Read: Jeremiah 3:4-10

             “Judah has not turned to Me with

             her whole heart, but in pretence,”

             says the Lord. -Jeremiah 3:10
      Have you heard the story about a driver who put a note

    under the windshield wiper of a parked car?  The note

    read, “I have just smashed into your car.  The people

    who saw the accident are watching me.  They think I’m

    writing down my name and address, I’m not.”
      This story reminds me of another bit of devious

    pretence.  In Jeremiah 3, the people of Judah were

    described as willing to call God their Father and friend

    while still doing all the evil they could (vv.4-5).

    They only pretended to return to the Lord; their hearts

    were far from Him.
      Putting on a false front is a very old practice, but

    it hasn’t gone out of fashion.  I can’t think of a

    problem I’m more concerned about in myself than a

    failure to respond from my heart to the Lord, who has

    made Himself so real and so knowable in Christ.  It’s

    easy to say, “Yes, yes, He is our Lord and Saviour.  He

    has died for our sins and deserves our worship and

    service.” But do we remember our commitment to Him when

    no one is around to observe how we live?
      We may say the right things about God when it’s in our

    best interest to do so.  But what about our heart

    relationship with the Lord?  Can we come before Him

    without shame?  Looking good in the eyes of others is

    not enough.

    -Martin R. De Haan II
                 Arm me with jealous care,

                  As in Thy sight to live;

             And oh, Thy servant, Lord, prepare

             A strict account to give! -Wesley
         THE HARDER YOU WORK AT WHAT YOU SHOULD BE,

         THE LESS YOU’LL TRY TO HIDE WHAT YOU ARE.
    OUR DAILY BREAD, Copyright 1998 by Radio Bible Class,

    Grand Rapids,Michigan. Used by permission.