Jeremiah 52

August 31

Jeremiah 52

"It was because of the Lord’s anger that all this happened to Jerusalem and Judah, and in the end he thrust them from his presence." (Jeremiah 52:3, NIV)

 The book of Jeremiah ends with Jerusalem destroyed and the temple dismantled and the precious metal that adorned the temple being carried off to Babylon. The anger of the Lord came to fruition, as He had promised, because the people refused to turn back to Him. God removed the people from His presence and from the land He had promised to give to the descendents of Abraham so many years before.

 Outward appearances looked like Jerusalem and Judah was finished. No nation after being completely destroyed comes back to existence. But God sent Judah out with a promise. He promised that a day would come when He would restore her. He promised a day would come when He would return them to the land. He promised He would use gentiles, just as He used them to exile them, to bring them back to the land.

 To look at Jerusalem, it looked hopeless. The book of Jeremiah ends with the king of Babylon releasing and showing kindness to Jehoiachin, king of Judah. He put away his prison clothes and sat at the kings table. When things look hopeless in our lives; when it seems like our sin has taken us further than we wanted to go and we feel like we have been thrust from the presence of God, we can know that He is still there. His promises are still true. If we will turn to Him, He will extend His grace and invite us to put away our prison clothes, to put away our life of sin, and to come and sit at His table and eat with Him.

 

 "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." (Revelation 3:20, NIV)

 

Jeremiah 51

August 30

Jeremiah 51

"For Israel and Judah have not been forsaken by their God, the Lord Almighty, though their land is full of guilt before the Holy One of Israel." (Jeremiah 51:5, NIV)

 

The people of Israel and Judah surely felt like they had been forsaken by their God. Their cities were destroyed. The walls were torn down. The temple was dismantled. The articles for worship had been taken to foreign nations. The people had to be asking themselves if God had forsaken them or if their God really was the Almighty.

 

But God was not done with Israel and Judah. He had used the Babylonians to bring correction, but now He was going to bring correction upon the Babylonians for their arrogance. God reminds them that He is in control even when it does not appear He is for them. God is all powerful, creator of heaven and earth and all of creation responds to His beckoning.

 

The promises God made to Israel and Judah were still in effect. The idols of the nations are powerless, but God was for Israel and was about to restore Israel with His power. "He who is the Portion of Jacob is not like these, for he is the Maker of all things, including the tribe of his inheritance— the Lord Almighty is his name." (Jeremiah 51:19, NIV) God was about to show His power when He humbled the world powers for their arrogance.

God is for those who enter into a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. There may be times when it seems like God is powerless against the powers of the world. There are times when it seems like God’s people are facing persecution and are being taken advantage of while the ruthless and evil prosper. But when we know God we can know that He will never leave us or forsake us. He will fight our battles for us. What appears to be the case is not always what is true. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31b

Jeremiah 50

August 29

Jeremiah 50

"In those days, at that time,” declares the Lord, “search will be made for Israel’s guilt, but there will be none, and for the sins of Judah, but none will be found, for I will forgive the remnant I spare." (Jeremiah 50:20, NIV)

 The guilt of Israel and the sins of Judah were plentiful. From the time God delivered them out of Egypt, they complained and rebelled against God. They depended on other nations to protect them when God said He would be their protector. They worshiped idols made of stone and wood when the Living God told them they were to worship Him alone and He would provide all their needs. When He warned them of coming judgment they killed His messengers. In spite of all these things, God promised to forgive the remnant He spared.

The Psalmist wrote; "For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." (Psalm 103:11-12, NIV) East and west never meet, our transgressions never return to the heart of God. He loves us more than we can imagine and extends grace upon grace to bring us into a loving relationship with Him. He forgives us of our sin and provides the means to remove it from our lives. God does all the work and invites us to receive the benefits.

Jesus cried from the cross; “Father forgive them.” Though we do not deserve it, God has forgiven us. Our guilt is not just covered over, it is removed from the ledger. It no longer exists. How do we respond to such great love? How do respond to such forgiveness? Jesus said for us to love as He loved and to forgive as He forgave. Amazing Love.

Jeremiah 49

August 28

Jeremiah 49

Judgment is a reality. We don’t like to think about it but judgment comes with righteousness. God cannot be righteous without condemning the unrighteous. God brought destruction on Israel, but the other nations were not innocent either. God declares judgment on the nations He used to correct Israel. But just as He did with Israel, He brings judgment, then restoration.

There is a day to come when Jesus will return. "The Lord thunders at the head of his army; his forces are beyond number, and mighty are those who obey his command. The day of the Lord is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it?" (Joel 2:11, NIV)  Malachi also calls it a “great and dreadful day.” The Day of the Lord will be a great day for those who know Jesus as Lord, but it will be a dreadful day for those who reject Him in this life. There will be judgment even for those who know him, but there will also be restoration because of the price Jesus paid for our redemption.

Paul wrote; "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad." (2 Corinthians 5:10, NIV) There are consequences for our sin. Those consequences were dealt upon the nations around Israel and upon Israel herself. We are arrogant if we do not think we will face judgment for our actions. The Good News is that Jesus the Judge is also our intercessor who sits at the right hand of the Father in our defense. It will surely be a great and dreadful day.

