NOT ABOUT SELF-SUFFICIENCY.
Let God take charge. I know, God, that mere mortals can't run their own lives, That men and women don't have what it takes to take charge of life. So correct us, God, as you see best. Jer 10:23
NOT JUST A SET OF RULES.
Obedience gives us access to the God of the Angel Armies. "Obey what I tell you. Do exactly what I command you. Your obedience will close the deal. You'll be mine and I'll be yours.” Jer 11:4
NOT JUST WHEN WE HAVE A CRISIS.
God wants our attention all the time. And as for you, Jeremiah, I don't want you praying for this people. Nothing! Not a word of petition. Indeed, I'm not going to listen to a single syllable of their crisis-prayers." Jer 11:14
NOT JUST RELIGION AND GOING TO CHURCH.
God examines the heart. What business do the ones I love have figuring out how to get off the hook? And right in the house of worship! Do you think making promises and devising pious programs will save you from doom? Do you think you can get out of this by becoming more religious? Jer 11:15
NOT ABOUT ENDURANCE God-of-the-Angel-Armies, you're a fair judge. You examine and cross-examine human actions and motives. Jer 11:20 Don’t put your trust in men. “So, Jeremiah, if you're worn out in this footrace with men, what makes you think you can race against horses?” Jer 12:5
NOT THE OLD WAYS BUT NEW LIVING
Either listen and change, or don’t. God tells us His Plan. Jeremiah 12:14-17 “Once I've pulled the bad neighbors out, I will relent and take them tenderly to my heart and put them back where they belong." Jer 12:14-17. Not the old ways, but new righteous living in Light, while we still can. Then I said, Listen. Listen carefully: Don't stay stuck in your ways! It's God's Message we're dealing with here. Let your lives glow bright before God before he turns out the lights.” Jer 13:15
NOT TO ASK "WHY ME?" BUT "WHY NOT ME?"
"What's going on here? Why me?" The answer's simple: You're guilty, hugely guilty. Jer 13:22
Not about self sufficiency. Let God take charge. Jeremiah 10:23 I know, God, that mere mortals can't run their own lives, That men and women don't have what it takes to take charge of life. So correct us, God, as you see best.
ReplyDeleteNot just a set of rules. Obedience gives us access to the God of the Angel Armies. Jeremiah 11:4 'Obey what I tell you. Do exactly what I command you. Your obedience will close the deal. You'll be mine and I'll be yours.”
Not just when we have a crisis. God wants our attention all the time. Jeremiah 11:14 And as for you, Jeremiah, I don't want you praying for this people. Nothing! Not a word of petition. Indeed, I'm not going to listen to a single syllable of their crisis-prayers."
Not just religion and going to church. God examines the heart. Jeremiah 11:15 What business do the ones I love have figuring out how to get off the hook? And right in the house of worship! Do you think making promises and devising pious programs will save you from doom? Do you think you can get out of this by becoming more religious?
Jeremiah 11:20 God-of-the-Angel-Armies, you're a fair judge. You examine and cross-examine human actions and motives.
Not about endurance. Don’t put your trust in men. Jeremiah 12:5 “So, Jeremiah, if you're worn out in this footrace with men, what makes you think you can race against horses?”
Either listen and change, or don’t. God tells us His Plan. Jeremiah 12:14-17 “Once I've pulled the bad neighbors out, I will relent and take them tenderly to my heart and put them back where they belong, put each of them back in their home country, on their family farms. Then if they will get serious about living my way and pray to me as well as they taught my people to pray to that god Baal, everything will go well for them. But if they won't listen, then I'll pull them out of their land by the roots and cart them off to the dump. Total destruction!" God's Decree.”
Not the old ways, but new righteous living in Light, while we still can. Jeremiah 13:15 Then I said, Listen. Listen carefully: Don't stay stuck in your ways! It's God's Message we're dealing with here. Let your lives glow bright before God before he turns out the lights.”
Not to ask why me, but why not me? Jeremiah 13:22 "What's going on here? Why me?" The answer's simple: You're guilty, hugely guilty.
"It's because you forgot me
ReplyDeleteand embraced the Big Lie,
that so-called god Baal. I'm the one who will rip off your clothes,
expose and shame you before the watching world. Your obsessions with gods, gods, and more gods,
your goddess affairs, your god-adulteries. Gods on the hills, gods in the fields—
every time I look you're off with another god. O Jerusalem, what a sordid life!
Is there any hope for you!"
How does Israel get caught up in gods?
Is there any hope for them?
I keep going back to the fact that we are human. In our flesh habits we see desire, pleasure, me-centered behavior that leaves God totally out of our life.
I we ask God for eyes to see His Spirit and the things that really matter...Spirit things...then our whole perspective changes about life. We have eternity in our eyes. We listen for God's narrow way directions. We stop when He says "Don't do that." We run from the very appearance of evil because He has set eternity in our hearts. We see through the sin that is offered so abundantly at our hand, and we refuse it for the crown laid before us if we finish this race with faith.
Is there any hope for me?
Oh, yes. There is One who has come that has given us the ultimate weapon against evil and it's snares.
Jesus Christ.
Lord, put Your Spirit in us and give us eyes to see. Remove the scales that have us blind to spiritual things. Replace our desires with Your desires. May we not be conformed to this world, but transformed by Your Spirit working in us.
Is there any hope on this August 15th ---oh yes there is. Today was one of the saddest days of my life---it will rank right up there. God was present. We still have a prophetic burden for you cannot these piddly burdens of life cannot extinguish God's calling on our lives. We will advance His Kingdom. I am more privileged tonight by the high calling of our God than I am undone by my pain and that is a very good place to be. All I can deal with is my stuff---my motives, my sin. If any of you would like to email me, I'd be happy to share with you what happened today.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to meet Jeremiah---my good friend and cancer buddy, Joe, met him today. I'm so taken for Joe's family, his teenagers.