October 20th readings

~ Click on this link for today's readings ~
Jeremiah 35:1-36:32 ~ 1 Timothy 5:1-25
Psalm 89:14-37 ~ Proverbs 25:25-27

Old Testament - Jeremiah chapter 35 today is a fantastic example of obedience from the Recabites!  Interestingly, the Recabites are being obedient to a human's word... This stands in stark contrast to the Israelites dis-obedience to God's Word... Do we do this sometimes in our lives? Obey human words and disobey God's Word?

Jeremiah 36 is a great chapter. It is awesome to read about the writing down of God's words to Jeremiah on a scroll by Baruch!  Unfortunately, that first scroll gets burned. Pretty crazy to think about King Jehoiakim listening to God's words in the scroll and then burning it as he listens...  I love how today's readings end in verse 32 - "Then Jeremiah took another scroll and dictated again to his secretary Baruch. He wrote everything that had been on the scroll King Jehoiakim had burned in the fire. Only this time, he added much more!" You bet God had Jeremiah add much more to the 2nd scroll after King Jehoiakim cut up and burned the first scroll!

New Testament - 1 Timothy 5:8 is a powerful teaching from Paul today: "But those who won't care for their own relatives, especially those living in the same household, have denied what we believe. Such people are worse than unbelievers." This is a great reminder to care for our parents as they get older. I have seen some family members and friends do this for their parents - and uncles and other relatives - and it is such a blessing to see. This reminds me of the commandment of "Honor thy father & mother." What a blessed way to honor your father and mother by caring for them when they are older!

Psalms - I love Psalm 89:15 today: "Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship, for they will walk in the light of your presence, Lord." Do you hear the joyful call to worship in your life? Do you worship God with a community of believers each week?  (i.e. at a church...)  Will you choose to walk in the light of God's presence each week?

Proverbs - Proverbs 25:6 today is strong: "If the godly compromise with the wicked, it is like polluting a fountain or muddying a spring." Is there an area in your life where you might be compromising? Will you return to the pure spring water of life?  Where can you find the pure spring water of life?  Will you stop polluting in your own life?

Proverbs 25:7 is strong too - "Just as it is not good to eat too much honey, it is not good for people to think about all the honors they deserve." Do you think we sometimes focus too much on honors and recognition? Can this cloud our sight of God? Why aren't we humble?  Should we be humble?  Why are we so attracted to all the honors "we deserve..."?  What do these honors gain us in the end? What does a life of humility before God gain us in the end?

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 35
15
I have sent you prophet after prophet to tell you to turn from your wicked ways and to stop worshiping other gods, so that you might live in peace here in the land I gave to you and your ancestors. But you would not listen to me or obey.
16
The families of Recab have obeyed their ancestor completely, but you have refused to listen to me.'

NOTE:
PRAY FOR ME! I am doing a lesson in our cell group on Friday evening about “the shoes of Peace”, part of the armor of God.

Ephesians 6
15
And having shod your feet in preparation [to face the enemy with the firm-footed stability, the promptness, and the readiness produced by the good news] of the Gospel of peace.

PEACE. We will ONLY experience it if we yield to the Lord, listen to His Word, repent, and invite the Spirit to indwell and govern our lives.

Jeremiah 36
3
Perhaps the people of Judah will repent if they see in writing all the terrible things I have planned for them. Then I will be able to forgive their sins and wrongdoings."

NOTE:
God paid for salvation in the Lord Jesus. In fact, that the Father no longer counts sins against them! However, without repentance, they cannot receive forgiveness!

2 Corinthians 5 (Amplified)
19
It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself, not counting up and holding against [men] their trespasses [but cancelling them], and committing to us the message of reconciliation (of the restoration to favor).

I Timothy 5
8
But those who won't care for their own relatives, especially those living in the same household, have denied what we believe. Such people are worse than unbelievers.

QUESTION / NOTE:
I admit that I am still seeking the Lord about how to understand loyalty to family and loyalty to Jesus. TRUE PEACE is rooted in ALWAYS putting the Lord Jesus FIRST, serving Him out of love and worship.

