DATE: MONDAY, 5TH JANUARY, 2026

MEMORISE: “O generation, see the word of the LORD! Have I been a wilderness to Israel, or a land of darkness? Why do My people say, ‘We are lords; we will come no more to You’?” (Jeremiah 2:31, NKJV)

READ: JEREMIAH 2:31-32 (KJV) [31] O generation, see the word of the LORD! Have I been a wilderness to Israel, or a land of darkness? Why do My people say, ‘We are lords; we will come no more to You’? [32] Can a virgin forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? Yet My people have forgotten Me days without number.

I. THE ARROGANCE OF THE “SELF-MADE” MAN

As we enter the first Monday of this new year, many are already busy drafting “To-Do” lists, setting career milestones, and asserting their dominance over their schedules. While diligence is a virtue, there is a subtle, toxic poison that often leaks into the heart of the successful: the spirit of self-sufficiency.

In our text today, God rebukes a generation that had reached a terrifying spiritual plateau. They didn’t necessarily deny God’s existence; they simply declared their independence from Him. Their declaration, “We are lords,” was an assertion of autonomy. It was the heart’s way of saying, “I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul.”

This is the ultimate form of idolatry—the worship of the self. When we believe we can succeed, plan, and thrive without a constant, desperate reliance on God, we are essentially attempting to evict the Creator from His own throne.

II. THE FORGETFULNESS OF THE REDEEMED

God asks a poignant question in verse 32: “Can a virgin forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire?” In the natural world, it is unthinkable for a bride to walk down the aisle and forget she is getting married. Her attire defines her moment.

Yet, God laments that His people have forgotten Him “days without number.”

• We forget Him when we make financial decisions without prayer.
• We forget Him when we assume our health is a result of our diet rather than His mercy.
• We forget Him when we attribute our promotions to our “networking” skills rather than His favour.

The tragedy is that this forgetfulness usually happens after God has blessed us. Israel didn’t say “We are lords” when they were slaves in Egypt; they said it when they were comfortable in the Promised Land. Beware of the comfort that breeds complacency.

III. THE FALLACY OF THE DETACHED TODDLER

The exposition draws a powerful analogy: a toddler learning to walk. As long as the father holds the hand, the child is stable. But the moment the child feels a little balance, he stubbornly pulls away, thinking he is a “lord” of his own legs. The result is inevitable—a painful fall, needless injuries, and tears.

How many “needless injuries” did you suffer in 2025 because you pulled your hand away from the Father? How much suffering could have been avoided if you hadn’t insisted on being your own Lord? Jeremiah 10:23 reminds us: “O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.”

IV. THE MOSAIC ALTERNATIVE: NO PRESENCE, NO MOVEMENT

As you plan for 2026, let the plea of Moses in Exodus 33:15 be your anthem: “If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.” Moses understood that it was better to be stuck in a wilderness with God than to be in a palace without Him.

True success is not the achievement of a goal; it is the accompaniment of the Presence. Never embark on any journey—be it a new business venture, a marriage, or a daily commute—without a conscious acknowledgement that you cannot do it alone.

PRAYER POINTS

Repentance for Pride: Lord, I repent for the times I lived as if I were my own lord. Forgive me for the arrogance of planning without You.

Deliverance from Self-Sufficiency: Father, deliver me from the spirit of “I can do it.” Keep me perpetually hungry and thirsty for Your guidance.

The Covenant of Presence: O Lord, I decree that I will not take a single step into this week without Your presence. If You are not going with me, do not let me go.

Submission: May I never stray from Your path. Lord, take the wheel of my life and drive me according to Your will.

SUGGESTED HYMN: JUST OBEY (CACGHB 452)

“Just obey, just obey, is the way, God’s way; when His message comes to you, there is but one thing to do, just obey, just obey.”

EXTRA READING FOR TODAY: Genesis 13, 14, 15

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Matthew 5; Genesis 13-15

Stay blessed and fruitful for the glory of God. Remember: You are not your own; you were bought with a price.