Jeremiah 46-48

August 27

Jeremiah 46-48

God disciplines those He loves. We may not understand His discipline, but we can know that if we disobey Him, He will discipline us, but He disciplines with justice. There are consequences for our actions. Our good choices and our bad choices have a ripple effect on the people around us. When we choose to do our own thing, ignoring the word of God, we will face punishment and those around us will also suffer. But when we choose to walk in obedience to God and to use the gifts He has given us for the building of His Kingdom, we will find blessings and those around us will be blessed.

God scattered Israel among the nations. He punished her for her sin, but He did not leave her without a promise. God promised to restore Israel and to punish the nations that He used to bring discipline because they too did not walk in obedience to God.

Many people who proclaim Jesus as their Lord, do not completely trust Him. They do not walk in obedience to Him because they trust in their deeds and their riches as Moab did according to Jeremiah 48:7. Those deeds cannot deliver us from sin. No matter our riches they cannot give us real freedom. But God also brings discipline on those He has gifted who do not use their gifts for His work. "“A curse on him who is lax in doing the Lord’s work! " (Jeremiah 48:10a, NIV)

A genuine relationship with Jesus results in trust in Him no matter the cost. Trust in Jesus over trust in what we can do or what we can buy. Our money and our actions do not buy us favor with God. But God desires obedience. God desires our actions to reflect His love through the gifts He has given us for the building of the Kingdom of God. Curses and blessings come from God based on our response to the gifts He pours out on us.

Jeremiah 42-45

August 26

Jeremiah 42-45

Knowing the will of God and doing the will of God is not the same thing. Many times we know what we should be doing, we know what God would have us do, but we are either afraid or just do not want to obey. After Jeremiah had fallen into the hands of the Babylonians, a remnant remained in the city. They came to Jeremiah and asked Jeremiah to pray for them. They said they wanted to know God’s will for them. They wanted to know if they should stay in the city with the broken down walls or should move on to Egypt where they had allies that would protect them. They told Jeremiah;  "Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the Lord our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well with us, for we will obey the Lord our God.”" (Jeremiah 42:6, NIV)

God answered Jeremiah when he prayed and Jeremiah passed the message to the people. God promised to protect them if they stayed. They did not have to fear the Babylonians or any other army because God was their protector. But if they left the land and depended on Egypt for their protection, they would face the sword they were trying to escape.

The remnant of Judah refused to listen to the words God gave Jeremiah. After suffering so much loss, after promising to listen to God’s reply to Jeremiah, the people still rejected God’s promise. They did not trust God enough to trust that He would or could protect them.

"“O remnant of Judah, the Lord has told you, ‘Do not go to Egypt.’ Be sure of this: I warn you today that you made a fatal mistake when you sent me to the Lord your God and said, ‘Pray to the Lord our God for us; tell us everything he says and we will do it.’ I have told you today, but you still have not obeyed the Lord your God in all he sent me to tell you. So now, be sure of this: You will die by the sword, famine and plague in the place where you want to go to settle.”" (Jeremiah 42:19-22, NIV)

When we seek the will of God, He will respond. We can ignore it, we can make excuses, we can blatantly disobey, or we can listen and step out in faith knowing that God will bring what is good to us. That does not mean everything will be easy, but it will be good. When we know God’s will for our lives and we do not follow His will, we will face consequences. We should take the word of God and His answers to our prayers seriously. When we trust Him, He will prove faithful.

Jeremiah 38-41

August 25

Jeremiah 38-41

The Babylonians broke down the wall protecting Jerusalem and captured the city, just as God had said would happen. The people still living in Jerusalem were taken captive and led to Babylon to live out their lives. Jeremiah was still in the city, still proclaiming the word of God even though it was an unpopular message. Jeremiah went through many trials as a servant of God. It would have been easy to compromise the message or to run and hide. Jeremiah was true to God and spoke the words God gave him to speak.

Jeremiah was among the people being led out of Jerusalem and Judah on the way to Babylon when the commander of the guard found Jeremiah and told him; “The Lord your God decreed this disaster for this place. And now the Lord has brought it about; he has done just as he said he would. All this happened because you people sinned against the Lord and did not obey him. But today I am freeing you from the chains on your wrists. Come with me to Babylon, if you like, and I will look after you; but if you do not want to, then don’t come. Look, the whole country lies before you; go wherever you please.”" (Jeremiah 40:2-4, NIV) God protected Jeremiah in the midst of the fall of Jerusalem. The Israelites went into captivity because of their disobedience to God; Jeremiah was given freedom because of his obedience.

God used the Babylonians to bring discipline upon the Israelites. They had ignored God and His commands. But God revealed His power and plan to the commander of the guard of Babylon, and used him to set Jeremiah free. God can use whoever He pleases to accomplish His plans. If we will walk in obedience to Him, He will work things out for the good, if we disobey and turn to our own ways, we will face the consequences.

Jeremiah 34-37

August 24

Jeremiah 34-37

Peer pressure leads many people to do what they know they should not do, but they are not strong enough to resist the pressure. Peer pressure had led many people away from the Lord and down a path that leads to destruction. But if we set our minds before we get into difficult situations, we can resist temptation and remain true to our values. If we wait until we are in the situation, we will almost always fall.

