October 9th readings

~ Click on this link for today's readings ~
Jeremiah 12:1-14:10 ~ 1 Thessalonians 1:1-2:8
Psalm 79:1-13 ~ Proverbs 24:30-34

Old Testament - Today's readings are a bit unique in that the Jeremiah chapters relate quite directly to Psalm 79. Psalm 79 being post-destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar et. al. It's interesting to see pre- & post- destruction. The Jeremiah readings today may seem to you a bit tough to read. It is sad to see the coming destruction. As I read through these verses I wonder about Jeremiah. How tough it must have been on him to know what was coming. Though, there were people that wanted to kill him, so perhaps at times he agreed with God on what was coming.

It's also interesting for me to read these chapters in Jeremiah as I recently read Brennan Manning's book, "The Ragamuffin Gospel". (amazing read... please read this if you haven't yet!) The question kind of comes up for me - is this the same God Brennan was writing about? :) And I of course believe so. I think that I see that the life of Jesus on Earth was obviously between the time of Jeremiah and the time of Brennan. And I believe Christ's suffering and death took on our sins - and this act had obviously not taken place in Jeremiah's time.  I believe God is very graceful. I can see how reading chapters like these in Jeremiah may bring that in question in some ways. However, keep in mind that God is often saying in these chapters - "come back to me", "repent", "abandon your idols" - and no one listens. I think God was giving chance after chance after chance of repentance...

Jeremiah 12:16 is fascinating for me today: "And if these nations quickly learn the ways of my people, and if they learn to swear by my name, saying, `As surely as the Lord lives' (just as they taught my people to swear by the name of Baal), then they will be given a place among my people."  I think that's pretty powerful that God is saying if these foreign nations (i.e. not Israel / Judah) learn to swear by His name that they will be giving a place among His people. That's powerful. It reminds me of Paul's dream & realization in Acts that the Gospel was not just for the Jews but for the Gentiles too.

Today in Jeremiah chapter 13 we read a warning against pride.  Verses 15 through 18 tell us - "Listen! Do not be proud, for the LORD has spoken. Give glory to the LORD your God before it is too late. Acknowledge him before he brings darkness upon you, causing you to stumble and fall on the dark mountains. For then, when you look for light, you will find only terrible darkness. And if you still refuse to listen, I will weep alone because of your pride. My eyes will overflow with tears because the LORD's flock will be led away into exile. Say to the king and his mother, "Come down from your thrones and sit in the dust, for your glorious crowns will soon be snatched from your heads."

New Testament - Today we begin Paul's first letter to the church in Thessalonica!

~ First Thessalonians ~
Author: Paul the apostle
Place: Corinth
Date: A.D. 50 or 51
Content: On Paul’s second missionary journey he visited Thessalonica but was forced to flee because of the intense persecutions that arose there (see Acts 17:1-9). After making his way to Athens and finally to Corinth, Paul heard from Timothy, whom he had sent to inquire about the Thessalonians, that they were standing fast in spite of their suffering. Paul wrote this letter to comfort and encourage the young believers in the Lord. He also wrote to confirm their faith in the basic doctrines of the church concerning God, the Holy Spirit, Jesus, Christian living, but especially concerning Jesus’ second coming. Apparently because some believers had died, the remaining Christians were concerned lest the believing dead miss out on the resurrection. Paul writes to assure them that the dead in Christ rise first.
Theme: Paul comforts the persecuted believers with the assurance that God is with us and has assured us of ultimate victory. The final victory will occur at Jesus’ return, when the Lord himself shall descend from heaven and gather us to himself, ever to be with him. In the light of this we should bear up under persecution, living lives that are godly and above reproach. (Above commentary is from Tyndale Publishers “The One Year Bible Companion” p. 28)

A wonderful commentary on First Thessalonians by J. Hampton Keathley, III, titled “The Birth and Growth of a Church” is at this link - http://www.bible.org/page.asp?page_id=1647 

Today in First Thessalonians 1:5 we read - "For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true. And you know that the way we lived among you was further proof of the truth of our message." This is a nice reminder that while we are out and about in the world being salt & light, we're not just out there on our own. The Holy Spirit is doing work concurrently in other people's hearts. And indeed, the Holy Spirit is doing the true work of salvation, not us. I do like that Paul wrote that "the way we lived" was further proof of the truth. Christians are called to be in the world, but not of it. And I do think people pay attention to how we live. How are we living our lives today? Are we loving? Are we compassionate? Are we caring? Are we serving the poor? Or - are we bought into consumerism? Are we selfish? Are we serving ourselves? Does the way we spend our money & time look different from how the culture says we should be spending our money & time? Are we tithing to our church? Are we worshiping God at a church once a week? Are we praying frequently? How are you living your life today? If someone took a look at your life would it be abundantly clear that you are following Jesus?

