Bible Passage: “Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, circumcise your hearts, you people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, or my wrath will flare up and burn like fire because of the evil you have done— burn with no one to quench it.” (Jeremiah 4:4 NIV)
Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 4:1-4
One of the most difficult aspects of being a man, at least in Western culture, is how we are perceived by others, or at least how we want to be perceived by others.
We want to be seen as strong and capable. We go to great lengths to manage our public appearance to foster positive images of ourselves.
Sometimes, however, there is a gap between our public and private selves.
We’re good at managing that gap. We know better than anyone how wide that gap is. How far it can be from one side of the divide to the other, between our carefully crafted public personas and the deep, unsettled reality of ourselves as still works in progress.
The question is, how do we close that gap?
Jeremiah calls us to holy living: circumcise your heart.
Strive for holiness, not simply in our outward expression, but through inner transformation. Become new on the inside. Don’t simply adopt new actions; don’t merely attempt behavior modification. As good as those things are, they will not lead us to the holiness that a circumcised heart creates.
Let’s be real: some things in life are simply beyond us.
We don’t have the experience, skills, resources, or even sometimes the desire to accomplish what stares us in the face.
Closing the gap between who we are and who we want or profess to be falls into that category because it requires a circumcised heart. The necessity of this transformation forces us to ask whether we have actually surrendered the inner workings of our hearts, or whether we are simply trying to modify the outward presentation.
Jeremiah’s call is not one that we can answer. His summons rings far and wide, yet the assembly will remain empty because you and I cannot circumcise our own hearts.
Fortunately, we are not left to hide behind our inability.
God himself steps into the gap.
Later in Jeremiah 31:33, God promises to do just exactly what Jeremiah calls Israel to:
God’s laws written on hearts. God Himself transforming our hearts.
He, as He does throughout His redemption plan, accomplishes what only He can.
The transformation from within is then reflected through our outward lives. Our striving ceases when God writes His heart on our own.
Prayer: God, thank You that we are not left alone with tasks beyond our ability to accomplish. I invite You to continue to write Your laws on my heart; transform me from the inside out. Lead me past mere behavior modification into true character development. Amen.
Reflection: Where do you find yourself on the arc between managing appearances and true character transformation?
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