The Racabite family was an example of a family that knew their values and did not cave in to peer pressure. God used them as an example for Israel. God had Jeremiah invite the Racabites to a room in the house of the Lord and set wine before them. They refused to drink wine because their forefather and told them not to drink wine and to continue to live in tents. God told Jeremiah that this family obeyed the command of their forefather, but the Israelites had rejected the word of God.

God sent prophets to warn Israel to turn from their wicked ways, He warned them that they were on the path to destruction, but they would not listen. The Racabites obeyed the command of their forefather, but Israel refused to listen to God and would face the consequences. Then God said; ‘You have obeyed the command of your forefather Jonadab and have followed all his instructions and have done everything he ordered.’ Therefore, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Jonadab son of Recab will never fail to have a man to serve me.’”" (Jeremiah 35:18-19, NIV)

God blesses those who walk in obedience to Him. When we walk in obedience and model that life before our children they too learn to walk in obedience. When we resist peer pressure because we have set our minds to do what is right not matter the circumstances, we are able to remain as people of integrity. Our children learn from our actions and perhaps throughout the generations our families will serve God faithfully.

Jeremiah 32-33

August 23

Jeremiah 32-33

"“I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?" (Jeremiah 32:27, NIV) That is a good question. Is anything to hard for God? The easy answer is of course not. But do we really live like that was the case. Do we live as if nothing is too hard for God? Do we trust Him when we don’t have a job and don’t know how the bills are going to get paid? Do we trust him when the medical report is not what we were hoping? Do we trust him when it seems like there is too much month at the end of the money? Is anything too hard for God?

God was about to disperse the Israelites and it did not look good for their future. When a nation is destroyed and dispersed they are not usually heard from again other than in the history books. But God sent Israel out with a promise. God said He would bring them back. He would establish them as His people once again.

"They will be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me for their own good and the good of their children after them." (Jeremiah 32:38-39, NIV) Is anything to hard for God? If He can destroy a nation and restore a nation, what can He do in our lives and the lives of our loved ones? Is anyone out of His reach? People who have run from God all their lives, people who have rejected God and lived for the world, they are not out of the grasp of God. He can bring anyone into His family.

We may give up, but God does not. They may be in exile, but God can bring them back. Our health may be shot, but God can restore us. Our finances may be in the red, but God can turn them around. Our job may be lost, but God can provide. Do we really believe nothing is too hard for God?

Jeremiah 31

August 22

Jeremiah 31

"“This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people." (Jeremiah 31:33, NIV)

The old covenant was the Law. Israel broke that covenant over and over again. They had sinful hearts and just could not walk in obedience to God. But God had a plan. He had a plan to restore Israel, but not only Israel; God had a plan to restore the world. He had a plan for a new covenant a covenant of love.

 God so love the world that He sent His Son to die for the forgiveness of our sin. Jesus said when he took the cup at the Last Supper, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Matthew 26:28, NIV)  The new covenant was ratified by the sacrificial death of Jesus. All who come to Him, those who believe in His name, those who seek forgiveness of sin will enter eternal life with Him.

Jesus told his disciples in John’s Gospel chapters 14-16 that He would send the Holy Spirit after His death and resurrection. He said the Holy Spirit would guide them into all truth and would make known all that is of Jesus. The Holy Spirit did come. He came and He continues to fill believers with himself. God’s law is in our minds and written on our hearts. The Holy Spirit convicts us, teaches us, and leads us to live lives of righteousness in obedience to the new covenant given to us by God.

All who receive Jesus, Jew or Gentile, male or female, slave or free become the people of God. We live by this new covenant spoken of by Jeremiah, ratified by Jesus, fulfilled by the Holy Spirit. God reached out to us so that we could become His people.

 

Jeremiah 29-30

August 21

Jeremiah 29-30

The consequences had been decided. God had sent the Babylonians to destroy Jerusalem to send the Israelites into exile. They could beg or plead but their opportunity for God’s intervention had passed. Jeremiah sent a letter to the exiles in Babylon telling them to settle where they were. They were going to be there for seventy years so they might as well continue to live as the children of God in a new place. Start businesses, start families, seek peace and prosperity in the land where they were living.

No matter where we are working, no matter how bad things may seem, we can still live our lives for Jesus. We can reflect Christ in dark places if we keep our eyes on Him while working or living in some places we may prefer not to be.

God told the Israelites to settle in and make the place where they were living prosperous, but to also know that after the seventy years He had a plan for them. He would restore them to their land and would prosper them. "Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:12-13, NIV)

Remember God is always with you. He will never leave you or forsake you; He wants what is best for you. When you are going through tough times, keep calling to Him and He will hear you. God can bring you peace in the midst of the chaos. No matter what we face, we can persevere when we make Jesus our focus.

Jeremiah 26-28

August 20

Jeremiah 26-28

God gives us a choice. He could have made us into little robots that did what He wanted when He wanted, but there would not be much of a relationship. Love is not love unless there is a choice that can be made. Even after Israel chose to turn away from God over and over again; even with the Babylonians ready to bring Jerusalem down, God offered Jerusalem a way out. God told Jeremiah to tell them everything He told Jeremiah to say; "Perhaps they will listen and each will turn from his evil way. Then I will relent and not bring on them the disaster I was planning because of the evil they have done." (Jeremiah 26:3, NIV) God goes on to say, but if they do not listen Jerusalem will be destroyed.

