Don't Ignore God's Counsel

Jeremiah 20:1-3 -  Now Pashhur son of Immer, the priest in charge of the Temple of the LORD, heard what Jeremiah was saying.  So he arrested Jeremiah the prophet and had him whipped and put in stocks at the Benjamin Gate of the LORD's Temple.  The next day, when Pashhur finally released him, Jeremiah said, "Pashhur, the LORD has changed your name. From now on you are to be called 'The Man Who Lives in Terror.'

 

Jeremiah was just obeying God and saying exactly what he was told to say.  His warnings met with such opposition that he was arrested…whipped and thrown in stocks over night. Even as he was released …Jeremiah let the priest who had him whipped and beaten know that God was not happy with the way he was acting.

 

Pashhur the priest was so locked in his selfish ways that he would rather lock one man up in hopes to shut him up rather than listen.  His mind and heart had convinced him so thoroughly that he was right…he justified punishing a truly righteous man.

 

Jeremiah’s words of warning went unheard…not because he did not obey God and say them…but because they fell on deaf ears….closed completely to anything God had to say.  The world so completely in charge of the people’s mind and heart that they did not even recognize God’s voice anymore.

 

It makes me wonder this morning just how many times God has sent a Jeremiah to me to warn me….and I turned a deaf ear…or dismissed it as a crazy thought.  I hope my not listening did not put anyone in harms way like Pashhur…but I bet I sure missed a blessing or two because I did not stop to really think and pray about what God sent them to say.

 

God uses the people he places around us…our prayers…and the study of his word to direct our paths.  I am reminded of David’s words in Psalm 32:8-9 …. “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you. Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding, Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check, Otherwise they will not come near to you.…”

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that I am always under your watchful eye….and you are always looking out for my best interests.  Forgive me for all the times that I have ignored the counsel you have sent because it did not match what I thought was right.  Help me to really stop and pray about each voice you send…each scripture you allow my eyes to read…and each prayer that is lifted to teach me the way that I should go ….to stay in your perfect will for me.  Amen.

The End But Not The End

Jeremiah 19:1-2 and10-11  -   The LORD said to me, "Go and buy a clay jar. Then ask some of the leaders of the people and of the priests to follow you. Go out into the valley of the son of Hinnom by the entrance to the Potsherd Gate, and repeat to them the words that I give you…..

……  "As these men watch, Jeremiah, smash the jar you brought with you.  Then say to them, 'This is what the LORD Almighty says: As this jar lies shattered, so I will shatter the people of Judah and Jerusalem beyond all hope of repair. They will bury the bodies in Topheth until there is no more room.

 

This chapter is not pretty…Jeremiah had to deliver one of the toughest messages yet. God had reached his limit…he was poised to begin some tough love on his people.  They had gone their own way long enough. The evil had to be stopped.

 

The vessel that God had meant for good and prosperity had taken control of its own destiny by making its own rules.  They had left God far behind…even laughing at Jeremiah’s messages. This was the end for them….and yet not the end for all people to have a chance to know him.

 

Perhaps this is the point that God decided to open his love to all people. His chosen people had turned their back so completely on him…that he just looked at his son and said….  “It’s time Jesus for you to go save the world….I have tried everything else…now it’s up to you.”

 

I am so very thankful that God did not destroy his people and just leave it at that.  Jesus took the challenge and walked this earth in human form and made the greatest sacrifice known to man. He gave his life as the last blood sacrifice and opened the way for all of us to worship God.  All we have to do is believe in him and accept his love into our heart.

 

He is coming back some day…to end evil for good.  It’s gotten pretty bad out there again. In some countries it is beyond my ability to cope.  I stopped reading and watching most news …it’s just too sad.  Maybe that is wrong of me….I should be watching them…to find out who I need to be lifting up in prayer. May God give his greatest comfort to his children who have to cope with the greatest of evils.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that you are in complete control…and you will only tolerate evil for a limited time.  Forgive me for turning a deaf ear to so much of the news…instead of listening to the stories and lifting those who deal with these terrible injustices in prayer. Help me to find a new compassion in my heart for those that are in the midst of where you haven’t decided to reign in terror yet. Give them strength and faith to keep you in their hearts…no matter how hard it gets….until you come and start shattering clay pots again.  Amen.

Sometimes We Need A Good Squashing

Jeremiah 18:2-6 -  "Go down to the shop where clay pots and jars are made. I will speak to you while you are there."  So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel.  But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so the potter squashed the jar into a lump of clay and started again. Then the LORD gave me this message:  "O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand.

