DCLM Daily Manna 16 April 2022 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — Obstinate
TOPIC: Obstinate (DCLM Daily Manna 16 April 2022)
TEXT: Jeremiah 18:1-17 (KJV)
1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,
2 Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.
3 Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.
4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.
5 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
6 O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.
7 At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it;
8 If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.
9 And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it;
10 If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.
11 Now therefore go to, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I frame evil against you, and devise a device against you: return ye now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good.
12 And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart.
13 Therefore thus saith the Lord; Ask ye now among the heathen, who hath heard such things: the virgin of Israel hath done a very horrible thing.
14 Will a man leave the snow of Lebanon which cometh from the rock of the field? or shall the cold flowing waters that come from another place be forsaken?
15 Because my people hath forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity, and they have caused them to stumble in their ways from the ancient paths, to walk in paths, in a way not cast up;
16 To make their land desolate, and a perpetual hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and wag his head.
17 I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will shew them the back, and not the face, in the day of their calamity.
KEY VERSE: “And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart.” – (Jeremiah 18:12)
MESSAGE:
Scientists studied a native tribe in South America, whose people have been dying prematurely for generations. After thorough investigation, the cause of premature death was determined. The disease was transmitted by an insect that lived in the walls of their adobe homes. This new information presented several options. They could move to another area where such insects do not exist, tear down their homes and rebuild them, use insecticide to rid their homes of the bugs, or, continue as they have and die early. Surprisingly, these people opted to remain as they are, and do nothing about their problem.
The people of Judah and Jerusalem chose to ignore God’s warnings of judgment and refused to repent. The Lord had sent Jeremiah to the potter’s house to see how surrendered the clay was in his hands. He wondered why his own people would refuse heaven’s crafted solutions to their challenges. Jeremiah tried to persuade them repeatedly, but they remained adamant in their position.
Many people behave similarly. To save themselves, they know what they must do. Instead, they opt to remain unchanged. These categories of people are not ignorant. Like the Southern American tribe in the story above, they simply want to be let alone. They are “satisfied” with their condition and do not want anything changed in the way they live.
Unfortunately, there is little or nothing that can be done to help someone whose mind is made up. God would not take away our freedom to choose. He only encourages us to choose life and live.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Salvation is not by force.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Psalm 89-91
DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