God gives us a choice. We can either confess our sin, repent and turn to God and follow Him or we can continue to walk in our sin rebelling against God. We have a choice, but each choice has its consequences. Peter told the crowd gathered at Pentecost; “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38, NIV)  We have a choice. We can repent or we can rebel. Repentance leads to new life in Jesus, rebellion leads to eternity in hell.

We either live by the sinful nature or we live our lives controlled by the Holy Spirit. The Israelites in Jeremiah’s day were living their lives controlled by the sinful nature. They ignored the word of God because they wanted to do their own thing. Many today are in the same place as the Israelites were in Jeremiah’s day. Ignoring God’s word does not make it false. Ignoring God’s word leads to consequences that we do not want to face.

Paul addressed this issue in Romans 8. "Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace;" (Romans 8:5-6, NIV) God gives us a choice.

Jeremiah 23-25

August 19

Jeremiah 23-25

How do we know if we are hearing the word of God or the words of men? None of us enjoy words of rebuke or words of correction so it is easy to side with those who speak words that are easy to hear. But God does not always speak words that are easy to hear. We have an advantage over the people of Israel in that we have the bible and we have the Holy Spirit living in us. The Holy Spirit will affirm and teach us the word of God and the bible gives us an anchor to help us stay grounded to the truth.

The people of Israel were rebelling against God. They were worshiping idols and doing whatever their hearts desired. God was fed up with their empty words and promises and spoke through Jeremiah telling them to repent or face discipline. False teachers came along and told the people that since they were God’s people they did not have to worry, God would not bring disaster upon them, after all He had given them the land they were occupying. He surely would not take it from them and He would never use pagans like the Babylonians to bring them down. The people like what the false prophets said instead of the words of warning Jeremiah spoke.

Paul wrote to Timothy; "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." (2 Timothy 4:3-4, NIV) This was the case in Jeremiah’s time and it is the case in our day. People do not want to hear about the consequences for their rebellion against God. People do not want to hear about the consequences for sin. They want to hear that God loves them, and He does, and that He wants to bless them, and He does, but He also promises to bring judgment upon us.

God wants to extend His grace and to change our lives. He does not want us to continue to live in our sin. "I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart." (Jeremiah 24:7, NIV) After Jesus’ death and resurrection, God sent the Holy Spirit who will change our hearts and come and live in us to give us new lives, lives focused on following God with all our hearts. God wants what is best for us. He is just waiting for us to turn to Him, to trust Him and to follow Him.

Jeremiah 19-22

August 18

Jeremiah 19-22

Jeremiah preached the words God gave him to preach, but those very words brought him ridicule and persecution. Jeremiah grew tired of the attacks even from his so called friends. He did not want to bring the news of coming disaster to the people of Jerusalem, but that was the task God had for Jeremiah. Jeremiah could not help but continue to proclaim the words of the Lord. "But if I say, “I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,” his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot." (Jeremiah 20:9, NIV)

Friends waited for Jeremiah to mess up. They wanted to see him fall so they could ignore the words he was proclaiming and live as they wanted without guilt and fear of judgment hanging over their heads. But God watched over Jeremiah and though he faced persecution, God protected his life.

There are people who are offended when we share the word of God. There are people who do not want to think about the consequences for their sin. There are people who want to continue on the path they are traveling and do not want to know that the path leads to destruction. But we have a word from God that we are called to share. His word should be like a fire in our bones that we cannot contain as we see people headed for eternity in hell.

If people reject us because of the word of God, they are not really rejecting us, they are rejecting God. People will examine our lives. They will wait to see if we are legitimate or if we are hypocritical. People want us to fall so they can condone their own sin, but they also want us to succeed so they know there is hope for their lives.

We have a message to share, the message of Jesus. "“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!”" (Mark 1:15, NIV) The Good News is that Jesus died on the cross for the forgiveness of our sin. He came to give us eternal life. We receive that gift when we turn from our sin and turn to God and accept that Jesus paid the price for our salvation.

Jeremiah 16-18

August 17

Jeremiah 16-18

We are like clay in the hands of a potter as God shapes us as seems best to Him. He gives us different gifts and intends for us to use those gifts for His glory. God has a plan for us, but He allows us to make choices, primarily we choose whether or not we will walk in obedience to Him. Our choices affect what God does with us.

If God decides to bring discipline against us and in the midst of the discipline or even before it begins we turn back to Him, He may relent and not inflict the discipline He had planned. On the other hand if God has plans to bless us and we turn away from Him in disobedience, God may bring discipline and judgment instead of a blessing.

God has a plan for us. His plans are good, but if we reject Him, we will face the consequences. While we are walking away from God we are walking into disaster, but if we will turn back to Him, He will extend grace. "“Now therefore say to the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, ‘This is what the Lord says: Look! I am preparing a disaster for you and devising a plan against you. So turn from your evil ways, each one of you, and reform your ways and your actions.’" (Jeremiah 18:11, NIV)

We are all in the place of the people of Judah until we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We are all headed for disaster. When Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost, he told the people; "“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”" (Acts 2:36, NIV) You know you are in trouble when you realize you have killed the one person God called to save you from your death sentence. The people cried out to Peter; “what shall we do?” "Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38, NIV)

 No matter how bad our sin or how rebellious against God we have been, He desires to have a relationship with us. He calls us to turn toward Him and He will receive us. He never removes our ability to choose, but He always encourages us to choose life in Him.

