Out-of-the-Box

Oops two days while on SB so will be making them up now.

For March 6th:

Jeremiah 5:

The chapter begins Sodom and Gomorrah-esque where God shows his willingness to save if just one righteous person exists. Off-thought but maybe this is foreshadowing to Christ that as the first righteous to truly exist, he could pave the way for the rest of us, and thats why it was necessary. Anyway, as for Israel, the entire nation, even the leaders, had their eyes away from God, and objectively even, it seems more than fair (just) that God is bringing about this punishment upon these cheaters. It's interesting to see the attitude of the Israelites, where they say in verse 12-13 "He will do nothing! No harm will come to us; we will never see sword or famine. The prophets are but wind and the word is not in them; so let what they say be done to them". I think we can definitely be guilty of that attitude, whether its thinking that God is this teddy bear that cannot bring about justice, or downplaying those words we do not want to hear. God's mercy is further seen as he leaves a remnant of Israel, not fully destroying them, that his promises might be kept. 

I read the passage in Jeremiah before reading the devo, but feel that they definitely tie together well. God doesn't always do what we want, since he is so much greater than us and won't be constrained to our will. So often we, as the Israelites did, put God into our own box, thinking that he will or won't do something based off our lack of understanding or selfish desires. At the end of the day, there is comfort in knowing that a God so much greater than us is in control, that we are dependent on him rather than having our every selfish, self-harming whim be granted. As PMark compares, its like being able to be a kid and go to your parents who are always taking care of you; while as a kid it might seem restrictive, in hindsight I would love to go back to that dependency and care of someone always watching over me -- and through prayer God is there! Whatever mental box we might construct, He is greater. He is quite literally out-of-the-box!