Jeremiah 4:3-4
3 For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: “Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. 4 Circumcise yourselves to the Lord; remove the foreskin of your hearts, O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn with none to quench it, because of the evil of your deeds.”
In this passage the Lord calls us to not harden our heart. If we are to do His will, we need to remain open and receptive to what He has to say to us. If we surround ourselves with thorns (verse 3), we will protect ourselves from hurt, but we will also prevent ourselves from healing. God calls us to "circumcise yourselves to the Lord, remove the foreskin of your hearts" (verse 4). This graphic picture suggests that we need to be vulnerable, that we need to go through the painful process of cutting away our fleshly protective layer. Circumcision was also a sign of the covenant between God and Israel, and likewise an open, honest, vulnerable heart can be a sign of a relationship with our Heavenly Father.
Heavenly Father, help me to soften my heart to You.
3 For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: “Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. 4 Circumcise yourselves to the Lord; remove the foreskin of your hearts, O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn with none to quench it, because of the evil of your deeds.”
In this passage the Lord calls us to not harden our heart. If we are to do His will, we need to remain open and receptive to what He has to say to us. If we surround ourselves with thorns (verse 3), we will protect ourselves from hurt, but we will also prevent ourselves from healing. God calls us to "circumcise yourselves to the Lord, remove the foreskin of your hearts" (verse 4). This graphic picture suggests that we need to be vulnerable, that we need to go through the painful process of cutting away our fleshly protective layer. Circumcision was also a sign of the covenant between God and Israel, and likewise an open, honest, vulnerable heart can be a sign of a relationship with our Heavenly Father.
Heavenly Father, help me to soften my heart to You.