Psalms - Psalm 78 verse 71 is awesome - "He took David from tending the ewes and lambs and made him the shepherd of Jacob's descendants--God's own people, Israel." It is interesting that the Psalmist refers to David as a shepherd and not king of Israel in this verse.  The shepherd analogy seems like it might be foreshadowing Jesus, the Good Shepherd.  Here's an image below of a young David as a shepherd - perhaps singing some Psalms?  :)

Proverbs - Proverbs 24:30-34 is an interesting Proverb for me today. I guess I'm sleep deprived, because I'm seeing the value in a little more sleep, a little more slumber... :) I obviously get what the Proverb is saying... though, as I read it today for some reason the word "TV" popped in my mind. "A little extra TV and poverty will pounce on you!" :) I guess I see value in sleep... but I do not see the value in watching TV, generally speaking... (yes, for the past 10 years or so I've been a fan of those "Kill your Television!" bumper stickers... :)

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

Grace,
Mike

Comments

[Ramona]

Mike you said,

>>The Jeremiah readings today may seem to you a bit tough to read. It is sad to see the coming destruction. As I read through these verses I wonder about Jeremiah. How tough it must have been on him to know what was coming. Though, there were people that wanted to kill him, so perhaps at times he agreed with God on what was coming…And I of course believe so. I think that I see that the life of Jesus on Earth was obviously between the time of Jeremiah and the time of Brennan. And I believe Christ's suffering and death took on our sins - and this act had obviously not taken place in Jeremiah's time. I believe God is very graceful. I can see how reading chapters like these in Jeremiah may bring that in question in some ways.>>

I may be misunderstanding the intent of your words in trying to explain the actions of God and or the entrance of Christ into the world. Forgive me and correct me if I’m wrong but can we humans explain the actions of God? Are we dealing with a God who has changed from the Old Testament to something and someone more lovable in the New? I don’t think so and my assumptions are based on the Word,

Who has prepared and done this, calling forth and guiding the destinies of the generations [of the nations] from the beginning? I, the Lord--the first [existing before history began] and with the last [an ever-present, unchanging God]--I am He.
(Isa 41:4 AMP)

For I am the Lord, I do not change; that is why you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.
(Mal 3:6 AMP)

Jesus Christ (the Messiah) is [always] the same, yesterday, today, [yes] and forever (to the ages).
(Heb 13:8 AMP)

The tendency is to paint God as being what we have created Him to be instead of feeding on His Word, The Bible—the whole counsel of God, and altering our understanding based on His Character revealed in His Word. If what we read doesn’t line up with our own understanding then we throw out the Bible, calling it irrelevant and illogical, or we ignore the things we don’t understand and say that God changed. Christ and God are one and the same, as is the Holy Spirit, different manifestation of the One and only God (That is the mystery scripture speaks about).

In the beginning was the Word [or, the Expression of [divine] Logic], and the Word was with [or, in communion with] God, and the Word was God [or, was as to His essence God]. This One was in the beginning with God. All [things] came to be through Him, and without Him not even one thing came to be which has come to be. (Joh 1:1-3 ALT)

You don’t have to understand everything to believe it, that is why it is called faith. How many of us know how sound waves are pulled out of the air in order for us to see images emanating from our television screens or hear audio from our radios and cell phones? If we had to take a test to operate those appliances either we would all study physics or whatever the science is that explains how they work, or the broadcast and cell phone industry would go out of business for lack of knowledgeable consumers.

We live in a fallen world. God created this world in perfect condition, no storms, no rain, no violence. The entrance of “sin” caused and even today continues effectively to cause disunity in our environment inhabited and populated by the things God created as perfect.

Therefore the land has become unclean and I have brought the punishment for its iniquity on it, so that the land has vomited out its inhabitants. You yourselves must obey my statutes and my regulations and must not do any of these abominations, both the native citizen and the resident foreigner in your midst, for the people who were in the land before you have done all these abominations, and the land has become unclean. So do not let the land vomit you out because you defile it just as it has vomited out the nations that were before you. (Lev 18:25-28 NET.)

