God says...

"Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the old ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls..." Jeremiah 6:16

Good morning, dear friends!

One of my favorite games to use with my youngest English students here is Simon says.  Not only is it a game with which the French children are familliar (they call it, "Jacques says...") but it also allows me to teach a lot of actions, some of them pretty abstract, in a quick and fun way.  I play it almost every lesson with them, and they never get tired of it.  

Best yet, there is no extra preparation on my part.  I say what to do, and they do it.  Simple, right?

If only it were always that easy to obey...

I was reading in Jeremiah this morning, and the verse at the top of the blog caught my attention, mainly because of the number of short commands in this one passage.  God is reminding His people how to find the path of His blessing in their lives, if they would only obey.  These are the same actions that God requires of me today.  

Stand ye...  God was reminding the people to remain in the teachings that they had heard from Moses and the law, from God's own mouth and hand.  They were to hold fast to what they had learned, and not move from them.  In the same way, I have been set free from sin, and I need to remember that so that I will not return to my sins:  "Stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." (Galatians 5:1)

and see...  The people of Israel had allowed their eyes to stray from serving the living God to idols and false teachers, who were leading them astray.  God was calling their attention back to the path of blessing:  following Him and Him alone.  In my life, I must focus on Jesus.  He alone should attract my attention:  "looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith..." (Hebrews 12:2)

and ask for the old paths...  The children of Israel no longer desired their God.  They had to repent and return to the path of their God who had saved them so many times in the past.  Jesus spoke of Himself as the "way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me." (John 14:6) There is only one path of God's blessing in my life, and that is following Jesus.

and walk therein...  The children of Israel had to return to the laws and commandments of God, and follow them in obedience to be pleasing to God.  That was their path of blessing.  My path of blessing to follow the path that Jesus has laid out for me, in obedience to Him and His Word.  God  reminds me to "continue thou in the things thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast heard them." (II Timothy 3:14)

and ye shall find rest... The children of Israel found themselves on the verge of destruction as a nation at the hand of the Assyrians, with war on every side.  There was also enmity between themselves and God because they refused to follow His commandments.  As long as I too war against doing God's will in my life, and following the path that Jesus has set before me, I will never know peace in my own heart.  This verse reminds me so much of Matthew 11:28, where Jesus calls His children to Himself: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

How easy it would have been for the children of Israel to return to the Lord!  He was waiting, and willing for them to return from their unfaithfulness to the path of blessing in their lives.  How many times the Lord waits for me to return from my wanderings, and regain the path of close fellowship with Him.

When I am tempted to wander away from God in my sin, or stubbornness, or pride, may I remember that in this life, there is only one path, and that it is the one that Jesus has laid out for me.

May I, like a little child, simply humble myself to "God says," and then do what He says.