October 18th readings

~ Click on this link for today's readings ~
Jeremiah 31:27-32;44 ~ 1 Timothy 3:1-16
Psalm 88:1-18 ~ Proverbs 25:20-22

Old Testament - Jeremiah chapter 31 today is encouraging reading! Seems we've rounded the corner from the coming destruction / captivity prophecies from Jeremiah, and we're God is now speaking about rebuilding Jerusalem. I think we get a good Messianic glimpse here in verse 31: ""The day will come," says the Lord, "when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah." The new covenant is coming!

Today in Jeremiah 31:33 we read: “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts.” This verse reminds me of the importance, I believe, in memorizing scripture – not just reading scripture, but memorizing it and writing it upon our hearts. I have been amazed oftentimes how Proverbs 3:5-6 comes to my mind and heart at some very needed and specific times. (if you can only memorize 2 scripture verses, please memorize these Proverbs verses) Do you memorize scripture? Do you not just memorize it, but internalize its teachings and meanings into your heart? Do you see the value in memorizing scripture and writing it upon your heart?  Actually, I want to commend Ramona for reminding me recently that we should not just memorize scripture simply so that we can know the Bible better with just head knowledge - we should only memorize scripture if we come to know God better through the process.  Memorizing scripture, if we're not careful, can actually be distracting from knowing who God is and His character.  Thanks Ramona!  :)

Jeremiah Chapter 32 is intriguing. God asks Jeremiah to buy land - even though all of the land of Jerusalem will soon fall under captivity. Jeremiah is - once again - obedient. God goes on in this chapter to indeed confirm that Jerusalem will fall - but that God will eventually restore the Israelites back to Jerusalem and buying and selling of land will occur again. Interesting chapter. The call to Jeremiah to buy land was to set the stage for reminding the Israelites that they will soon lose this ability, but it will come back to them again eventually.  I like this example.  What about you in your life today - is there anything God is asking you to be obedient in?  Even if you perhaps won't see an "immediate" return on your investment of your obedience, will you obey God?  Is the eternal return on your investment of obedience worth it?  Below is an image of Jeremiah in the court of the prison buying his kinsman's field -

New Testament - Paul's teachings in 1 Timothy 3 gives some great rules & regs for leaders in a church. It all makes a lot of sense. I would encourage anyone who has interest in leading in your church - or if you are currently leading in your church - to prayerfully read through these. How are you doing on these? Are there some areas in your life discussed here that need redeeming?   One of my favorite verses in all of these is verse 5 - "For if a man cannot manage his own household, how can he take care of God's church?"  How very true is that?  How are you doing in managing your own household?

Verse 16 today beautifully demonstrates Jesus' divinity and his humanity:
"Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith:
Christ appeared in the flesh
and was shown to be righteous by the Spirit.
He was seen by angels
and was announced to the nations.
He was believed on in the world
and was taken up into heaven."
Do you believe in everything written above?  When is the last time you meditated upon the fact that Jesus ascended into heaven?

Psalms - Psalm 88 is quite a Psalm...  Interestingly many churches read this Psalm during their Good Friday liturgies, interpreting this Psalm as a prayer of Jesus suffering on the road to Golgotha.  Take a read through this Psalm again with this perspective...

Proverbs - Proverbs 25 verse 20 is intriguing to me today - "Singing cheerful songs to a person whose heart is heavy is as bad as stealing someone's jacket in cold weather or rubbing salt in a wound." I've always kind of thought you should try to "cheer someone up" when they are feeling down.  But... this Proverb seems to suggest otherwise?  Actually, this does remind me that if someone is grieving the loss of a loved one, we should allow them to grieve.  If they don't grieve now, they'll grieve later.  It's better to go through the grieving process than to repress it.  So, let us be judicious in when we sing cheerful songs to someone whose heart is heavy...  They probably don't need to see these 3 folks below at their doorstep early on in the grieving process...

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

Grace,
Mike

Comments

[Ramona]

>>Memorizing scripture, if we're not careful, can actually be distracting from knowing who God is and His character. Thanks Ramona! :)>>

Ahh Geeze Mike you’re making me “blush.” I am so grateful for your commitment to daily keeping up this sight so we can come and share, be challenged and inspired, and encouraged to stay in the Word.

Experientially I know that reading the Word daily can become like getting up in the morning and brushing one’s teeth, done without thought because it has become habitual and reflexive. I know a former atheist who read the Bible for twenty-eight years daily to cull information to use to beat Christians over the head who did not or refused to study the Word. Then there was the one who I was “friendly” with in College who read, “Because I don’t know why, but it makes me calm when I get upset,” yet refused to investigate at the time the reason the Bible calmed her down.