 

God sent Jeremiah to the potter’s shop…to watch him make a vessel out of clay.  While he was there…he watched him completely destroy a pot he was making because it had too many flaws. He changed his mind 180⁰….and decided to make a lamp instead of the pot he was working on. It was a powerful…. visual way for God to let Jeremiah hear the message of his ability to change his mind.

 

God went on to explain that if the people would change their heart…he would change his decrees of curses and destruction.  He would change every punishment that he had planned for them into something good and blessed. But if they insisted on having their own way…he would squash them like that clay…and start over with his plan to make them HIS people.

 

The people had too many false prophets telling them what they wanted to hear to listen to poor Jeremiah.  They were so tired of hearing his messages from God that they even plotted to kill him. Their refusal to listen to God’s warnings eventually separated them from the one way they could save themselves.

 

God has to squash me sometimes cause I don’t listen.  He can send me the best object lesson to teach me a simple truth and I mess it up…take it completely the wrong way….or spin it in some selfish way that fits what I wanted to do anyway. I say selfishly that I am reading the signs and confirmation he gives me….but I have ignored the other signs and confirmation that he may have sent to help me move in another direction.  Sometimes my self-centered hearing and eyesight totally misses the signs he sends to help me make the choice he planned in the first place…my own self placed blinders.

 

Father… thank you for the reminder this morning that I still have a lot of selfishness to remove from my heart and life.  Forgive me for the times that I have misread your will because I was too focused on myself.  Remove the blinders that keep me from seeing your will and hearing your message clearly…..and help me to stop focusing so much on myself.  Help me to use your eyes and ears to hear the needs of others around me ….and watch you make me into a lamp that will shine your light to everyone around me. Amen.

Be Blessed...Plant Yourself Next To God

Jeremiah 17:7-8  -  "But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence.  They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they go right on producing delicious fruit."

 

Jeremiah’s message from God had two sides.  One side explained the curse that would happen to those that did not follow God’s law and love him with all their heart.  The other described how the person that stayed in God’s will would grow strong like a tree planted next to a river.

 

A tree that is planted on a river bank has a constant source of water. Its roots grow deep….the water it soaks up nourishing it to grow strong and healthy. Times of drought don’t bother it….even if the water in the river dries up…for its deep roots have tapped into the water table below the surface of what man can see.

 

It is a strong analogy of how I should plant myself as close to God’s source as I can. I should surround myself with the things that will help me grow those deep roots straight to God’s living water.  I need strong believers around me to pray with me and guide me when I get confused or let the world convince me I am alone.  I need to study the Bible and apply its truth to my life on a daily basis…so I know just which verse will send satan packing when he tries to trick me.  I need to visit with the father as many times a day as I feel pressured…so I can tap into his power and strength to keep going and not give up.

 

I needed the reminder….that God is just a thought away…especially when the pity parties threaten to become a daily thing.  He has been loading my head and heart with knowledge from his word every day…but my weakness is forgetting to stop and ask him to help me overcome the lonely thoughts that start my pity parties.  I have to learn to take those moments to God…like David did when he wrote all those great Psalms….like Daniel did when he got thrown in that lion’s den…like Paul did all those nights in prison. I guess in some ways…it’s like the roots he been growing in my life are there…I just forget that I can use them to tap into that living water.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that I my weaknesses will remain weaknesses until I learn to take every moment of doubt and worry to your precious feet. Forgive me for forgetting so many times that you have been teaching me just how to tap into your power and strength….but I just don’t use it….for whatever reason. Help me to be more confident….to see the roots that you have been growing…to understand and trust that you are there no matter what feeling of loneliness I have…or what attacks my self-confidence.  Help me to use the roots you have grown in my life to find what I need to conquer the tricks of satan in my life.  Amen.

Let God Be Your Security Blanket

Jeremiah 16:19-21 -  LORD, you are my strength and fortress, my refuge in the day of trouble! Nations from around the world will come to you and say, "Our ancestors were foolish, for they worshiped worthless idols.  Can people make their own god? The gods they make are not real gods at all!"  "So now I will show them my power and might," says the LORD. "At last they will know that I am the LORD."

 

Jeremiah must have decided to stop his pity party and trust God again…for he received many messages for the people after his bout with disappointment. He once again spoke the words of God to the people…and let God use him the way he had been called.

 

After one of the hard messages he had to deliver …he stopped to speak this truth to God.  He realized that he had no power in himself….and that God was all he needed to keep going in a world that seemed to search everywhere but the right place for their needs. He stopped to let God know that he finally realized just who was in charge…and that sometimes we just have to trust till God is ready to reveal the next thing he needs us to know.

