Daily Devotional
"They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,' when there is no peace."
Jeremiah 6:14
Two verses before our passage, Jesus said that the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few (Matthew 7:13-14). Then, without changing the subject, he warns about false prophets. Why put these two together? Because it is the hallmark of a false prophet to deny that the way is hard. He built a fence right where people are most tempted to look for an easier path.
False prophets say all is well when disaster is coming. They cry peace, peace when there is no peace, as Jeremiah said of the popular prophets of his own day. They let people sleep when they should be awake. A true prophet does the opposite. He wakes people up to the reality of their sin and their need for a Savior, and he calls them to repentance again and again. A false prophet avoids the subjects of sin, repentance, and confession, and simply offers a better life and more success.
Think of Micaiah in 1 Kings 22. Four hundred prophets told the king exactly what he wanted to hear, and one man told him the truth. The one who told the truth is the one who was thrown into prison. The easy word is popular; the true word is costly. When you sit under teaching that never troubles your conscience and never asks anything hard of you, be careful. Comfort is not the same thing as faithfulness.
Today's Challenge
Do you find yourself drawn to voices that soothe you, or to voices that tell you the truth? When was the last time God's word made you uncomfortable in a way that led you to repentance?
Prayer
Lord, I so easily prefer comfort to truth. Forgive me for the times I have wanted my ears tickled instead of my heart searched. Make me willing to hear hard words when they are true words. Thank you that the hard road is the road that leads to life, and that you walk it with me. Amen.
