~ Click on this link for today's readings ~
Jeremiah 51:54-52:34 ~ Titus 3:1-15
Psalm 100:1-5 ~ Proverbs 26:18-19
Old Testament - We reach the end of the book of Jeremiah today! :( This has been a fascinating book for me to read this year. I definitely learned a lot more about prophets, the fall of Jerusalem and Babylon. I hope this has been a good learning experience for you as well. Jeremiah chapter 51 closes out Jeremiah's prophecies, ending with his prophecies against Babylon. Tomorrow we start the book of Lamentations. And actually, we're getting a good set up for Lamentations in Chapter 52 of Jeremiah today. I think as you read the end of chapter 51, you might think - okay, this should be the end of this book, correct, as verse 64 in chapter 51 tells us - "This is the end of Jeremiah's messages." But... chapter 52 is in here to remind the readers of the fall of Jerusalem, and to segueway into the book of Lamentations. Below is the painting "Jeremiah Laments the Devastation of Jerusalem" by Rembrandt. (Panel, 1630. Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum.)

Chapter 52 is sad to read - particularly when you think back to all of the work of the Israelites in Solomon's day in creating the temple. Also I think back to the work of others earlier in the Old Testament who built up the walls of Jerusalem. All of this destroyed and burned. I read somewhere that it's speculated that the Ark of the Covenant was probably destroyed during this time period, in the fire at the Temple. It is so sad to think about this day in Jerusalem's history...

At the very end of chapter 52 we see a few verses giving hope for Israel's line to continue. So, how has been reading the book of the prophet Jeremiah been for you? What have you learned from this book? How can you apply these learnings to your life today? Whenever we reach the end of any book in the Bible, I like to take a few moments to sit back and think about what God taught me through that particular book. I hope you can find this time to do the same whenever you reach the end of reading or studying a book in the Bible.

New Testament - Today we also finish up Paul's letter to Titus. The first couple verses of chapter 3 are interesting to me - "Remind your people to submit to the government and its officers. They should be obedient, always ready to do what is good. They must not speak evil of anyone, and they must avoid quarreling. Instead, they should be gentle and show true humility to everyone." It looks like Paul is reminding the church at that time to submit to governmental authority - being obedient. And doing what is good. Obeying laws of the government seems to be implied here. This reminds me of Jesus saying in the Gospels - "give to Caesar what is Caesar's. And to God what is God." So, there does certainly seem to be a call to be good citizens of the communities we live in - as we strive to be good citizens of the kingdom of God simultaneously. Do you think these two can happen simultaneously? Or are there points where there may be a conflict between our obedience to God and obedience to the world's civil laws & governments?

Psalms - Today we read Psalm 100! I will copy this short Psalm below. Does this Psalm speak to you? Do you feel joy while reading this song? I recently read much of “The Life You’ve Always Wanted” by John Ortberg – a great book by the way - and he has a great chapter on JOY being a spiritual discipline. It is amazing to realize that Joy is a gift from God we should be experiencing every day. I pray you are experiencing joy as a spiritual discipline! Think this Psalmist in Psalm 100 was?

Psalm 100
A psalm. For giving thanks.
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
When is the last time you shouted for joy to God? Do you regularly worship God with gladness? Do you come before our Heavenly Father with joyful songs? Do you know that you are God’s? Is this fact alone worth being joyful about each and every day?

Proverbs - Proverbs 26 verses 18 & 19 are so true... "Just as damaging as a mad man shooting a lethal weapon is someone who lies to a friend and then says, "I was only joking." Please don't lie to your friends ever as a joke... this is such a bad idea... In my past I did lose a friendship this way, which I deeply regret. Lying jokes aren't funny at all!