Jeremiah 13-15

August 16

Jeremiah 13-15

In the midst of the words of judgment and disaster we continue to see words of grace and hope. God still loves Israel though she has turned her back on God numerous times. There are going to be consequences for her actions, but God continues to offer restoration both to Jeremiah and to the people of Israel. "Therefore this is what the Lord says: “If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me; if you utter worthy, not worthless, words, you will be my spokesman. Let this people turn to you, but you must not turn to them." (Jeremiah 15:19, NIV)

Repentance is the key to our relationship with God. We walk away, we rebel, we worship false gods, we disobey God and there are consequences for our actions. God continues to reach out to us. He may bring disaster to get our attention, but He continues to reach out to us to bring us back into a right relationship with Him. But before the relationship can be restored, we must repent. We must turn back to Him.

Jesus’ message at the beginning of His ministry was; "“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!”" (Mark 1:15, NIV) Repentance was necessary for Israel to be restored in her relationship with God and repentance is necessary for our relationship with God. God does not leave us, but unless we repent we are moving away from God. Repentance is a change of mind. It is a turning around and moving toward our God who loves us and wants a relationship with us.

In Peter’s first sermon after Pentecost he said to the people; "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord," (Acts 3:19, NIV) In the midst of judgment, in the midst of discipline, in the midst of disaster our only real hope is repentance, turning back to God who extends His grace to a lost and broken people.

 

Jeremiah 10-12

August 15

Jeremiah 10-12

God was so upset with the nations of Judah and Israel that he told Jeremiah not to even pray for them. He refused to hear when they cried out to him in their distress. He had extended His grace to them over and over, but they continued to reject Him and do their own thing. This time they were going to face destruction. Their pleas for mercy were no longer effective. God was going to follow through with His discipline.

The people plotted against Jeremiah for the words God gave him to proclaim. They told Jeremiah to stop speaking the words of God. They did not like the message, so they sought to execute the messenger. But God protected Jeremiah and told him to continue speaking boldly.

 
There are people who do not want to hear the word of God. There are some who will tell us to stop talking to pretend all is well. But God calls us to continue to proclaim the truth of the Gospel. There is coming a day of judgment. There will be a day when the consequences for our actions and thoughts will be faced. If we continue to reject God, He will reject us on the Day of Judgment. But if we will turn to him He will restore us.

This is the message Jeremiah proclaimed to Jerusalem, it is also the message God calls us to proclaim to our world. His message is not always popular, but it is always needed. The message is that God is a God of judgment, but He is also a God of grace. There are consequences for our actions, but God disciplines in order to bring us back to Him.

 

 

Jeremiah 7-9

August 14

Jeremiah 7-9

"The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and trapped. Since they have rejected the word of the Lord, what kind of wisdom do they have?" (Jeremiah 8:9, NIV)

There is no real wisdom apart from the wisdom of God. We can think we are wise. We can be at the top of our class in school. We can be the smartest person in our workplace, but without the word of God our wisdom is really foolishness. Real wisdom comes from God. We do not have to be smart to be wide.

 "This is what the Lord says: “Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord." (Jeremiah 9:23-24, NIV) Everything we have; all our gifts, all our strengths, all our riches are gifts that come from God.

 Paul understood this when he adapted Jeremiah’s words and wrote; "But, “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”" (2 Corinthians 10:17, NIV) Then to the Galatians he wrote; "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." (Galatians 6:14, NIV) Paul realized that he strengths were gifts from God including wisdom. He also realized that the message of the cross was wisdom to those who accepted Jesus, but foolishness to those who rejected Him. " For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." (1 Corinthians 1:18, NIV)

People did not change over years between Jeremiah’s writing to Jerusalem and Paul’s letters to the churches. People are still the same. We rely on our own power our own abilities, we take the gifts God has given us and use them for self glorification, when true strength, true power, true, riches, true wisdom come as a gift from God. It is nothing we deserve so the proper response is to use our gifts for His glory.

Jeremiah 5-6

August 13

 Jeremiah 5-6

"To whom can I speak and give warning? Who will listen to me? Their ears are closed so they cannot hear. The word of the Lord is offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it." (Jeremiah 6:10, NIV)

 Jerusalem, the city of God, had turned away from God. The people had turned to from God; they had worshiped idols of other nations. God was fed up with their unfaithfulness. He was fed up with their disobedience. They did not want to hear what God had to say. They ignored the prophets, they forgot about God’s deliverance, they disobeyed His law. God was desperate to find righteousness in the city. "“Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem, look around and consider, search through her squares. If you can find but one person who deals honestly and seeks the truth, I will forgive this city." (Jeremiah 5:1, NIV) Jerusalem had become like Sodom and Gomorrah, and they were about to face the consequences for their actions.

In the same way, people in our day do not want to hear the words God is speaking to us. The word of the Lord is offensive to them. Governments want to silence people from sharing the truth from the word of God. God gives us words of warning in the bible, but people refuse to heed God’s warning. But there will be a day of judgment. There will be a day when consequences for ignoring God will be realized.