We understand to not play in the streets, sleep in the streets and live in the streets especially where there is active and heavy traffic barreling through. Our safety and protection from being run over by an eighteen-wheeler tractor-trailer rests on our obey rule of law and rules of nature/physics. We can understand that; however, we struggle with understanding that our only protection is adhering to the Laws that God has placed in the Universe. When we fail to take heed, when we fail to make the name of the Lord our High Tower of protection, we may find ourselves dancing the dance of potential destruction and judgment when one day we fail to get out of the way of that “Big Rig.” That does not mean that God has abandoned us it just means we have walked away from His Protection by adhering to His Word.

Yes, we may, someone else may, violate God’s Laws and His Words and others unrelated to that violation may and will bodily suffer the consequences of someone else’s sin. That is the nature of a sinful world; it affects other innocent people; however, God is still Just, He is still mercifully, His Truth still stands and He is ever Gracious and Grace filled.

Reading through the Bible is about discovering who God is based on the knowledge revealed in the scriptures. We come to this site to have our eyes opened and our ears unstopped so that we can not only see God through His Word but hear His still small voice speak to us in our times of solitude. May we not be hindered by what we read that appears to be outside of our understanding or preset ideas. May we have ears to hear and eyes to see the Truth that this Word of God brings to our understanding. In Jesus’ might and glorious name, Amen.

Grace and peace to all,
Ramona

[Mike]

Well said Ramona! Thanks! -Mike

[Michael J Stone]

Jermiah & The Ragamuffin gospel

I like Mike's putting forth the questions and thoughts about "How can this God that Jeremiah saw as he witnessed the destruction of the prized Temple...be also the same God in the Ragamuffin gospel.

(I did enjoy it when I first reread it)

I suppose relevance could be an issue: Have we ever witnessed destruction either personally or as a nation? Either as a direct result of judgement or an indirect catastrophe that causes us to think of judgement?

Jeremiah warned of Judgement and with Katrina in New Orleans I would not say judgement was come but was in some way knowledge and personal choice missed?

I mean to say like Jesus said about buidling a house upon sand, Would an Older generation build beneath Sea Level in a place of Hurricanes?

Maybe..,

But as the ragamuffin gospel shows and a recent Larry King Interview spoke about.

It is not that God sent the hurricane, but to say He did not know it was coming would be a little presumptous.

On our Jeremiah side could he not have said, Enough of Mardi Gras and some satanic activities..., I know do to the Brokeness of the World, the corruption of the weather patterns, a "Wirlwind" is coming and if you make your plans and don't listen to warning, a strong wind will come and take all out.

Jeremiah would have been nice in French Quarters...hmmm?

I think we all want a ragamuffin gospel now in the City that wants gambling to produce revenues...

I think I want a modern love and compassion to take home a homeless person or family and frankly keep them there.

I don't want to rebuild a temple that was so corrupted in Jeremiahs day that even in Jesus Day again a Temple needed to be destroyed.

I wonder about my own temples and frankly my church and home.

Should my Gospel be as the Lord Liveth and I able to take One Person, one family home.. and help them?

Should I be willing to absorb a person into my life and let my life style and actions be seen by another so as to have the chance to share...a fact i live by..."my lord liveth?"

Sadly, I fail my own test and wish for you more than I am.

In the past as a one time 'Jesus Freak' I did live as I ask and as new times bring back the warnings (and todays readings) and the times I lived in: Jesus is Coming;

I see another issue I never thought to enconter, the convenient christian.

Send Monies, send missionaries, send concerts, foods, clothings, and yet;

Is there one David Wilkerson from Colorado to a need in New York?

One Keith Green singing here am I, send me.

I think todays reading and Katrina's force and my own reactions are linked. As my Lord liveth, I feel remorse and tears of shame for not being one to say,

Here am I, come to me.

Only God can meet all real need from disasters both personal and national.

Yet as TV shows Swap Wives to help others in reality shows in America, I hope we as a people of God don't need a Reality check to know our time is now.

Our homes where we feel safe...may be a launching place for us to leave to go help;

Or a shelter for those who need us to bring home our gospel...,

the ragamuffins who need to know and see in us..that our God Lives.

I pray I may live again as I once did.