May 30, 2001
"Because Israel's immorality mattered so little to her, she defiled the
land and committed adultery with stone and wood. In spite of all this,
her unfaithful sister Judah did not return to me with all her heart,
but only in pretense," declares the LORD. The LORD said to me,
"Faithless Israel is more righteous than unfaithful Judah.
Jeremiah 3:8-12
Israel prostituted themselves with other gods and refused to return to God, so He gave them their certificate of divorce... they were taken captive by Assyria. Judah saw this and didn't learn from it, she too went and committed adultery with foreign gods. She returned to God but only in action not in heart. This was a more grievous sin to God. He was distressed because Judah didn't learn from what she saw and because a false return to God is worse than no return at all! Judah made a lot of outward change but nothing changed in her heart and this is what matters most to God... it's all about heart and changing the heart!! I've had the privilege of attending CR with a friend and have been awed by how each of the women in that group wants to learn from the experiences of others, they are then motivated/inspired to use their lives and experiences to help others avoid the struggles they have gone through. When they share or challenge each other they are always going after the heart.. trying to help each other stay sober and clean in action but more than that... to develop and keep the heart that will keep them sober for the rest of their lives. This is the heart/mindset that God wants us to have about everything.