October 11th readings

~ Click on this link for today's readings ~
Jeremiah 16:16-18:23 ~ 1 Thessalonians 4:1-5:3
Psalm 81:1-16 ~ Proverbs 25:6-8

Old Testament - There are a lot of great verses in Jeremiah's readings today!  Jeremiah 17:5 stood out to me today - "Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans and turn their hearts away from the Lord."  I think oftentimes we put more trust in others than the Lord - our spouses, our pastors, our friends, our family, and even ourselves. The risk here is that people are human and are not perfect. They will eventually disappoint at some time. God is the only perfect option to place our ultimate trust in. I do think we can still "trust" others to a degree - marriage of course being a prime example of this trust in another human. But, marriage will really only ultimately work if God is the "third cord" in the marriage.  Overall, this verse wisely cautions that our highest level of trust should be for God. Who will not fail us.  Ever. Who do you trust these days the most?  Do you trust God above anything or anyone else?  Do you trust God more than you trust yourself?

Jeremiah 17:7-8 has some great imagery - ""But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they go right on producing delicious fruit." These verses remind me a lot of Psalm 1, verses 1 through 3.  Is God your hope and confidence?  If so, do you feel like a tree planted along a riverbank with roots that reach deep into the water?  How deep are your roots in God's living water these days?

Jeremiah 17:19-27 are some powerful verses on the Sabbath! I talk alot with my friends about taking Sabbaths. I am really bad at it... and I know I need it. And I know my friends need it too. I'll have to remember verse 27 next time I'm having the Sabbath discussions with my friends.... :)  "`But if you do not listen to me and refuse to keep the Sabbath holy, and if on the Sabbath day you bring loads of merchandise through the gates of Jerusalem just as on other days, then I will set fire to these gates. The fire will spread to the palaces, and no one will be able to put out the roaring flames.'"  How are you doing on taking a Sabbath each week?  What would your response be to a modern day Jeremiah standing at the gate and telling you to keep one day a week as a holy day unto the Lord?

I like this verse in Jeremiah 18:15 - "They have stumbled off the ancient highways of good, and they walk the muddy paths of sin." I like that metaphor - the ancient highways of good. These sound nice. You want to be on these. And not veer off into the muddy paths of sin...

New Testament - The First Thessalonians verses today are great teachings on living to please God and the hope of the resurrection. A verse from 1 Thessalonians 5:2 that I actual use fairly frequently is: "the day of the Lord will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night." I confess that I don't get too into predicting "end times" scenarios. Pre-trib, post-trib, etc. I know many good friends who are into all of this. I guess I just come back to this verse about the day of the Lord coming unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. I think this also applies to each of our own lives. We don't know how many years we have - hopefully many. But, you just don't know. And I don't really dwell or worry about it. It will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night.  And if we know Jesus as our Lord & Savior, we do not need to fear the day of the Lord.

In First Thessalonians 4:3-5 today we read this teaching of Paul’s - "It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust." Are these verses contrary in any way to what you might see in our culture today? Are these verses contrary to any way that you might live your life? Do you see the value in this teaching of Paul’s? Is the lust / sexual immorality that our culture sells full of life or emptiness? Is this teaching of Paul’s full of life or emptiness? Are you controlling your own body in a way that is holy and honorable? What does Paul mean when he says it is God’s will that you should be sanctified? Do you want God to sanctify you? Will you participate in the sanctification process with God? Will you avoid sexual immorality?

Psalms - I always like reading verses like 1 & 2 in Psalm 81 today - verses that speak of music & God - "Sing praises to God, our strength. Sing to the God of Israel. Sing! Beat the tambourine. Play the sweet lyre and the harp."  Do you sing praises to God?  Is God your strength?  I'll go off on a tangent here, which is always a risky thing to do...  :)  I'll admit that I am a music junkie.  Really.  I have loved music immensely ever since I was a pre-teen and heard K-TEL's Hit Explosion with such fine songs as Laura Branigan's "Gloria" and Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger."  :) Well, ever since then music has played an interesting role in my life - both positive and negative.  Bottom line is that I think God used music to bring me to Him.  Five years ago I ended up at a rock & roll postmodern evangelical church where I really first heard songs about Jesus in a rock song!  It was a paradigm shifter for me...  I ended up accepting Jesus as my Lord & Savior at that church two months later - thanks in large part to an amazing pastor there at the time and thanks in large part to the rock & roll worship.  Since then I've actually landed in a more traditional liturgical church with hymns and mellow music.  But, I still love any opportunity I can get to flat out worship God in a rock & roll worship way!  :)  I do realize the risks of high energy rock music...  it can propel people to do very dumb things.  But I think it can also propel people toward Jesus.  Maybe music is like anything else - it's a double edged sword.  I will share with you that a buddy of mine shared with me how he threw out every single one of his worldly / secular CD's after becoming a Christian.  He said he didn't want to be fed by that garbage anymore.  I tried following his lead on this - and actually threw a few CD's in the trash...  but I pulled them out before taking them to the dumpster.  :)  I'm starting to think though that I have a few CD's that need to get to that dumpster here sooner rather than later... I don't listen to them.  But why keep them around at all? Hope you don't mind this long tangent.  Does anyone else have any music / God experiences that you would be up for sharing with us all?  Please post up in the Comments section below!  Thanks!