COMPARE what the Holy Spirit said in I Timothy 5:8 with the reality of what the Lord Jesus said in Matthew 10 (Amplified):
34
Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.
35
For I have come to part asunder a man from his father, and a daughter from her mother, and a newly married wife from her mother-in-law—
36
And a man's foes will be they of his own household.
37
He who loves [and takes more pleasure in] father or mother more than [in] Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves [and takes more pleasure in] son or daughter more than [in] Me is not worthy of Me;

~~~
As I try to understand how to put these two passages together, I come up with this:
a. God always calls us to truly love our relatives, but ALWAYS to love the Lord Jesus MORE.

b. Even if our family is against us, or disowns us, as we follow the Lord Jesus, we are ALWAYS called to find ways to provide for them.

“As far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.”

Proverbs 25
6
"If the godly compromise with the wicked, it is like polluting a fountain or muddying a spring."

NOTE:
This verse makes me realize that we need to take great care about the deep friendships we have and the people we marry. If we make a covenant with these friends or with a spouse, we will pollute our lives!

1 Corinthians 15 (Amplified)
33
Do not be so deceived and misled! Evil companionships (communion, associations) corrupt and deprave good manners and morals and character.

2 Corinthians 6 (Amplified)
14
Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers [do not make mismated alliances with them or come under a different yoke with them, inconsistent with your faith]. For what partnership have right living and right standing with God with iniquity and lawlessness? Or how can light have fellowship with darkness?
15
What harmony can there be between Christ and Belial [the devil]? Or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?
16
What agreement [can there be between] a temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God; even as God said, I will dwell in and with and among them and will walk in and with and among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

Vance

[Michael Stone]

Contrasts..,

I think of Timothy 5 and some of my Old Nature likes to war with my new,,,,

In my much younger days I liked my relationship so much with God, I wanted to stay alone with Him ALL THE TIME and enjoyed a rather spoiled rotten existence.

So much so that to this day some foolishly wish to experience much of what I have gone thru...but like many who have suffered greatly there is more to being blessed than meets the eye.

My Point?

But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

My eary days... and most of my growth.... and use by God..., has come from being involed in the Jesus Movement and in particular Calvary Chapels.

While many ministries around us grew it seemed that "where God abides, God provides" and Trusting in God to lead..., provided means and opportunity not for oppulence but compassion.

Around the World at this time we have many needs and crisis that most of us in the old days said, "Praise the Lord" packed our back packs and went and lived with those needy and helped live our gospel.

The good news wasn't salvation, it was the person seeing IN us God WITH us.

In other words, God Did and Accomplished because we were there personally with all we had to share in the suffering.

Not detached from it with a Government loan or a money sent.... but because our hope was greater than the catastrophe, we saw opportunity to BE JESUS to helpless and hopeless.

When Jeremiah warned, it wasn't as though God didn't know what the results would be, but we needed a record to be reminded God had done all He would..., and then whose part and whose turn was it?

Jeremiahs, mine, yours.

God warned Moses He would wipe out the children of Israel at Sinai as He was Up on the Mountain and the Balance of One man interceeding saved the Chosen....just one man.

I see this and I wonder:

But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

My life I lost so too speak in helping my mother eventually come to Jesus...then my sisters, and I was the most obnoxious person that eventually in mercy God Saved my family anyways just to spare them the agony...

At 49 years of age I am here to say all the divestment of time, energy, personal cost, even personal relationships has been returned with interest.

But as we see some churchs choose a greater beauty and diversity...even a greater influence I want to know if...

We took that extra bedroom, living room, church, tithing, New coat, new shoes, fast food date, new car, cable bill, computer...

If in fact took in strangers...from Katrina, from New Orleans, Alabama, Ghana, Sudan...,

If we didn't build a new build a New Sanctuary..., or a New Orleans..., but a new set of friends, a new set of families... I wonder...

If as Vance Quoted

I will dwell in and with and among them and will walk in and with and among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

In Alaska I have "grubstaked" many people to come here and live. (I came up at a time my state, Oregon was dirt poor and God sent me with a backpack, a thumb, Strongs concordance and a bible)

Simple Rules:

No Rent. No Paybacks. I will help you get started then your on your own.

Not all stayed or made it and not all were trustworthy but you know all did in fact know that

"we are the temple of the living God; even as God said, I will dwell in and with and among them and will walk in and with and among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people."

(Most of the time I never witnessed Jesus to them, in fact almost hid it, but somehow, someway, they know...Oh and I am no Saint!!!)

Not everyone can live as I do, but many church's that have room for pews on Sunday, I hope have room for disasters on Monday and shipwrecked lives the rest of the week...

because we are the church.

In us is the warnings.

In our hearts are the rechabites.

And In our families in disaster, our bretren in need, (no matter their mind set, when a hurricane hits you help) ought and better be our First Ministry,

Second to that shoould be everyone else..,

Who cares what FEMA did, or the Mayor, or the Police.

What Will God Who Lives In Me and You do?

What will we do?

Does God send checks and the government which Jeremiah saw was corrupt,

Or has he sent us, or sends us, a warning.

Michael

[humanly]

This site is God-sent. Thanks for the insights and an encouragement in my spiritual walk.

Michael Stone, you represent little mercies to the suffering. Praise God for using you to comfort others less fortunate.

Ramona, I keep you in my prayers.

I am much transformed by this Bible Study. Thanks, every one.