October 12th readings

~ Click on this link for today's readings ~
Jeremiah 19:1-21:14 ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:4-28
Psalm 82:1-8 ~ Proverbs 25:9-10

Old Testament - I read Jeremiah chapter 19 today and am reminded again of how tough it can be to be a prophet! Wow. Can you imagine receiving these words from God to deliver to a nation? It's tough duty - getting to the point of Jeremiah being whipped and put in stocks in chapter 20, verse 2.  Below is an image of Jeremiah prophesying the doom of Pashur from verse 6 -

Jeremiah does get to complaining about his lifestyle as a prophet in chapter 20:7-18. In verse 9 he busts out with, "And I can't stop! If I say I'll never mention the Lord or speak in his name, his word burns in my heart like a fire. It's like a fire in my bones!" I really like this - "his word burns in my heart like a fire." Does God's word burn in your heart like a fire? Should it? Could it?

In Jeremiah 21 we're getting close to the point of the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. as King Nebuchadnezzar and the armies of Babylon are getting close. The prophecies Jeremiah has been preaching in the past 20 chapters are coming to fruition. A verse that encapsulates all of this is 21:10, "For I have decided to bring disaster and not good upon this city, says the Lord. It will be captured by the king of Babylon, and he will reduce it to ashes.'" Do remember that in our readings in the past few days that God does intend to bring the Israelites back to Jerusalem eventually. There is hope!  Even though Nebuchadnezzar (pictured below) is soon to come into Jerusalem... there is still hope in the midst of the despair...  there is still redemption to come...

New Testament - Today we wrap up Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians. There is a lot of good letter-closing advice in these verses. To make sure this advice gets heard Paul commands in verse 27, "I command you in the name of the Lord to read this letter to all the brothers and sisters." Think this letter got read to everyone? :)

There are a lot of great verses in today's Thessalonians readings. A few that jump out for me include verses 12 & 13 - "Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord's work. They work hard among you and warn you against all that is wrong. Think highly of them and give them your wholehearted love because of their work." This reminds me that October is Clergy Appreciation Month! I don't know who started this trend, but I like it. Hopefully this month you can get a chance to write a letter of encouragement to your pastor or clergy?

More verses from today's readings that stood out -
Verse 16 - "Always be joyful." How's joy doing in your life these days?
Verse 17- "Keep on praying." And prayer?
Verse 11 - "So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing." I like this. It reminds me that we have the opportunity to encourage people that we come in contact with each day. Spread some love. How are you doing on being encouraging to others each day?

Psalms - I love Psalm 82 verses 3 & 4 - ""Give fair judgment to the poor and the orphan; uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute.  Rescue the poor and helpless; deliver them from the grasp of evil people."  I realize these verses were spoken to Israel's judges.  But, I think they can speak to you and I today as well.  Particularly, "rescue the poor and helpless" stands out to me today.  What are some ways you are rescuing the poor and helpless in your life today?  How are you delivering them from the grasp of evil people?   This actually reminds me of a couple of friends of mine who are so passionate about rescuing young girls from the sex slave industry in some Asian countries - I think Thailand is where they do most of their work.  Clearly, young girls that have to sell their bodies in this type of situation are under the grasp of evil people.  And I am so humbled by my friends' work toward delivering girls from this grasp.  My friends are only able to do this really well because of their relationship with Jesus.  Jesus is the true rescuer - first of my friends and now through my friends to these young girls.  But, wow, it makes me wonder if I am truly allowing Jesus to rescue the poor and helpless through me?  How about you?

Proverbs - Proverbs chapter 25 verses 9 & 10 is a strong teaching - "So discuss the matter with them privately. Don't tell anyone else, or others may accuse you of gossip. Then you will never regain your good reputation."  This Proverb stands out to me for when we see someone who perhaps sins.  Maybe a brother or sister in Christ has a moral failing.  And then the big question is this - will we discuss the matter directly with that person, to correct them.  OR - will we discuss the matter with others and be a gossip?  Don't get me wrong - there may be a time and a place to discuss the matter with others, such as a pastor, to get advice on how to discuss the matter with the person who stumbled.  But, we absolutely should not resort to simply being a gossip about someone else.  That's seeing one sin of someone else's and then creating another one of your own!  (note that even though this image below shows two women, men can gossip just as much as anyone else!)

