the heart
and examine the mind.
I get to the heart of the human.
I get to the root of things.
I treat them as they really are,
not as they pretend to be."
Today's verse was yesterday's Bible Gateway's verse of the day. It is a reminder to guard our hearts. Our hearts are deceitful, and can be deceived by any number of means including our own self delusions.
Think of those words "desperately wicked". Desperate as defined in Websters is "driven to or resulting from a loss of hope". The loss of hope can drive us to treachery. It is the condition of greatest need and there is only one thing that can truly satisfy that need.
The thoughts of the deceived heart brought to mind the Steve Green song, "A Chasing of the Wind". It is a deceived heart that gets caught up in the rat race, a race that ends with deception and emptiness, a realization that we've been chasing the wind.
Every heart is filled with longing
To be free from all life's pain
Yet the search for earthly pleasures
Always ends in vain
Only God who made the heavens
Can satisfy our souls
Apart from Him and all His meaning
All things fail as they begin
And hearts deceived
Can only know
A chasing of the wind.
If you've been deceived and come to this realization, hopefully you've turned from that path, from that track. If not, there is time to today. The song closes with the following questions:
Why do we live without Jesus?
Why do we waste another day?
He is the life that sustains us
The only hope for us today
So tell me, why do we live,
Why do we live without Him?
Read the passage below from "THE MESSAGE". The "weeping prophet" paints a vivid picture of the human condition and where we can find hope and how we can cope.
As I was reading this verse the leaves from our birch trees were dropping, the tree was wilting from the summer heat. We may feel the heat in our lives, but we don't have to wither and wilt.
7-8"But blessed is the man who trusts me, God,
the woman who sticks with God.
They're like trees replanted in Eden,
putting down roots near the rivers—
Never a worry through the hottest of summers,
never dropping a leaf,
Serene and calm through droughts,
bearing fresh fruit every season.
the woman who sticks with God.
They're like trees replanted in Eden,
putting down roots near the rivers—
Never a worry through the hottest of summers,
never dropping a leaf,
Serene and calm through droughts,
bearing fresh fruit every season.
In Christ,
Mike
Mike
Follow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com
Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace NIV
Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace NIV
Jeremiah 17:5-10 The Message (MSG)
5-6God's Message:
5-6God's Message:
"Cursed is the strong one
who depends on mere humans,
Who thinks he can make it on muscle alone
and sets God aside as dead weight.
He's like a tumbleweed on the prairie,
out of touch with the good earth.
He lives rootless and aimless
in a land where nothing grows.
who depends on mere humans,
Who thinks he can make it on muscle alone
and sets God aside as dead weight.
He's like a tumbleweed on the prairie,
out of touch with the good earth.
He lives rootless and aimless
in a land where nothing grows.
7-8"But blessed is the man who trusts me, God,
the woman who sticks with God.
They're like trees replanted in Eden,
putting down roots near the rivers—
Never a worry through the hottest of summers,
never dropping a leaf,
Serene and calm through droughts,
bearing fresh fruit every season.
the woman who sticks with God.
They're like trees replanted in Eden,
putting down roots near the rivers—
Never a worry through the hottest of summers,
never dropping a leaf,
Serene and calm through droughts,
bearing fresh fruit every season.
9-10"The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful,
a puzzle that no one can figure out.
But I, God, search the heart
and examine the mind.
I get to the heart of the human.
I get to the root of things.
I treat them as they really are,
not as they pretend to be."
a puzzle that no one can figure out.
But I, God, search the heart
and examine the mind.
I get to the heart of the human.
I get to the root of things.
I treat them as they really are,
not as they pretend to be."
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