August 25th, 25: Refusing Blindness: Choosing Love and Truth over Pride on August 25th

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible! On this August 25th episode, join your host Hunter as we journey through day 237 of our year-long trek through the pages of Scripture. Today, we dive into the dramatic account of Jeremiah chapters 37 through 39, witnessing King Zedekiah’s struggle with pride and fear as Jerusalem faces the Babylonian invasion—and how Jeremiah stands firm amid adversity. Our reading wraps up with the heartfelt encouragement found in Second John, reminding us of the call to truth and love in the face of life’s challenges. Through reflection and prayer, Hunter invites us to examine our own hearts, learn from the faith and failings of those before us, and embrace the grace, mercy, and steadfast love of God as we close out the summer season. Settle in, quiet your heart, and let’s draw closer to the Living Word together.

TODAY'S DEVOTION:

Blinded by pride and fear, Zedekiah’s fate stands as a stark warning for us all. He could not hear or see the word of the Lord spoken through Jeremiah, and instead clung tightly to his own life, his own position, his own fears. In the end, everything he was so desperate to avoid came to pass—his sight was taken away, his freedom lost, and he became a captive, led away just as Jeremiah had faithfully prophesied.

Pride and fear—they make for harsh and cruel masters. Zedekiah’s story is one of gradually yielding to their grip, turning a deaf ear to repeated invitations into a better, truer way of life. When we allow pride or fear to rule in us, we too lose sight; we become prisoners of our own anxious striving, our own need to control or be right.

But in today’s reading from Second John, we hear another way—a way marked by grace, mercy, and truth. John encourages us to abide in love, not allowing anything to stand in the way of the life Christ has given us. He calls us to be diligent, to watch out that we do not lose what we have received by remaining in the teaching of Christ, by remembering the profound love God has for us and letting it shape every step we take.

It is only in God’s love that we find sight, freedom, and true reward. As we root ourselves in the truth of the gospel, as we let go of our pride and release our fears, we are ever being freed from the blindness that once gripped us. There is more to see, more freedom to taste, and more love to share, for those who walk in faith and trust in Jesus.

That’s my prayer for my own soul today—that I would recognize and reject the voices of pride and fear in my life. That is my prayer for my family—my wife, my daughters, my son. And that is my prayer for you: that you would walk in God’s love, see with clear eyes, and experience the fullness of mercy and grace that is yours in Christ.

May it be so.