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

Grace,
Mike

Comments

[Diane]

This really hits home with me.. We are going through just "stuff" at home. This is a great reminder of how we are to be in Christ. We are new creations designed by Him. Thank you.

[Vance Brown]

Jeremiah 19
1
The LORD said to me, "Go and buy a clay jar. Then ask some of the leaders of the people and of the priests to follow you.
2
Go out into the valley of the son of Hinnom by the entrance to the Potsherd Gate, and repeat to them the words that I give you.
3
Say to them, `Listen to this message from the LORD, you kings of Judah and citizens of Jerusalem! This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I will bring such a terrible disaster on this place that the ears of those who hear about it will ring!
4
" `For Israel has forsaken me and turned this valley into a place of wickedness. The people burn incense to foreign gods--idols never before worshiped by this generation, by their ancestors, or by the kings of Judah. And they have filled this place with the blood of innocent children.
5
They have built pagan shrines to Baal, and there they burn their sons as sacrifices to Baal. I have never commanded such a horrible deed; it never even crossed my mind to command such a thing!

10
"As these men watch, Jeremiah, smash the jar you brought with you.
11
Then say to them, `This is what the LORD Almighty says: As this jar lies shattered, so I will shatter the people of Judah and Jerusalem beyond all hope of repair. They will bury the bodies in Topheth until there is no more room.
12
This is what I will do to this place and its people, says the LORD. I will cause this city to become defiled like Topheth.

Jeremiah 20
7
O LORD, you persuaded me, and I allowed myself to be persuaded.
9
And I can't stop! If I say I'll never mention the LORD or speak in his name, his word burns in my heart like a fire. It's like a fire in my bones! I am weary of holding it in!

I like this note:
I really like this - "his word burns in my heart like a fire." Does God's word burn in your heart like a fire? Should it? Could it?

NOTE:
This morning on the radio, I heard the testimony of a missionary by the name of Heather Jamison who, at the age of 18, allowed herself to become sexually active with her boyfriend before they were married. She has written a book entitled, “Reclaiming Intimacy”, about her journey of faith after this sin.

Partial summary of the book:
Our culture has rejected God's plan for intimacy by promoting sexual promiscuity of various kinds and, as a consequence, has brought upon itself sexual diseases and relational dysfunctions.

Satan may have deceived you that there would be no physical, spiritual, or emotional consequences to "sleeping around" or that sex with someone you love is not wrong. God's Word is clear, however, about the seriousness of sexual sin and that believers are to flee immorality (1 Corinthians 6). Rather than drawing a couple closer, sex outside of marriage destroys relationships.

If this describes you, know that there is hope for complete healing and freedom. Single people can regain purity before God, and married couples can reclaim the intimacy they lost. We hope one or more of the following resources will assist you through the healing process and guide you to healthy relationships that please God and are more fulfilling that anything you could have imagined.

~~~

Heather Jamison made this statement on the radio this morning which really spoke to me: “Having sex outside is marriage is having selfish pleasure at the expense of the other person’s honor.”

MY SUMMARY of what she said was: Since problems were never really dealt with because of having sex before marriage, it is harder to deal with problems in marriage because honor has been destroyed.

Last night I read part of the testimony of Andrew Murray, an excellent author and Christian missionary from South Africa:

"I had never learnt with all my theology that obedience was possible," writes Murray. "My justification was as clear as noonday. I knew the hour in which I received from God the joy of pardon. I remember in my little room at Bloemfontein how I used to sit and think, What is the matter? Here I am, knowing that God has justified me in the blood of Christ, but I have no power for service. My thoughts, my words, my actions, my unfaithfulness -everything troubled me."

Then, in his book The Two Covenants and The Second Blessing, Andrew Murray says this: (it is EXCELLENT !)

"One of the words of Scripture, which is almost going out of fashion, is the word Covenant. There was a time when it was the keynote of the theology and the Christian life of strong and holy men. It [covenant] will be found still to bring strength and purpose to those who will take the trouble to bring all their life under control of the inspiring assurance that they are living in covenant with a God who has sworn faithfully to fulfil in them every promise He has given.

[I am] coming to the conclusion that we may come boldly into God's presence, and not only ask, but claim a Covenant right through Christ Jesus to all the spiritual searching, and cleansing, and knowledge, and power promised in the three great Covenant promises[.]

As long as we expect God to do for us what we ask or think, we limit Him.

When we believe that as high as the heavens are above the earth, His thoughts are above our thoughts, and wait on Him as God to do unto us according to His Word, as He means it, we shall be prepared to live the truly supernatural, heavenly life the Holy Spirit can work in us [which is] the true Christ life."

