There are seasons when I’ve been so busy building my own world that I couldn’t hear God calling me back to His. I’ve told myself I was doing good things like providing for my family, leading a company, helping clients, but underneath all the activity, there was this quiet ache. Something was missing.
I remember mornings when I’d wake up early, open my laptop before I opened my Bible, and convince myself that I’d pray later. “Once I get through these emails,” I’d think. But later never came. Days turned into weeks, and my soul started to feel dry, like I was running on fumes.
That’s when Jeremiah 6 began to speak to me. It’s a chapter where God pleads with His people to listen, to turn back, to walk in “the ancient paths.” It’s a sobering warning, but also a tender invitation.
When I read it this time, I didn’t see it as just a message to ancient Israel. I saw myself in it, a man who had drifted into busyness, distracted by success, yet deeply loved by a God who refuses to stop calling. In this blog, I want to highlight 8 topics that I think are important in this chapter.
1. When God Speaks, but We Don’t Listen ( Jeremiah 6 : 1–10 )
Jeremiah warns Jerusalem that destruction is coming from the north. He says the people have “uncircumcised ears”—they can’t hear God’s voice anymore. It’s not that He stopped speaking; they stopped listening.
That hit me hard. How many times has God tried to reach me through conviction, through my wife’s gentle honesty, through a Scripture that stirred something deep and I brushed it off because I was “in a hurry”?
When you’re running a business, it’s easy to call the shots, to trust your instincts, to move fast. But God doesn’t speak to us in the rush. His voice often comes in the stillness. I learned that the hard way.
There were times when deals fell through, when marketing plans failed, and I wondered why. Looking back, I realize God was trying to slow me down. He wanted me to remember that hearing Him is more important than achieving results.
The people of Judah in Jeremiah’s day were religious, but not responsive. They still offered sacrifices, still kept the rituals, but their hearts were closed. I know that feeling, going through the motions while your soul is somewhere else.
2. False Peace and Hidden Decay ( Jeremiah 6 : 13–15 )
Jeremiah says the prophets and priests “deal falsely.” They dress the wound of God’s people as though it were not serious, saying, “Peace, peace,” when there is no peace.
That’s what false peace looks like, pretending everything’s fine because it looks fine on the outside.
In real estate, I’ve seen homes that sparkle in the photos but when you see it in-person, it doesn’t look so great! Spiritually, I’ve done the same thing. I’ve looked good from the street but ignored the cracks beneath the surface.
False peace is dangerous because it dulls repentance. You start thinking, “I’m doing okay. I’m successful. God must be pleased.” But success doesn’t equal surrender.
When we patch over what’s broken instead of letting God heal it, we become like Judah by impressing others while grieving the One who loves us most.
I’ve had to confront my own version of “peace, peace.” Those seasons when I said, “I’m fine,” even when I wasn’t. When I convinced myself that exhaustion was normal. When I measured progress by profit instead of presence.
But God loves us too much to let us live in illusion. His correction isn’t punishment; it’s mercy.
3. Standing at the Crossroads ( Jeremiah 6 : 16 )
This is the verse that stopped me in my tracks:
“Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.”
But they said, “We will not walk in it.”
I’ve stood at that crossroads. More than once.
There’s a tension between what the world applauds and what God asks for. The world says, “Go faster, climb higher, do more.” God says, “Slow down, look, ask, walk.”
The ancient path isn’t outdated—it’s eternal. It’s prayer, humility, obedience, gratitude, simplicity. It’s the way of Christ, the way of the cross.
For me, this verse became a turning point. I realized I’d been walking on the modern highway—wide, efficient, busy but not the good way.
There was a day I sat in my office, surrounded by contracts and deadlines, and I felt this quiet whisper: Chad, are you building My kingdom or yours?
That question broke me. Because I knew I’d been chasing things that wouldn’t last. And yet, even then, God wasn’t condemning me. He was inviting me, back to the path of rest, back to Himself.
When we stand at the crossroads, we all have a choice: keep pushing for what fades, or return to what fills.
