Extra readings

Face the truth - Jeremiah 6:13-21

It’s comforting to be told that everything is going to be alright. This was the message of the false prophets (v 14). Despite the fact that the armies of neighbouring superpowers were laying waste to the surrounding countries, they were promising that there would be peace in Jerusalem. They were simply not facing up to reality. Sometimes we too may be tempted to believe that God will just make everything all right for us, when in reality things are going to go badly wrong unless we listen to him and change our ways. Verse 16 is God’s call to face reality. Unless we consciously choose to walk in God’s ways we cannot expect to live under his blessing. So today, treat yourself to a reality check and make sure you are not dressing deep wounds as though they are not serious.

How to boast - Jeremiah 9:23,24

Knowledge, power and riches are some of the big boasts around in our culture (v 23). People are held in high esteem (or expect to be) because of the qualifications they have gained or the number of people who work for them or the amount of money they earn. You may even have made those boasts yourself, either to others or just within your own mind. But these are foolish boasts because they make out that one person is superior to another and lose sight of the fact that everyone is uniquely made in God’s image. Verse 24 gives us a better boast: rejoice in how well you know the Lord. That is a boast that will make you less proud and more humble. And curiously it is the very thing that will make you wiser, stronger and richer.