We cannot make people listen, but as followers of Jesus we can search our communities sharing the Good News, sharing the offensive word of God with hopes that some will listen and turn from their sin and turn to God.

 

 

Jeremiah 3-4

August 12

Jeremiah 3-4

"“I myself said, “‘How gladly would I treat you like sons and give you a desirable land, the most beautiful inheritance of any nation.’ I thought you would call me ‘Father’ and not turn away from following me." (Jeremiah 3:19, NIV)

God delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt, led her across the desert providing food and water in a barren land, He took her across the Jordan River into the land He had promised Abraham. He removed the other nations as Israel took possession of the land. He promised to contine to bless her as long as she remained faithful to him. But as they watched the other nations, they began to adopt their customs and their ceremonies. They worpshiped idols made of wood and stone instead of following the living God who had blessed them. But God did not give up on them, He continued to call them back to himself.

"“Return, faithless people; I will cure you of backsliding.” “Yes, we will come to you, for you are the Lord our God." (Jeremiah 3:22, NIV) But they did not come to Him. They continued their rebellious attitudes and actions. God ended up removing them from the land leaving only a remnant, but God continued to wait on Israel to turn back to Him so He could bless her.

God has given us deliverance from our slavery to sin and death. Jesus came and died for the forgiveness of our sin. No matter where we have been, no matter what we have done, God has provided deliverance, if we will accept the gift of eternal life through a relationship with Jesus. Though we are all sinners, though we have all gone our own way, God continues to call us to come to Him and He will heal us and cure us of our rebellious attitudes.

God is broken hearted when we turn away from Him, but He continues to call and to wait. He wants to bless us, but He wants a relationship with us. He wants us to follow Him. He has a cure for all that ails us, if only we will trust Him.

Jeremiah 1-2

August 11

Jeremiah 1-2

"“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” “Ah, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am only a child.” But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord." (Jeremiah 1:5-8, NIV)

God not only knew Jeremiah before he was born, He knew each one of us before we were born. God has a plan for our lives, but He allows us to choose whether we will follow Him or we will follow our own desires. We can come up with all kinds of excuses. Some excuses are better than others, but no excuse releases us from God’s call on our lives.

There is a saying that God does not call the equipped, He equips the called. There is a lot of truth to that saying, but God equips us in ways we do not even begin to understand until we step out in faith. David was a shepherd boy, the youngest in his family. He defended sheep in his father’s pastor and was equipped to defend Israel when they faced Goliath. Moses was a stuttering failure who had been raised in the home of Pharaoh, but ended up tending sheep in the desert for his father in law. God met him in the desert and sent him as His personal messenger to Pharaoh.

God specializes in using our weaknesses to reveal his strength. We do not need to be afraid. If we know God has called us to a task, we can also know He will go with us. He will protect us. He will accomplish His goal, even if it is not our goal. Do not go in your own strength, go in the power of Almighty God and you will not fail.

Isaiah 64-66

August 10

Isaiah 64-66

"All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people, who walk in ways not good, pursuing their own imaginations—" (Isaiah 65:2, NIV)

God loves us so much, He pursues us. He seeks us because He wants a relationship with us. The Holy Spirit extends what is called prevenient grace to us; grace that goes before we even acknowledge God; grace that calls us into a relationship with God through Jesus. God reaches out to us with love, but many people ignore His outstretched hands and continue to do what they want to do instead of what God created them to do.

"He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him." (John 1:10-11, NIV) God wanted to restore a relationship with humanity so bad that He became a man; the creator became His creation. He held out His hands in love, but the world did not recognize Him. Instead of receiving Him, the world rejected and killed Him. But God continued to pursue any who would receive Him.

"Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you!" (Isaiah 64:1, NIV)  Isaiah cried out for God to show up and reveal himself to His people. When Jesus was baptized the heavens were torn, and the Holy Spirit filled him. "As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove." (Mark 1:10, NIV) After His death, the curtain to the temple was torn and the Holy Spirit came and filled all who would walk in His ways.

God pursues each of us desiring a relationship with us. He wants us to walk in His ways, not because He has control issues, but because He wants what is best for us. He created us and knows us better than we know ourselves. God pursues us, but He gives us a choice to make. What’s yours?

Isaiah 59-62

August 9

Isaiah 59-62

" Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear." (Isaiah 59:1-2, NIV)

When we feel distanced from God, it is not because He has moved. God loves us and wants a relationship with us, but when we rebel against Him and turn to our own ways, He will not look upon us with favor. Our sin creates a barrier between us and God. He will not respond to our prayers nor will He bless our endeavors. God is a holy God and He calls us to live holy lives in His presence.

When we feel like our prayers are bouncing off the ceiling, when it seems that we are not experiencing the presence of God in our lives, when it seems God is hiding His face from us, it is time to examine our lives and to try to figure out what is blocking our relationship with Him. If we ask God will reveal the blockage, if we are willing to listen to what He has to say.

God provides the wall breaker. He came to make it so we could commune with Him without barriers. The barriers are not created by God but by us. If we turn from our sin, if we confess them before God, He will forgive us and break down the walls that separate us and will restore our relationship with Him. God wants a relationship with us even more than we want a relationship with Him. He is just waiting for us to be willing to walk in obedience to Him and He will fill us with His presence.

