(Jeremiah 1:1-19)
The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2 to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. 3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the exile of Jerusalem in the fifth month.
4 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying,5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
And before you were born I consecrated you;
I have appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
6 Then I said, “Oh, Lord God!
Behold, I do not know how to speak,
Because I am a youth.”
7 But the Lord said to me,
“Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’
Because everywhere I send you, you shall go,
And all that I command you, you shall speak.
8 Do not be afraid of them,
For I am with you to save you,” declares the Lord.
9 Then the Lord stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me,
“Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.
10 See, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms,
To root out and to tear down,
To destroy and to overthrow,
To build and to plant.”
11 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” And I said, “I see a branch of an almond tree.” 12 Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to perform it.”
13 And the word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a boiling pot, facing away from the north.” 14 Then the Lord said to me, “Out of the north the evil will be unleashed on all the inhabitants of the land. 15 For, behold, I am calling all the families of the kingdoms of the north,” declares the Lord; “and they will come and place, each one of them, his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all its walls around, and against all the cities of Judah. 16 And I will pronounce My judgments against them concerning all their wickedness, since they have abandoned Me and have offered sacrifices to other gods, and worshiped the works of their own hands. 17 Now, belt your garment around your waist and arise, and speak to them all that I command you. Do not be dismayed before them, or I will make you dismayed before them. 18 Now behold, I have made you today like a fortified city and like a pillar of iron and walls of bronze against the whole land, to the kings of Judah, to its leaders, to its priests, and to the people of the land. 19 And they will fight against you but they will not overcome you, for I am with you to save you,” declares the Lord.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
One cannot build a sound house or any structure for that matter, on top of a foundation that is compromised, and definitely not on top of or adjacent to another unsound structure! A wise engineer will always build upon a solid foundation. So verse 10 really stood out to me. In any relationship, starting with our relationship with the Lord, one needs to start out by rooting out and tearing down, destroying and "overthrowing" (overcoming) any and all sin in our lives. Obviously, we cannot do any of that for ourselves.
Besides being the all-knowing and all-powerful Engineer over all, the Lord, Himself, is the only firm, solid and sound foundation. It is initially the Lord who helps us root out the sin by telling us what is a sin, through His word (the Bible), His Holy Spirit who convicts us, as well as our conscience that the Lord has given every one of us.
Once we realize that we are sinners, we can go (as we are) to the Lord to repent and accept His free gift of eternal life. It is only the Lord who can forgive our sins because He came in flesh, to be fully man while still being fully God, to live a perfect life, and suffer and die to pay the price for all sin, then rise from the dead to have victory over death. So because the Lord is perfect, faithful and is unshakeable truth, in a personal relationship with the Lord, we are able to ask Him to build us up according to His purpose. And He will guide us and help us in all things, and it is only in this that we will experience spiritual peace, courage and strength.
As we continue on in our personal relationship with the Lord, because He is the one who changes us from the inside out, as we ask and allow, He continues to work on and in our hearts. As we continue to pursue Him and His will, the Lord equips us and helps us to build and to plant. It is the Lord who nourishes and strengthens us so that we produce fruit in our lives to be seen by others, to serve others, and to have a positive impact and influence on those around us.
We can also use this template in all other relationships, while always asking God to provide wisdom, guidance and strength. In the broader sense, we should root out toxic relationships and situations, and then build up protective hedges around us. While we are told to not worry or fear anyone or anything, we are still told to flee from evil. Most especially, do not be lured into dating or marrying an unbeliever, which would be to build a marriage on a very compromised foundation! While the Lord will provide us ways of escape through times of temptation, He also advises us to avoid putting ourselves into circumstances that will cause us to be tempted.
Likewise, in all other relationships, to keep them healthy, strong and peaceful, we can root out issues and deal with them, according to God's instructions, with God's love and help, and to His glory. And then, according to God's instructions, with God's love and help, we can build, plant and nurture. In this we will build up more relationships that have strength, peace and longevity.
With any relationships, it goes both ways. Therefore, when we all strive to grow closer to the Lord and put into practice His instructions, in His strength and help, all to His glory, we will grow closer to each other. But if anyone decides to do things their own way, we cannot control this. All we can do is pray, and do as we should, and never be ashamed of remaining steadfast in the Lord. It helps to know that striving in obedience is to have a purpose and be part of God's plans in all that He wants to accomplish. As well, it helps to know that God wants to bless us.
The Lord has called each of us to serve in some way, because He has given each of us purpose which will lead to a fulfilling life. Figuring out what it is that we are called to do is not as mysterious as most of us assume. As we pray and ask God for guidance, He will give us direction. It might be as simple as doing something that we already enjoy doing. And even when we struggle with nerves or insecurities or lack of motivation, we will experience peace and joy when we persevere, because it is such a great blessing to serve our Sovereign Lord and Savior!
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