4. The Trumpet Sound Ignored ( Jeremiah 6 : 17–21 )
God says, “I appointed watchmen over you and said, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But you said, ‘We will not listen.’”
The watchmen were the ones sounding the alarm. They saw danger coming. They called people to turn back.
In my life, God has used people as those watchmen, my wife reminding me to slow down, my children longing for more of my time, that inner conviction when I scroll instead of pray.
The trumpet doesn’t always sound loud. Sometimes it’s a small moment that shakes you awake.
There was a season when I realized my prayer life had thinned out. I could talk about God all day, write about faith, even post verses online, but intimacy was missing. I was giving God my words, not my heart.
Jeremiah’s generation ignored the trumpet until it was too late. I don’t want that to be my story. I’d rather let conviction hurt me now than regret silence later.
When you ignore God’s warning long enough, you start to mistake distance for peace. But when you respond, even with trembling, He meets you with grace.
5. The Refining Fire ( Jeremiah 6 : 27–30 )
The chapter ends with God calling Jeremiah a “tester of metals.” The people are like impure silver, corrupted, resistant to refinement.
That image resonates deeply with me.
Refining hurts. It exposes impurities. It strips away comfort. But it’s also how God brings out the shine.
When business slowed, when relationships were tested, when plans didn’t go the way I wanted—that was the refining fire. I used to see those moments as setbacks. Now I see them as mercy.
Every disappointment, every closed door, every delay was God purifying my motives. He wasn’t just shaping my career; He was shaping my character.
In Jeremiah 6, the silver is so corrupted that God says it’s rejected. But in Christ, we have a different outcome. He steps into the furnace with us. He redeems what sin tried to ruin.
When I think of how patient God has been with me, through pride, distraction, and misplaced priorities—I can only worship. He refines, but He doesn’t discard.
6. Finding Rest for the Soul
Jeremiah’s message isn’t just judgment—it’s invitation. “Walk in the good way,” God says, “and you will find rest for your souls.”
That’s what I’ve been searching for, even in the midst of success: rest. Not idleness, but peace. That deep assurance that you’re where God wants you, doing what He’s called you to do, for His glory and not your own.
In the real-estate world, everything moves fast. You’re always marketing, always negotiating, always comparing. But in God’s kingdom, fruit grows slowly. The pace is different.
So I’ve started to rebuild my rhythm. I take mornings to pray before I plan. I write devotionals not because I have to, but because I want to hear God speak again. I’m learning to delegate more, to trust others, and to focus on what matters most.
My goal isn’t to escape the business world; it’s to bring Jesus into it. To let my work become worship.
Jeremiah 6 reminds me that obedience is rest. The “ancient path” isn’t nostalgia, it’s renewal. Every time I return to it, I find my footing again.
7. Living the Message
If you’re reading this and feel distant from God, I want you to know that you’re not alone. Jeremiah 6 shows that even when God’s people wander, His heart still calls them back.
Maybe your distraction isn’t business—it’s worry, bitterness, or regret. Maybe you’re chasing something that promises peace but only leaves you tired.
The ancient path is still open. It’s not about religion; it’s about relationship.
Ask for it. Walk in it. You’ll find rest for your soul.
For me, that path has meant learning to listen again, to write again, to let God redefine success. It’s meant remembering that my identity isn’t “broker,” “leader,” or “provider”—it’s “beloved child of God.”
When I walk in that truth, everything else falls into place.
8. A Closing Prayer
Lord, thank You for never giving up on us, even when we’ve wandered far.
Thank You for the ancient path that leads us back to You.
Teach us to listen when You speak, to slow down when You call, and to rest in Your presence when the world demands more.
Refine our hearts, remove what’s false, and restore what’s pure.
Lead us in the good way and let our lives reflect Your glory.
Amen.
Final Thought
Jeremiah 6 is more than history; it’s a mirror. It shows us what happens when we trade intimacy with God for the illusion of success, but it also shows us the way home.
The crossroads are before all of us. Every day, we choose what path to walk.
As for me, I’ve decided: I want the ancient path—the one that leads to Jesus, to peace, and to purpose.
Conform to Jesus 
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