October 19th readings

~ Click on this link for today's readings ~
Jeremiah 33:1-34:22 ~ 1 Timothy 4:1-16
Psalm 89:1-13 ~ Proverbs 25:23-24

Old Testament - Okay - this is a very exciting day of readings for me today! We get the infamous Jeremiah 33:3 verse (NIV) - "'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.'" Why is this verse infamous? Because it was on the cover of a U2 album, "All that you can't leave behind." :)  If you have this CD, check out the cover photo,  (or just look below) and you'll see the fellas in the band standing beneath a sign in the airport that has been altered to read J33-3. Bono has said that J33-3 is God's phone number. :)   I like that.  Who knew God had a phone number?

Back to our regularly scheduled blog... Jeremiah 33 is a great chapter today! A lot of powerful verses. Verses 15 & 16 are great Messianic verses, harkening back to Jeremiah 23:6 (The Lord our righteousness) - ""In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David's line; he will do what is just and right in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness.'"

Verse 22 is a great verse echoing the covenant promises to Abraham - "I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countless as the stars of the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore."

Verse 18 threw me for a loop initially, trying to figure out how this could still be - "nor will the priests, who are Levites, ever fail to have a man to stand before me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present sacrifices.'" I wondered - where are the Levites today? Fortunately, I read a commentary that set me straight - Jesus is fulfilling this ministry for us today. Jesus is our Levitical priest standing before God. Beautiful, eh?  Do you consider Jesus to be your High Priest?

Jeremiah chapter 34 is interesting with the Freedom for the slaves - and then the reversal of that decision. Could this story remind us of our lives at times? Do we sometimes promise God that we'll do something he wants us to do? Maybe even start to do it? And then change our minds?  Why are we not consistent with what we tell God we will do?  Let us pray for consistency in our spiritual walk.

New Testament - Today in 1 Timothy 4:7-8 we will read: “Train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” How are you doing on training yourself to be godly? Do you believe this is something you can be trained in? Are you practicing spiritual disciplines on a regular basis? Spiritual disciplines might include: prayer, journaling, quiet time, fasting, retreats, Sabbaths, reading the Bible J , to name a few. If you’d like to learn more about Spiritual Disciplines, I highly recommend that you pick up Richard Foster’s book “Celebration of Discipline.” Or, check out this website link for some more ideas on spiritual disciplines you might want to practice regularly: http://www.spirithome.com/spirdisc.html

Psalms - Psalm 89 verse 11 is so powerful for us to remember - "The heavens are yours, and the earth is yours; everything in the world is yours--you created it all."  Everything in this world is God's.  Everything.  This means every single person we meet is God's.  However... they might not realize it.  But, I think it is important for us to remember that every single person we meet - no matter how "bad" they may seem or whatever - is still made in the image of God.  And there is the possibility of that person getting to know they are God's.  There is the possibility of redemption - not by our human power, but by the power of God.  I think sometimes we go through our day thinking the world is bad.  People are bad.  It all is bad.  And certainly, it is a fallen world.  But it is still God's world - and yes, the devil is thrashing around his temptations as rapidly as he can in the hearts of men and women.  This is the great spiritual battle.  But, God is so much stronger than the devil.  The name of Jesus expels the devil quicker than anything.   So, know that while we are in a fallen world, it is God's world.  Everything in this world is God's.  What are you and I doing to let others know that they are God's - particularly if they don't know it?  What are we doing to bless others with the knowledge that there is another Way than the devil's temptations in this world?  What are we doing?  Really.  What are we doing with our lives to let others know about Jesus?  Whew... this one gets to me for some reason.  There are people suffering so much in our world.  If only they knew there was another way....   Will you help to show them to the Way?

Continuing on the thoughts in the paragraph above - take a moment to reflect on this image below.  Wow... Can you make out the angel on the right coming from the prayers of the woman to defend her from the evil one?  Who are we praying for today to defend them from the evil one?

Proverbs - Today's Proverbs verses are great teachings of - 1. don't gossip.  2. don't be contentious.  Or if you are a gossip or if you are contentious, then you just might find your spouse hiding from you in the attic...  :)

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]

I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU for the following web site: www.spirithome.com/spirdisc.html.
It is very challenging and encouraging! Again, I want to say: THANK YOU!

In a world where there are no encouragers to really seek God—and even when those closest to me in my family do not encourage me to really seek God—websites like this are a REAL blessing! THANK YOU!

JEREMIAH 33
3
Ask me and I will tell you some remarkable secrets about what is going to happen here.
17
For this is what the LORD says: David will forever have a descendant sitting on the throne of Israel.
18
And there will always be Levitical priests to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings and sacrifices to me."

JEREMIAH 34
10
The officials and all the people had obeyed the king's command,
11
but later they changed their minds. They took back the people they had freed, making them slaves again.
12
So the LORD gave them this message through Jeremiah:…
16
BUT NOW YOU HAVE SHRUGGED OFF YOUR OATH and defiled my name by taking back the men and women you had freed, making them slaves once again.

I TIMOTHY 4
7
Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives' tales. SPEND YOUR TIME AND ENERGY IN TRAINING YOURSELF FOR SPIRITUAL FITNESS.
14
DO NOT NEGLECT THE SPIRITUAL GIFT YOU RECEIVED through the prophecies spoken to you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you.
16
Keep a close watch on yourself and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right, and God will save you and those who hear you.

~~~

Rees Howells is a wonderful man whose life entered into the victory that Jesus paid for. He not only entered into victory for his life, but for others. For, as the Ascended Lord Jesus is THE intercessor, so Jesus trained Rees Howells to be an intercessor. Rees Howells really is an example of Jeremiah 33:17, 18 – to be a priest always offering sacrifices to Jesus.

“Intercession is not substitution for sin. There has only ever been one substitute for a world of sinners: Jesus the Son of God. But intercession so identifies the intercessor with the sufferer that it gives him a prevailing place with God…”

“Mr. Howells would often speak of ‘the gained position of intercession,’ and the truth of it is obvious on many occasions in his life. It is a fact of experience. The price is paid, the obedience is fulfilled, the inner wrestlings and groanings take their full course, and then ‘the word of the Lord comes.’ The weak channel is clothed with authority by the Holy Ghost and can speak the word of deliverance. ‘Greater works’ are done. Not only this, but a new position in grace is gained and maintained, although even then that grace can only be appropriated and applied in each instance under the guidance of the Spirit.”

MY NOTE:
So, we need to make sure we do not “shrug off” and “neglect” our calling. Rather, by the PERSEVERING grace of God, we can “make our calling and election sure” (2 Peter 1:10)

VANCE

[Ramona]

To my fellow travelers through the One Year Bible,

I'll be "vacating" to Seattle a city in the State of Washington, USA (for my travelers who live outside of the United State). I will be back in about 10 days.

Grace and peace to everyone and God Bless,

Ramona