Lamentations 4:1 How the gold has lost its luster, the fine gold become dull! The sacred gems are scattered at every street corner.
My tendency toward pride, toward feeling like something is my due, is addressed in this verse. God’s blessings are gold, precious and valuable, but when I treat them as rights due to me, the value of those blessings is diminished in my eyes—they aren’t precious gifts, they are expectations. Jesus, Forgive me.
Lamentations 4:12 The kings of the earth did not believe, nor did any of the peoples of the world, that enemies and foes could enter the gates of Jerusalem.
Pride also leads to neglect. If I expect something is mine and that no one will take it away from me, I don’t tend it like I should. I don’t care for, value, or protect it like the precious thing it is. I’ve never thought about pride affecting my relationship with my Savior, but that’s exactly what happened in Jerusalem and Judah. They quit acting like God’s chosen people and started doing whatever they pleased, figuring that their chosen status was secured. I’ve acted in the same ignorance. Jesus, Forgive me.
Lamentations 4:13 But it happened because of the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests, who shed within her the blood of the righteous.
Lord, I have seen the dangers of pride in my own life, the bitterness when something I thought was mine by rights was taken away or withheld. Forgive me. Today’s scripture has help solidify that my relationship with You is THE most precious, most valuable thing I possess. Help me to never be prideful about Your love. Help me to tend my relationship with You as the precious gift it is. Help me to always be thankful and grateful for Your blessings in my life, to never take them for granted. Amen.
Lamentations 4:16 The Lord himself has scattered them; he no longer watches over them. The priests are shown no honor, the elders no favor.
Have a blessed day.