 

He finally realized the words Paul spoke later in 2 Corinthians 12:10…that when we are our weakest…God can be his strongest.  He felt the full comfort that David wrote about in Psalm 46:1.  He understood the protective nature of God that Paul, Silvanus and Timothy wrote in 2 Thessalonians 3:3.  It says….. “ But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.”

 

I admit….that even though I know tis truth deep down…it doesn’t always manifest itself in my life every day. Oh how I need a huge dose of strength…and refuge…and fortress in my heart to keep me realizing that I don’t have to do anything alone anymore. God can be my security blanket…if I just give up control of everything to him…and let him do what he does best.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder today that I just need to call on you to be showered with all that I need to be my happiest.  Forgive me for the times that I let life hide my heart from the realization that you are there…and let it drag me into a world where I think I am alone. Help me to feel the protection that you offer by praying more often that you cover me from satan’s attacks. Show me how to wake each morning and wrap your security blanket completely around me…and walk in your strength throughout the day. Amen.

Stop Those Pity Parties

Jeremiah 15:18-19 - Why then does my suffering continue? Why is my wound so incurable? Your help seems as uncertain as a seasonal brook. It is like a spring that has gone dry."  The LORD replied, "If you return to me, I will restore you so you can continue to serve me. If you speak words that are worthy, you will be my spokesman. You are to influence them; do not let them influence you!

 

Even the great prophet Jeremiah got tired and frustrated with waiting on God. The job he had been sent to do brought suffering and persecution to his body…mind…and soul. He felt abandoned by God and lost trust and faith in him for the moment.  He thanked God…said he was proud to bear his name in one breath…..then shouted a string of accusations that God had left him to die alone.

 

Jeremiah was in a mental place very familiar to me.  It is called a pity party. I have them when I forget to trust in God too. They come the most when my memories trick me into feeling sad for what I lost…instead of thanking God for a memory at all. They come when I am let myself spiral into thinking that a time of mistakes and learning….isn’t accomplishing anything good in my life.  They come when I let my busy schedule cut my Bible study time and prayers to less than they should be.

 

God did for Jeremiah what he does with all of us when we give ourselves a pity party. He just took a step closer to his troubled child and told him to stop his foolishness. He told Jeremiah to let go of his worry and grab back onto the trust that he once had. He told him he still needed him to be his voice to the people. He told him to stop being influence by the others around him….and start influencing them for God.

 

It all boils down to letting God rearrange our priorities. We have to live Matthew 6:33…” But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” He won’t let us stay on a pity party very long…and they will come farther apart if we can keep him first in our lives.

 

Father…thank you for reminding me that the pity parties I managed to throw for myself are my own lack of trust in you.  Forgive me for the times that I let that pity party happen at all…even spiral into a week-long affair. Help me to trust in you no matter what….so you can guide me safely through whatever storm I might be going through. Amen.

Confession Alone Is Not Enough

Jeremiah 14:7-8-  The people say, "LORD, our wickedness has caught up with us. We have sinned against you. So please, help us for the sake of your own reputation.  O Hope of Israel, our Savior in times of trouble! Why are you like a stranger to us? Why are you like someone passing through the land, stopping only for the night?

 

The city was in the middle of a horrible drought. The people had no more food….even the animals were becoming confused.  The grass that began the great food chain in motion was disappearing…..and with it life hung in the balance. Jeremiah had been telling them that God was going to punish them…but they hadn’t listened till now…when Life was threatened.

 

The people knew they had sinned…they confessed that….but they wouldn’t change their ways.  They wanted God to come down and save them…just because he was God. They wanted God to save them….for the sake of God’s name alone. They wanted to confess to God their sin….but keep sinning…and never change their ways.

 

God was so tired of the routine they had developed to justify their selfish desires and actions.  They showed up with the right offerings and sacrifices at the temple….when it was time. They prayed all the right prayers. Then they left that holy place and did exactly what they had done before…anything they wanted too…whether it was part of the covenant they had made with God or not.

 

God doesn’t want our offerings….our prayers….even our worship…if it doesn’t focus so completely on him that it changes our heart. Spending time with him should change our hearts for what God wants.  We won’t want to  talk like we used to talk….give like we used to give….pray like we used to pray…or live like we used to live.  His love should transform us into different people.

 

Confession alone does not do it….we have to repent and change our ways if we really want to have a relationship with God that is more than a Sunday or Wednesday night service….more than a Sunday school or Bible study….more than a prayer or two at night.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that I need to confess my sins…AND….repent of them to feel your full presence in my life.  Forgive me for the times that I did what I wanted…just because I wanted too.  Help me to really listen to you and discern your will in all the things I do. Let my worship….my prayers…my Bible study…..bring about real changes that make me more like you.  Amen.