DAY 213 OR AUGUST 1 LEARN FROM OTHER PEOPLE'S MISTAKES
Our thoughts today are rooted in Jeremiah chapter 3 verses 6 and 10.
Have you seen what faithless Israel has done?
She has gone up on every high hill and under every spreading tree and has committed adultery
there.
In spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return to me.
And now the big picture surrounding these verses.
Jeremiah is often called the weeping prophet, but when you consider the times he lived in,
it's not a surprise really.
He spent almost 20 years prophesying to his fellow Jews when they were threatened by Assyria
and Egypt.
During the following 20 years or so, he warned them about Babylonia.
Not only did they take little notice of him, but the authorities threw him into prison
and banned him from the temple, even though he was from a priestly family.
He condemns the willful sinning of the people of Judah, who refuse to change their ways,
even though they see their relatives in the north are punished as the Assyrians invade
to carry out God's judgment on them, as promised.
And now today's action step.
We are all too ready to point out the errors of others, but we rarely learn from them personally.
We have a tendency to think of ourselves as exceptions as the people of Judah did.
We do.
Where accidents are concerned, we say they only happen to other people.
Where illnesses are concerned, we say they only afflict others.
Where sinning is concerned, we say others sin, but we are victims of character weaknesses.
Despite knowing about Israel's sin and judgment, Judah does the same.
Remember that God will treat you the same as all his other children.
He has no favourites.
And forget that when you point at someone, three of your fingers point back at you.
Remember that our actions are all mimicked by others, so be sure you keep reducing the
bad examples and increasing the good ones.
You're always an example as long as you breathe, so be careful.