Proverbs - In proverbs 25:6-7 today we read - "Don't demand an audience with the king or push for a place among the great. It is better to wait for an invitation than to be sent to the end of the line, publicly disgraced!"  This reminds me of Jesus' parable of not taking the best seats at the feast, or you may be asked to move down. But take the lowest seats and you may be asked to move on up. I think this is the same parable as "you who are first, shall be last. And you who are last, shall be first." I'm feeling too lazy to look this up on BibleGateway.com right now... (feel free to correct me!)  This Proverb talks about waiting for an invitation.  How are you doing these days on waiting?  Are you comfortable with waiting?  Are you even comfortable on waiting for God?

What verses or insights stand out to you in today's readings?  Please post up in the Comments section below!

Grace,
Mike

Comments

[Vance Brown]

Jeremiah 17
5
This is what the LORD says: "Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans and turn their hearts away from the LORD.
6
They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, on the salty flats where no one lives.

~~~

NOTE: I know of an American man, born in Kansas, who is an ardent follower of Buddha-based devotion called “Falun Dafa”. Buddhists, and all belief systems growing out of Buddhism, do not believe in God. Their goal is to become “fully human”. My co-worker, and others like him, truly are “putting their trust in mere humans and their hearts are turning away from the Lord.”

Even though their lives seemingly have more of the “fruit” of peace than some Christians I know, it is not God’s peace. God’s peace can only come through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Jeremiah 17
9
"The human heart is most deceitful and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?
10
But I know! I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve."

Jeremiah 18
1
The LORD gave another message to Jeremiah. He said,
2
"Go down to the shop where clay pots and jars are made. I will speak to you while you are there."
3
So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel.
4
But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so the potter squashed the jar into a lump of clay and started again.
5
Then the LORD gave me this message:
6
"O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand.
7
If I announce that a certain nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down, and destroyed,
8
but then that nation renounces its evil ways, I will not destroy it as I had planned.
9
And if I announce that I will build up and plant a certain nation or kingdom, making it strong and great,
10
but then that nation turns to evil and refuses to obey me, I will not bless that nation as I had said I would.
11
"Therefore, Jeremiah, go and warn all Judah and Jerusalem. Say to them, `This is what the LORD says: I am planning disaster against you instead of good. So turn from your evil ways, each of you, and do what is right.' "

I Thessalonians 4
3
God wants you to be holy, so you should keep clear of all sexual sin.
4
Then each of you will control your body[NOTE] and live in holiness and honor—
5
not in lustful passion as the pagans do, in their ignorance of God and his ways.

[NOTE] 1 Thessalonians 4:4 Or will know how to take a wife for himself

***

We cannot love God without obeying God. For what we do reflects what we believe and in whom (or what) we place our confidence. There is no other way it can be. There is no such thing as a “non-choice” in this matter.

I am really praying that I really see my human heart for what it really is, and the outcome of simply allowing myself to follow the human heart. The only way to become “fully human” is to yield to, and become like—through God’s Spirit—the truly Perfect Man, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Again, I like what Martin Luther says about humanity without Jesus:

“Take the talents of wisdom and integrity. Without Christ, wisdom is double foolishness and integrity double sin, because they not only fail to perceive the wisdom and righteousness of Christ, but hinder and blaspheme the salvation of Christ.

The white devil of spiritual sin is far more dangerous than the black devil of carnal sin because the wiser, the better men are without Christ, the more they are likely to ignore and oppose the Gospel.”

May more of the Lord Jesus be understood by me and SEEN in me as I love Him with all of my heart. I am a long way from that. Yet, by God’s grace, I am an avid seeker of that.

Vance

[Michael Stone]

Such a time it was!!

I am glad after reading Jeremiah that I live today and not back then.....or am I?

In those days as I read it, it seems like some people argue that black was black and White was white and you knew who was a follower of "the Lord" and who was not.

Like today, or is it?

Some of the most heinous crimes have been committed by people who eventually went on to be "saved."

And conversely, some of the "most devout" and "righteous" people I know have fallen greatly and some seemingly to never rise again.

Who knows? The shadow? Like the old cartoon? I certainly don't. The passage in Jeremiah 17 reads like a psalm and a proverb and a teaching and warning and frankly if I were reading that as a new Beleiver I think I might look elsewhere for hope.

Or become a Puritan, or a very very devout ultra-orthodox Jew, or maybe a Monk.

I remember the quote Mahatma Gandhi said about being a Christian, He would follow Jesus if his followers were more like Him.

When I think about how far we have made Grace apply to freedom.... I am glad we have a balance in reading some rather stiff penalties for disobedience to God....and yet...

if Israel had not returned to the Land....if God had not forsaken his people (for a season) and includes them in salvation for eternal life..,

if God had not given signs to reveal his return and continues to fulfill his promises and not just in a personal intimate way...but also the "big picture" items

I don't think I would have followed "this Living God."

but might have choseN to be a buddhist or a monk or some "peaceful" way.

But the radical nature of God calling into question my heart, even thoughts as Jesus Said....,

And the realization of how true I know every other single human heart in the world is: The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

No matter who "looks like" they are "keeping commandments" or breaking all the rules, or......

I realize we are all on even ground here except:

"I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings."

You know....I like that.

It's been a long time coming but without zeal and emotion or emotive rationalizations:

"And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you"

I once wanted to save the World, then I wanted to exit the world, then I hated the world and in some superficial ways I love the world (even some dumb distractions) but all in all I am content in realizing less the "need" in all the passages I read today and more the Rest (or sabbath) in them.

For an A type personality like mine, it is a good thing to find rest in my mind and soul everyday,

then to keep working at saving the Whole World.

God seems to be doing just fine.