Jeremiah 7:1-11; Matthew 11:20-24
As Christians, we know that we cannot deceive God, but I wonder why we keep on trying to do so: We are only fooling ourselves, and we need to stop. We fool ourselves when we believe that simply because we attend church or literally live in the church, we are safe. We fool ourselves when we believe that by following a worship ritual we are saved. Attending church, teaching Sunday school, preaching, taking communion, singing in the choir are all empty exercises unless we do them the right way, and we do them for God.
God knows our hearts and motives. And most of us know that we are not doing well, yet we refuse to change because we have fooled our minds and hearts into believing that certain religious rituals have covered us from any condemnation and punishment that results from our sin. We steal, murder, commit adultery, lie, and worship other gods which our appetite and desires have created for us, yet we still believe that we are safe because we come before God singing, dancing, bowing, chanting, and doing something for Him. We are only fooling ourselves.
For us to stop fooling ourselves, we need to do what God desires. God desires true repentance, which is not just a one-day thing, but a life of daily contrition. God desires that we should not take His love, grace, and mercy for granted. He also desires that we come to Him with all our heart. He desires a relationship not just religion. He wants our hearts not just our activities.
I pray that God should help us to stop fooling ourselves so that on the day of judgment, we will not be worse off than those who never experienced Him the way we have. In Jesus name. Amen. God bless you.
Papa Mbos 