Jeremiah 12-14, 2 Timothy 1 • Key Verse: Jeremiah 12:2
When a person does or says something that causes hurt, saying “sorry” can help—but only if it is
said from the heart. Sometimes when you hear the way an apology is made, it makes you want to
ask, “Do you mean it?”
There are other ways that people can be insincere in their words. As Jeremiah complained to God
about the people to whom he was ministering, he described how God was “always on their lips but
far from their hearts” (12:2). They would say the right words about God but not mean them. Isaiah
said the same thing, as did Jesus (Isa. 29:13; Matt.. 15:8—9). It was not a new problem in their
day, and it is still a problem today.
People can say one thing and mean another, or they can say something and mean nothing. What
Isaiah, Jeremiah and Jesus all join in condemning is the religious-sounding person whose words
seem right but whose heart is wrong. God does not just listen to our words;
He also looks at our hearts and knows what is going on in our minds. We need to say, and mean,
Davids prayer: “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your
sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer” (Ps. 19:14).
Examine your heart. Is your Christianity of the lips only, or does it come from the heart?
Woodrow kroll & Tony beckett
www.backtothebible.in