~~~

I PUT ALL OF THIS TOGETHER IN THIS WAY:
We all will thirst and hunger for something; to NOT have longings, feelings, and desires is NOT an option.

Either we will hunger and thirst for the loving Father and the Lord Jesus and obedience (EXAMPLE: Jeremiah) OR we will hunger and thirst for disobedience (EXAMPLE: the disobedient people of Israel or Heather Jamison in her disobedient sexual sin).

I am not pointing fingers at her. We all have sinned and gone our own way. We all need to repent, so we can be forgiven and restored.

But we have to learn from what Jeremiah models for us:

Jeremiah 20:7
O LORD, you persuaded me, and I allowed myself to be persuaded.

We have to allow ourselves to be persuaded. The devil always seeks to force the world and sin on us.

Jesus will not. Jesus gives, but we must willingly receive.

Or, to put the same thought in the words of Andrew Murray:

"As long as we expect God to do for us what we ask or think, we limit Him.

When we believe that as high as the heavens are above the earth, His thoughts are above our thoughts, and wait on Him as God to do unto us according to His Word, as He means it, we shall be prepared to live the truly supernatural, heavenly life the Holy Spirit can work in us [which is] the true Christ life."

Vance

[Ramona]

Jeremiah 19:1-21:14

The foolishness of man subverts his way [ruins his affairs]; then his heart is resentful and frets against the Lord. (Pro 19:3 AMP)

The above Proverb came to mind when I read in the 21st chapter that King Zedekiah sent the priest, Pashhur, to Jeremiah to inquire of God. Scripture tells us that Zedekiah cared nothing about the things of neither God nor God’s people. More than likely, based on the assignments and the messages God has given to Jeremiah, most of the priesthood, Levites and priests, had abandoned the commands of Moses and God, and the offices became strictly political.

Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began his eleven-year reign in Jerusalem. His mother was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. He did evil in the sight of the Lord, in keeping with all Jehoiakim had done.
(2Ki 24:18-19 AMP)
.
It is said that there are no atheist in “foxholes,” having never been in war I cannot attest to that truth, but having been in NYC on 9/11/01, I can tell you that people who were atheist were calling on “Something” in the aftermath of the planes being flown into the Twin Towers. Yet after they realized that they were not going to die that day, they went back to “raging” against the Lord. Faced with an advancing army, Zedekiah tried to reach out to Jeremiah’s God through a non-priestly priest. He had no interest in having a relationship with Jeremiah’s God so that God would become his God.

May we not be like those who seek God only during crises. May we not, after the crises has past and we find ourselves alive, rage against God and ask, “Where was God?”

I Thessalonians 5:4-28

14Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone.

We (the entire church body and society seem to have flipped the above admonishment. We try to encourage the lazy, instead of warning them about their laziness, and we oppress the timid instead of encouraging them. The bookshelves of bookstores are filled with books on motivating unmotivated people who are in truth, lazy. We oppress, intimidate and walk over the timid so that we can use them to get ahead. We put aside and step on those who are weak and we are impatient with everyone who is not like us because we are, after all, the epitome of righteousness, peach and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Psalm 82:1-8

The following verse has really caught my attention and I believe the writer used “irony” to make a point, a very big point,

3
"Give fair judgment to the poor and the orphan;
uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute.
4
Rescue the poor and helpless;
deliver them from the grasp of evil people.
5
But these oppressors know nothing;
they are so ignorant!
And because they are in darkness,
the whole world is shaken to the core.

Verse five is speaking to the same group that is being told to judge fairly so it must be addressing the judicial system. This seems to be a plea to those over the Israel’s legal system. This is saying that a corrupt judicial system shacks the very foundation of the world.

Grace and peace,
Ramona