Isaiah 56-58

August 8

Isaiah 56-58

"these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.”" (Isaiah 56:7, NIV)

One of the great messages of the bible is that God wants to redeem and restore all people. Though Israel is His chosen people, they were chosen to reveal what a relationship with God was supposed to look like. They kicked against and resisted God’s guidance in their lives, but that did not stop God from loving them or the other nations. God has an open door policy. All who will come to Him with repentance in their heart are welcomed.

We no longer bring burnt offerings and sacrifices, Jesus fulfilled that requirement. Instead God wants us as living sacrifices willing to submit to His will for our lives as we receive Jesus as not only our Savior but our Lord.

"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." (Hebrews 4:16, NIV) God invites us to come before Him, though He is greater than any king to stand on this earth, He invites us to lift our worries, our concerns, our desires, our needs, our words of praise before His throne. God’s house is a house of prayer.

We miss the significance of this offer. We miss the great privilege God has given us in inviting us to come to him in prayer. We have the ear of God Almighty the creator of heaven and earth. He desires to hear from us. Not just His chosen nation, but people from all nations. Not just the priest who can intercede for the people, but we are all invited to come and speak to Him.

The leaders of nations receive few people into their office to converse with them and to seek favor; the heads of large companies do not have time to entertain the thoughts of multiple people. God invites us to come with confidence and extends mercy and grace to help us as we lift our voice to Him in our time of need.

 

Isaiah 52-55

August 7

Isaiah 52-55

"How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”" (Romans 10:14-15, NIV)

Paul quoted and applied the words from Isaiah 52:7 to encourage the preaching of the Gospel message throughout the world. Isaiah gives a glimpse of the death and resurrection of Jesus as He reminds Jerusalem that God is not finished with her yet, though it looks like they may be annihilated.

Isaiah 52:13-53:10 gives a picture of the crucifixion and the punishment Jesus took for our sin. Though we wander, though we reject God, though we deserve death and hell, Jesus came and took on our iniquity, our punishment so that we could be redeemed without money (52:4) but our freedom was bought with the blood of Jesus.

Just as Isaiah gives Jerusalem hope in the midst of suffering, he gives hope of life in the midst of death for the “suffering servant.” "After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities." (Isaiah 53:11, NIV)  Jesus’ soul suffered when He was rejected, beaten, spit on, and crucified by humanity then forsaken by His Father. But He suffered for us. After he faced death, he rose again and saw the light of life as he conquered sin and death.

The crucifixion did not take God by surprise. It was His plan. It was His way of remaining just while providing a means of forgiveness and redemption for His creation. Sin results in death. All sin so all die. But Jesus came and took on our death so that in Him we can live. God so loved you and me that He willingly allowed Jesus to take on humanity and to die in our place.

No one could take Jesus’ life, He gave it up willingly as had been prophesied so many years before. God’s plan was to offer a reversal to the plague of sin and that reversal is available to all who will receive His gift. The price was paid, we just have to submit ourselves to the love of God in Jesus Christ.

 

Isaiah 49-51

August 6

Isaiah 49-51

  “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.”" (Isaiah 49:6, NIV)

God had a plan from the beginning. He had a plan to redeem and restore not only Israel, but all the nations. Sin entered the world through Adam and Eve and continued through the subsequent generations. No nation was exempt. All sinned and fell short of the glory of God. When John wrote; "“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16, NIV) It was not a new concept, we see this is the idea of God as He revealed His redemption plan through Isaiah.

These chapters paint a vivid picture of the life and death of Jesus. The Israelites were and still are looking for the Servant of the Lord to come and redeem Israel as God promised. It is hard to miss a picture of Jesus especially in 50:4-7, but the eyes of many have been shut. They are blind and need a touch of God to see the truth as revealed in the prophets and the Gospels.

God’s plan is for all people to turn from their life of rebellion and sin and to turn to Him. He had paid the price. Jesus was tortured and killed to pay for our sin. While He hung on the cross he cried out; “Father forgive them.” He came to set us free from a life of sin that entangles us and holds us captive while promising to set us free.

"Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail." (Isaiah 51:6, NIV)

 

 

Isaiah 46-48

August 5

 Isaiah 46-48

 God created humanity with a desire to worship Him. In our fallen state, we still have the innate desire to worship something, but we try to fill that desire with idols or false gods. Nothing but God can fill that desire. The Israelites attempted to follow the gods of the people around them. They formed idols out of stone, wood, or precious metals. The idols only heaped more burdens upon the people. They did not rescue the people from their burdens.

 God had other plans for Israel and for all the nations. His plan was to redeem Israel and all the nations and set them free even from the burdens they had placed upon themselves. He reminded Israel that He alone is God. There is no other God and nothing else can give us the fulfillment we find when we pursue a relationship with the One Who pursues us.

 Jesus said; "“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”" (Matthew 11:28-30, NIV)

 We, like the Israelites, fill our lives with things that we pursue in the attempt to fill the void that can only be filled by God. Those pursuits, whether they be wealth, cars, houses, hobbies, whatever they may be, only bring a greater burden upon us. There is nothing wrong with any of these things in and of themselves, but when we try to use them to replace God, we get loaded down instead of set free.

