Tag: Lord

Buy a Field

Re: Verse reading–Jeremiah 31:27-34; 32:1-15 (day two)
“For I know the plans I have for you”, declares the Lord, “planes to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope, and a future.” Jer. 29:11

This was not a vain or empty promise that the Lord made just a few chapters earlier, and Jeremiah was willing to claim those words and put his faith into action. Throughout these dark days of exile and the hard words of rebuke, the Lord has always provided a word or restoration. It often meant a complete rejection of the lives they were living. What kind of a prophet would Jeremiah have been if he did not take God at his word? I’ve talked to financial planners who say that the best time to buy is when the market is down. Things may look grim, but when it turns around you will reap the harvest of your investment.

Investing in the future

Re: Verse reading–Jeremiah 31:27-34; 32:1-15 (day one) 
“For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land.’ ” (v 32:15)  My favorite Jeremiah story.  His finest hour.  After years of declaring Jerusalem’s ruin, and on the eve of that predicted collapse, Jeremiah becomes a voice of hope.  With the armies of Babylon surrounding the city, Jeremiah buys property!  Crazy!  He makes an investment in the future, “puts his money where his mouth is”.  Signing the papers, he instructs the deeds to be sealed in an earthenware jar to protect them from years of mildew, moisture and theft.  He then explained his action with a prophecy that commerce would someday be carried on again in Jerusalem and that eventually his purchase would prove financially prudent.  Easter is about hope, too.  Just like Jeremiah, our lives should speak hope.  Our friends should see us trusting God and investing in the future.

When Judgement Comes

Re: Verse reading – Jeremiah 21:1-10; 38:1-6 (day seven) 
“Thus says the Lord. . .those who go out and surrender to the Chaldeans. . . shall live.”  (21:8-9)  When judgment comes we are to submit to it.  Not complain.  Not resist.  We are to trust/obey God despite the painful moment that our sins have brought down upon us.  God promises a way of escape and commands us to endure because we believe.  (1 Corinthians 10:13)  David is a good example of this attitude that leads to recovery.  “Against you, you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified when you speak, and blameless when you judge.”  (Psalm 51:4)  He praised God and refused to accuse God of unfairness.  Admitting that some of the difficulty is life comes in direct response to our sin is humbling.  Some, not all,  heartbreak is the discipline of God, and the way forward is to submit to it and look to Him for mercy to follow.

Lessons from Babylon to Holy Week

Re: Verse reading – Jeremiah 21:1-10, 38:1-6 (day five)

We see a couple of similarities as we compare the narrative in Jeremiah and the recounts of Holy Week in the Gospels.  Absence of Leadership (A leader who cowers down to the wishes/demands of the passionate crowd people instead of standing strong and making an unpopular decision (Zedikiah/Pilate).  True Picture of Following God (The Lord’s provision and plan calls for submission and surrender (Chaldeans/Cross).

The call to live a life that evidences grace, truth, strength, integrity, and love (2 Timothy 2:22-25) is still what the Lord would desire of all His followers.  It also is worth remembering Jesus always believed the Christian life would involve to some degree:  pain, difficulty, and humility (Luke 9:23).

 

Perhaps is the wrong prayer

Re: Verse reading – Jeremiah 21:1-10, 38:1-6 (day two)
“Perhaps the Lord will perform wonders of us as in times past so that he will withdraw from us” Jer. 21:2

Perhaps?

How are you treating your conversations with God? Do you approach him with fear and reverence or on the off chance that it might “work” to ask? There is more history involved with this story of exile and captivity, but much can be gleaned from the callow way the people treated the Lord. They acknowledged that God had indeed performed great and mighty deeds for them in the past, but they were unwilling to concede that their hearts were hardened. Don’t treat God like a last resort, it may keep you from exile and captivity in the first place.