What verses or insights stand out to you in today's readings? Please post up in the Comments section below!
Grace,
Mike
GREETINGS in the Lord! This is my first www.oneyearbibleblog.com daily reading / meditation in the English Standard Version! PTL !
Jeremiah 51 (ESV)
55
For the LORD is laying Babylon waste and stilling her mighty voice.
56
for a destroyer has come upon her, upon Babylon;
for the LORD is a God of recompense; He will surely repay.
61
And Jeremiah said to Seraiah: "When you come to Babylon, see that you read all these words,
62
and say, 'O LORD, you have said concerning this place that you will cut it off, so that nothing shall dwell in it, neither man nor beast, and it shall be desolate forever.'
NOTE:
God ALWAYS fulfills His Word—in contrast to the “public relations” that people give God today. All of the accusations that God is unfaithful or all of the honest questions about where is God when there is suffering will be fully answered: the LORD is a God of recompense; He will surely repay.
Note that the Lord instructed Jeremiah to say to Seraiah to speak out loud words that God will fulfill His Word. There is something powerful about our words—they act like a seal. It is like signing for a package from UPS when it comes to the door. When we sign—when we speak—we affirm something is true and we receive it.
Titus 3 (ESV)
1
Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work,
2
to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.
3
For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.
4
But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared,
5
he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,
6
whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
7
so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
NOTE:
We are submissive to authority as unto the Lord—as much as possible, when their orders do not go against the Lord’s Word. We are to be eager and enthusiastic—as unto the Lord!
We are to speak evil of no one and be gentle, and work diligently to show “perfect courtesy” to all people.
I like that phrase: “perfect courtesy”. Not just being lazy, but WORK TO PERFECT RESPECT for others.
WE SHOW GRACE because WE HAVE BEEN SAVED BY GRACE.
ALSO NOTE verse 7:
so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
BY GRACE, WE ARE JUSTIFIED (declared righteous)!
THEN, we are called to go the next step: TO BECOME HEIRS ACCORDING TO THE CERTAIN GUARANTEED HOPE OF ETERNAL LIFE.
The fact that it states, “that….we MIGHT become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” seems to indicate that we can fall short of the FULLNESS OF our inheritance in Christ while on earth.
In light of this, I like this verse:
Ephesians 3 (Amplified)
16
May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the [Holy] Spirit [Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality].
MAY WE EXPERIENCE THE FULLNESS OF WHAT GOD HAS FOR US TODAY FULLY GIVING OURSELVES TO HIM!
To paraphrase D.L. Moody:
“The world has yet to see what God will do through a man totally yielded to Him.”
Vance
Posted by: Vance Brown | October 28, 2005 at 05:06 AM
Thoughtfully...,
Often thru the years I hear and see things I know work well for people to think about God and be redirected to Him but sometimes I wonder.
(I am glad it is God by His Spirit who directs and applies the Word of God individually to each one of our lives. The reason is I can really confuse things easily)
But So often I see things like a sound bite or a attention grapping title I worry if I am seeking to interpret God at times and His will for me..., and not simply Trust and Obey.
I see things and read things...even experience one or two...where my reading makes no sense...my understanding doesn't fit...my mind is left we wandering and as unlikely as all that is....somehow when simply letting God be in charge....he makes that Crooked Piece of the puzzle fit the missing picture I am assembling on the table of my life.
Wierd...,
So sometimes I am taken back by the ideas of "Be all you can be" for God Messages I happen to hear or read.
I thank God that again he can use that to apply to someone who needs a "shot in the arm" to make thier vocation and avocation for an opportunity to serve thier Lord.
Me, well I get a little ansy when I try to put my world around me into God's will for me. Seems like it's alot more like Jerusalem of Old with judgement coming then New Jerusalem we have yet to see.
For me, to know Him and really in many ways suffering the fellowship of his suffering FOR knowing him seems to be His Will for me.
I really hope for all of us we aren't like Jerusalem and don't have some Jeremiah's running around warning our Gov't or Leaders that we need to go another direction.
I would rather His Will for us all is not so much to lead or to do as to Know Him. To Know God.
Seems like most of Jeremiah was to warn and to write it down then Hide and wait on the Lord.
I know many of my Brothers and Sisters in the Lord enjoy a wider sphere of influence and in affluent circles do politics, sports, ministry, every aspect of life under the sun, but I wish really we all were a little more ready with open arms and hearts in a personal way to be ready to help when the disasters hit people's lives....then ready to send and rebuild relief.
I know when I am devastated...My God comes to me where I am...and holds and helps me...sometimes miraculously (those are cool) and sometimes practically (still miraculously when I see HOW it happened)
I think for me Knowing Him is what I daily seek more of...and finding Him even in Jerusalems destruction and instruction,
as well as in world disasters and inviting someone into my home....
is really enough...more than enough for me to try to grasp.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Just me rambling...,
Posted by: Michael Stone | October 29, 2005 at 01:43 PM