The Works of God

The One-Year Tract Bible Reading Plan has been incredibly helpful for me this year.  If you’ve never done it, start today!  There is no reason to begin something this useful only on January 1.

These verses were part of Tuesday’s reading:

Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will punish all those who are circumcised merely in the flesh— Egypt, Judah, Edom, the sons of Ammon, Moab, and all who dwell in the desert who cut the corners of their hair, for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in heart. Jeremiah 9:25-26

Merely in the flesh – that is hard for me to even comprehend because I live in a culture that glorifies the flesh.  What more could there be than my immediate physical needs and desires?  It is no surprise that this culture glorifies strong bodies and denigrates those with disabilities.

Yet, what happens to those ‘circumcised merely in the flesh’?  Punishment. God’s punishment.

The Jeremiah verses above brought to mind another reference to the heart:

I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. Ephesians 1:16-21

A ‘perfect’ body with an evil heart will end up eternally separated from Jesus, bearing the righteous wrath of God.

Blind eyes attached to an enlightened heart will enjoy Jesus forever.  And they won’t be blind beyond this short life.

But better than seeing, our hearts won’t be tempted to sin anymore!  We will be entirely free!

Not because we toughed it out and earned some little favor from God.  Rather – “that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you (Ephesians 1:18).”  God does it all.