 God knows us better than we know ourselves and He wants what is best for us. Jesus came to bring us into a right relationship with the Father. He came to bring us correction, redemption, and salvation. If we will listen to Him, He will give us rest. Jesus is our Redeemer.

 "This is what the Lord says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea." (Isaiah 48:17-18, NIV)

Isaiah 44-45

August 4

Isaiah 44-45

The false gods, the idols of the nations do not pursue a relationship with people, people have to seek them out and pursue them. God, the true God is different. He pursues people. He promised to pour His Spirit out on His people and He has, beginning at Pentecost. Jesus came to reveal the Truth of God to a lost and broken world. As we read Isaiah 44-45, we hear God calling His people to come to him. He promises to be there if they will only return to Him. They have rejected Him and His Word, but He continues to call them to himself.

God has put a desire for a relationship with Him in the hearts of people, but people try to fill that desire with all kinds of idols. Israelites made idols; today we build big houses and drive fancy cars, or see how much money we can accumulate. Whatever we use to try to fill the emptiness in our lives other than a relationship with Jesus is an idol.

God pursues us, but He does not force us into a relationship. He redeems us, but He does not force us to take the gift He offers. He knows us before we are even born, He promises to walk with us throughout our lives and to bless us and to protect us, but He does not make us walk with Him. He even uses those who do not know Him and reject Him to accomplish His purposes.

God desires a relationship with us. He used Israel to reveal what a covenant relationship with Him would look like. They rejected His grace. Jesus came to reveal God to a broken world. He was rejected and killed. God sends the Holy Spirit to call us into a relationship with Him. How will we respond?

"“Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other." (Isaiah 45:22, NIV) 

Isaiah 42-43

August 3

Isaiah 42-43

Isaiah gives us a glimpse of the servant God will send to redeem and restore the nations. "“I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness." (Isaiah 42:6-7, NIV)  Jesus is the covenant for the people and the light not only for the gentiles but also for the nations. Jesus said; “I am the light of the world.”

Jesus fulfilled each of the things Isaiah wrote down that the servant of God, the Messiah would fulfill. He did not come in flamboyant fashion. He did not yell and scream. He lived as the son of a humble carpenter. He traveled with a band of common people. He preached Good New, he healed, he forgave, he set sinners free. Jesus continues to do the same things he did while he was walking this earth. He continues to heal and restore broken people.

On the night he was betrayed Jesus “took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." (Matthew 26:27-28, NIV) He became the new covenant. Through our relationship with Jesus, God restores us into the people He created us to become. Through His blood we are cleansed.

Isaiah wrote the words God gave him to share with Israel. Israel took his words and hung on to them looking for the Messiah to come, but when He arrived, He did not look like they expected and they missed Him. Jesus is the servant written about in Isaiah who came to shine a light into a dark world, to set the captives free, to make the blind see, and the deaf hear. He came to bring life to humanity and glory to God.  

Isaiah 40-41

August 2

Isaiah 40-41

"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." (Isaiah 40:29-31, NIV)

People come and people go. Isaiah speaks of men being like grass, they are here today and gone tomorrow. It does not sound very positive until we realized that our time on earth may be short, but God has bigger plans for us. He has an eternal perspective. Though people live relatively short lives when you look at eternity, the word of God stands forever. (40:8)

People grow tired over the years. Stress and strain wears us down. We lose energy, we may lose our drive, but when we depend on God he renews and restores us. When we focus on Jesus instead of focusing on the things of the world, He increases our strength. Paul wrote; "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day." (2 Corinthians 4:16, NIV)

Life wears us down. Our bodies waste away over the years, but when we lean on the Lord we can be renewed inwardly day by day. Where we put our hope directs where we put our future.

Isaiah 37-39

August 1

Isaiah 37-39

Hezekiah held off the Assyrians and held off death because he was a man of prayer. The Assyrians were a powerful nation. They were conquering nation after nation as they expanded their kingdom. They did not see Jerusalem as much of a problem. Jerusalem was nothing in comparison to the power, the men, and the weaponry of Assyria. But Hezekiah did not fear the Assyrians because he knew God. Instead of calling for help from other nations, he called on the Lord.

The great Assyrian mistake is that they saw the God of Israel as the same as the god of the other nations they had conquered. They did not realize that Yahweh was the God of all nations, the creator of the universe, and the protector of Jerusalem. When the king of Assyria threatened Jerusalem, Hezekiah prayed. When he prayed God moved. One hundred and eighty five thousand from the Assyrian army died without Hezekiah and his men even picking up a weapon. God is more powerful than the armies of the earth no matter how powerful they may appear.

Hezekiah, because of his experience with God, knew where to turn when he was told his illness was terminal. He cried out to God who heard from heaven and added fifteen years to his life. Hezekiah did not fear death, he called on the Lord. Just as the nations enemies were crouching at the door of Jerusalem, death was crouching at the Hezekiah’s door. But God is more powerful than all our enemies, even death.

God wants to hear from us. He hears our prayers and responds. He does not always respond the way we want Him to respond, but He always gives us what we need instead of what we may want. He is a loving Father in heaven who walks through life with us and escorts us into His eternal presence when our life on earth is over. Prayer is our communication with God. He hears from heaven and responds with grace. As we pray, we gain confidence in prayer. As we see God move in our lives, we realized that He is with us as we pursue a life of righteousness, to give Him glory.