Reading through the Bible yearly can become as dry as three day old burnt toast when what is being read is not speaking to you NOW; but, when the Word speaks it can blow your mind and you have to restrain yourself when you get a revelation on a previously read passage that comes alive. I know I have wanted to run up and down the aisle of a Subway car during rush hour shouting “Glory!” and possibly “Hallelujah!” when understanding comes. If not in actuality but in my spirit I have traveled the length of a Subway car, back and forth, several times.

Grace and peace,
Ramona

P.S. And to “humanly” thank you for your kind words. We are all like the blind man surrounding the elephant. Each pair of hands feels it one perspective. It is not until we begin sharing what we feel that we get the entire picture of what the elephant really is.

[Vance Brown]

PROVERBS 25
21
If your enemies are hungry, give them food to eat. If they are thirsty, give them water to drink.
22
You will heap burning coals on their heads, and the LORD will reward you.

NOTE:
Verses 21 and 22 are the context of this verse:
20
Singing cheerful songs to a person whose heart is heavy is as bad as stealing someone's jacket in cold weather or rubbing salt in a wound.

SO…
I see verses 20 – 22 (a text without context is a mere pretext) as the call to obey what the Lord Jesus said through the Apostle John in I John 3 (Amplified):
18
Little children, let us not love [merely] in theory or in speech but in deed and in truth (in practice and in sincerity).

~~~
In other words, simply do not bless with words, by with the action of Love and Giving of the Holy Spirit!

~~~

ALSO, note the context the Holy Spirit places verses 21 and 22 in Romans 12 (Amplified):
14
Bless those who persecute you [who are cruel in their attitude toward you]; bless and do not curse them.
15
Rejoice with those who rejoice [sharing others' joy], and weep with those who weep [sharing others' grief].
16
Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty (snobbish, high-minded, exclusive), but readily adjust yourself to [people, things] and give yourselves to humble tasks. Never overestimate yourself or be wise in your own conceits.
17
Repay no one evil for evil, but take thought for what is honest and proper and noble [aiming to be above reproach] in the sight of everyone.
18
If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
19
Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave the way open for [God's] wrath; for it is written, Vengeance is Mine, I will repay (requite), says the Lord.
20
But if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head.
21
DO NOT LET YOURSELF BE OVERCOME BY EVIL, BUT OVERCOME (MASTER) EVIL WITH GOOD.

