Romans 8:20a, Jeremiah 17:9 For the creature was made subject to vanity, The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

These two issues are tied together but it is difficult to see. Original sin separated mankind from the love of God in our hearts. This left a void that only God can satisfy. Sin entered in but like a cancer consumes the heart of man rather than nourishing it.

Vanity in Romans 8:20 is to be defined as emptiness as to results. A vain attempt is a failed attempt, it does not accomplish the goal that it has set out to accomplish. Nothing man does for himself will ever fill the emptiness of a heart designed to be fill with God’s love.

Psychiatrist will often use the phrase “How’s that working for you?” If the definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over expecting different results, then only change can bring about a different result. Changing sins will not bring about a different result to fill an empty heart, it is still sin.

The difficulty for the lost is in admitting that emptiness is not of their own making. We try to fill that emptiness with things, activities, lusts, food (yes even food), and none of those things can fill the emptiness created by the absence of God’s love. “I must be doing something wrong, so I need to try something else” becomes our anthem without understanding what is missing.

The desperate heart of Jeremiah 17:9 begs for someone to change the results without understanding it is being consumed by sin. Someone has to explain to the lost that there is a diagnosis and a cure.

Surrender to God and let Him into your heart.

For many who are lost that makes no more sense than killing cancer by filling the body with poison, but if that is what it takes to be cured, then what choice do you have?

Jeremiah 38:20-21 (NIV) “They will not hand you over,” Jeremiah replied. “Obey the Lord by doing what I tell you. Then it will go well with you, and your life will be spared. But if you refuse to surrender, this is what the Lord has revealed to me:

Many versions of the bile do not use the word surrender at all. Even here in Jeremiah’s word of prophecy it is used out of context to its true meaning, but this is as close to the true meaning as I could find.

Yesterday I mentioned that the one liners we use to invite others to come to the Lord do not contain enough information to obtain salvation. I used this word, surrender, and it is a difficult concept for the lost to understand.

Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

It started in the garden and through no fault of our own that enmity fell upon all mankind, without belief or understanding.

Romans 8:20-21 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

If you do not believe in God then you cannot perceive that you are in the enemy’s camp, for if there is no God there is no enemy. But there is God and there is an enemy and even if you do not consider yourself to be at war with God, your commander does.

The only way out of the enemy camp and into the heavenly kingdom is surrender.