Unanswered prayers

Re: Verse reading – Jeremiah 21:1-10, 38:1-6 (day one)
“Please inquire of the Lord on our behalf, for King Nebuchadnezzar is making war against us; perhaps the Lord. . . will make him withdraw from us.  Thus says the Lord . . .’I myself will fight against you’ ”  (v 2, 5)  With apologies to Garth Brooks, there are some unanswered prayers for which we will NOT be thankful.  Moments when God will say “no” to us in the strongest of terms.  After years of warning from Jeremiah, the army of Babylon has actually come.  Siege walls are being set up.  The situation is desperate.  Now the King, who for years has ignored the Word of God, is interested in the help of God.  It is too late.  The time for repentance has passed.  There will be better days in the future.  God still has mercy.  The request, however, that will not be granted is for God to make years of unbelief consequence free.  That prayer will go unanswered.

Seventy years

Re: Verse reading – Jeremiah 29:1-14 (day seven)
“It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of a living God.”  (Hebrews 10:3)  It is not a place I want to be–led by my own stubbornness into a time of God’s discipline.  Read Hebrews 12:5-11.  Once begun, the discipline of God will run its course.  Short or long, the Lord will decide the duration and I will have no other choice but to endure.  40 years in the wilderness for the Exodus people. (Numbers 14:34)  70 years in exile for the unrepentant people of Judah.  (Jeremiah 29:10)  3 days of pestilence for the nation because of David’s sin. (2 Samuel 24:13)  The anger of God is nothing to trifled with.  Even this “opposition” to us (Numbers 14:34) is an expression of His loving desire for us to share His holiness. (Hebrews 12:10)  It is, however, very painful and costly for those who experience it.  “Do not be DECEIVED, God is not mocked; whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.”  (Galatians 6:7)

God’s welfare program

Re: Verse reading – Jeremiah 29:1-14 (day six)
“Build houses. . .plant gardens. . .take wives and become fathers. . .pray to the Lord (for the city). . .for I know the plans that I have for you, plans for (your) welfare.”  (v 5-7, 11)  We tend, I fear, to separate God’s ultimate plan for our good from the intermediate steps.  God has a plan for our welfare.  Hurray!  It is, however, a bit more demanding than we sometimes imagine.  His plan includes industry.  Building houses and families.  Planting gardens.  As the people of Judah did this work, God promised to bless and protect them.  His welfare program also includes industry of a spiritual kind.  Prayer for their captors.  Patience.  Carefully cultivated hope.  Seeking God with whole hearts. (v 12)  Who knew?  God’s welfare program assumes as a condition the presence of ACTIVE FAITH.   Belief in God is not an excuse for inaction.  It is our motivation for active obedience and our assurance of His help when we do.

The Welfare of the City

Re: Verse reading – Jeremiah 29:1-14 (day two)
But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. (Jeremiah 29:7 ESV) This passage has brought me much strength as I have studied it. We often quote 29:11, and most of us truly believe that God has hope for those who trust in him. Isn’t this commission a wonderful challenge? We may be walking in exile; deliverance may be years off; the world around us may be very dark indeed. Fear not! God has an assignment while we wait. Plug in. Get involved. Make a difference where you are. Stop waiting for that “someday” to arrive and get on mission now. What a great passage for us as we consider how to minister to this community. As we seek to go and foster healthy relationships with our city, we are helping to create the foothold that the Lord will use. What a privilege to serve, even in the midst of an exile.

Recovering hope

Re: Verse reading – Jeremiah 29:1-14 (day one) 
“I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to give you hope and a future.” (v 11) We call it recovery.  Life destroyed by addiction–drugs, alcohol, porn–and brave, broken people turn to face the pain and regret and find a way to start over.  Are there rules for doing so?  Does God have a word for us when we “hit bottom”?  Yes!  Help came to the people of Judah in the form of a letter.  They had been conquered and captured and carried away into exile, but Jeremiah was not letting go!  He became the voice of hope for recovery.  Psalm 118:18 says, “The Lord has disciplined me severely, but He has not given me over to death.”  Jeremiah speaks this same balanced view.  Consequences do come.  Painful.  Real.  Mercy is even higher.  May the Lord give us grace this week as we read these hopeful words and communicate them to others.