HOW DO we overcome—master—evil with good? Certainly not through the flesh! Even if the flesh wants to obey, the human nature CANNOT fulfill God’s will! As Romans 8 (Amplified) says:
7
[That is] because the mind of the flesh [with its carnal thoughts and purposes] is hostile to God, for it does not submit itself to God's Law; indeed it cannot.

~~~

I have been reading a book called “Rees Howells: Intercessor”. What a thoroughly joyful and convicting book! He is a very godly man in heaven with the Lord Jesus who lived in Wales while on earth.

Note the description of Rees Howells on the back of this book: “Rees Howells was a man uniquely taught of God who found the key to prevailing prayer, became the channel of a mighty revival in Africa, was taught the principles of divine healing, and progressed even further in faith until world events were affected by his prayers.”

I would like to quote something from this book about Rees Howells that, in my mind, summarizes what I hear the Lord saying. The Lord had been dealing with Rees Howells to literally follow the Holy Spirit and walk in love and give as the Spirit led.

“ It was then that the Spirit showed him both a commandment and a promise. To the rich young man the Savior had given the command, ‘Sell all that thou hast and distribute unto the poor…and come, follow Me.’ And to those who did so follow He had promised, ‘There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or lands for My sake and the gospel’s, but he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time [with persecutions].’ ”

Then comes the excellent and wonderful obedience and application in Rees Howells’ life:

“The day came when he reach his last pound. The Holy Spirit then told him, ‘ Cut the ropes and take the promises. ’ It was a direct call to step out on God. But it is always easier to talk of such things than actually to do them. It had been much easier to give 100 pounds out of plenty than to part with this last 1 (one) pound and come to the end of his savings—for the first time in fifteen years.”

“ ‘ Oh, how the devil pitied me and brought such arguments! ’ he said. ‘ He told me it would be a step in the dark and that if there was a convention or anything of that kind, I wouldn’t be able to go unless I had 1 (one) pound laid by. But the Holy Ghost showed me that if God wanted me to go anywhere, He would surely provide the means. ’ ”

THEN NOTE THIS MOST EXCELLENT “CROWN JEWEL” MEDITATION:
Rees Howells goes on to say:
“ ‘ The danger was on the other side: for if a person has money, he can go without consulting God, like Jonah, who could afford to pay his passage to run away from Him! THE FACT IS, WE CAN NEVER REALLY BE BONDSERVANTS UNTIL GOD DOES CONTROL OUR MEANS. ’ ”

How can we live the way that the Holy Spirit teaches in Romans 12, which is from Proverbs 25?

By loving and giving through the Holy Spirit!

Romans 12 (Amplified)
20
But if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head.
21
DO NOT LET YOURSELF BE OVERCOME BY EVIL, BUT OVERCOME (MASTER) EVIL WITH GOOD.

I John 3 (Amplified)
18
Little children, let us not love [merely] in theory or in speech but in deed and in truth (in practice and in sincerity).

Vance

[Ramona]

Jeremiah 31:27-32:44

There were three things in today’s reading that spoke to me two of the three had to do with children.

The first passage, Jeremiah 31:-37-38.
Thus says the Lord, Who gives the sun for a light by day and the fixed order of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, Who stirs up the sea's roaring billows or stills the waves when they roar--the Lord of hosts is His name: If these ordinances [of fixed order] depart from before Me, says the Lord, then the posterity of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before Me throughout the ages. Thus says the Lord: If the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, then I will cast off all the offspring of Israel for all that they have done, says the Lord. (Jer 31:35-37 AMP)

There are many Believers who think that God has abandoned Israel because of her sins. That is far from the truth. God has promised back in Genesis, 8: 22 As long as the earth remains, there will be springtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, day and night." As long as that continues God will never abandoned Israel. Yes, He may chastise them, and He has; He may “prune” that which is dead and cut back the productive parts, but they will always be His people. Tread very carefully if you “Bad-Mouth” God’s folks, natural Israel, the Jews, as well as “spiritual” Israel, Christians.

In the 32nd chapter there are two passages dealing with children. In verses 16-18 we read,
16 Then after I had given the papers to Baruch, I prayed to the LORD: 17"O Sovereign LORD! You have made the heavens and earth by your great power. Nothing is too hard for you! 18You are loving and kind to thousands, though children suffer for their parents' sins. (NLT)

And in the same chapter, verses 32-35, we read,

They have turned away from me instead of turning to me. I tried over and over again to instruct them, but they did not listen and respond to correction. They set up their disgusting idols in the house which I have claimed for my own and defiled it. They built places of worship for the god Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom so that they could sacrifice their sons and daughters to the god Molech. Such a disgusting practice was not something I commanded them to do. It never even entered my mind to command them to do such a thing. The result of their doing all this has been to make Judah liable for punishment.' (Jer 32:33-35 NET.)

Verses 16-18 are the words of Jeremiah; however, verses 32-35 are the Words of God. We must remember how much God cares for children. Jesus spoke of one who offends and causes a child to sin might as well take a big stone used for grinding wheat, and tie in around his neck and go jump in a lake. (Matthew 18:5). In the first passage, 16-18, Jeremiah states what would seem obvious; children suffer for their parent’s sins.

It seems that if we really understand that our sins cause pain and hurt to our children, then if we truly value them as gifts from God, our choices that end in sin would stop. My pastor has stated that we must serve the choices we make. However, most of our choices that we must serve, 99% of the time impact others and the “others that are greatly impacted are children. When someone drives DWI and kills or severely injures someone, the person harmed or killed has served a choice someone else made. However, if that person that is harmed or killed has children, then the children get the short-end-of-the-stick. We have placed the children’s future in jeopardy because we wanted to drink.

In the second passage, God charges the people will child sacrifice. I believe that the Bible, thus God, speaks to us in one of three ways, literal, figurative and symbolically. Sometimes the voice is specific to one of the three, but often it may be a combination of the three. . When we serve our own interest at the expense of our children, I believe we are sacrificing them on Moloch’s alter. We may not be going down to the valley and building an alter; throwing our children on top and setting it ablaze literally, but we sure are doing it figuratively.

May we study the “father” attribute of God and seek to model that for our children. In Jesus’ mighty and glorious name, Amen.

[Borgendorf]

Thanks for that image of Jesus with the cross for Psalm 88. When I first read it (before reading your comments) I was amazed at how different it seemed. I kept waiting for it to end with a praise, but it seemed like God was ignoring this person. Thinking of it as Jesus saying it makes a powerful statement, and oh how it must have also torn God apart to hear that cry and know that His will is perfect.