relationships (Jeremiah 22:1-30) Love and Justice Work Together

(Jeremiah 22:1-30) 

This is what the Lord says: “Go down to the house of the king of Judah and there speak this word, 2 and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, who sits on David’s throne, you and your servants and your people who enter these gates. 3 This is what the Lord says: “Do justice and righteousness, and save one who has been robbed from the power of his oppressor. And do not mistreat or do violence to the stranger, the orphan, or the widow; and do not shed innocent blood in this place. 4 For if you will indeed perform this instruction, then kings will enter the gates of this house, sitting in David’s place on his throne, riding in chariots and on horses, the king himself, his servants, and his people. 5 But if you will not obey these words, I swear by Myself,” declares the Lord, “that this house will become a place of ruins.”’” 6 For this is what the Lord says concerning the house of the king of Judah:

     “You are like Gilead to Me,
     Like the summit of Lebanon;
     Yet most assuredly I will make you a wilderness,
     Cities that are not inhabited.
7  For I will set apart destroyers against you,
     Each with his weapons;
     And they will cut down your choicest cedars 
     And throw them on the fire.

8 “Many nations will pass by this city; and they will say to one another, ‘Why has the Lord done this to this great city?’ 9 Then they will answer, ‘Because they abandoned the covenant of the Lord their God and bowed down to other gods and served them.’”

10 Do not weep for the dead or mourn for him,
     But weep deeply for the one who goes away;
     For he will never return 
     Or see his native land.

11 For this is what the Lord says regarding Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who became king in the place of his father Josiah, who went out from this place: “He will never return there; 12 but in the place where they took him into exile, there he will die and he will not see this land again.

13 “Woe to him who builds his house without righteousness,
     And his upstairs rooms without justice,
     Who uses his neighbor’s services without pay 
     And does not give him his wages,
14 Who says, ‘I will build myself a large house 
     With spacious upstairs rooms,
     And cut out its windows,
     Paneling it with cedar and painting it bright red.’
15 Do you become a king because you are competing in cedar?
     Did your father not eat and drink 
     And do justice and righteousness?
     Then it was well for him.
16 He pled the cause of the afflicted and the poor,
     Then it was well.
     Is that not what it means to know Me?”
     Declares the Lord.
17 “But your eyes and your heart 
     Are intent only upon your own dishonest gain,
     And on shedding innocent blood,
     And on practicing oppression and extortion.”

18 Therefore this is what the Lord says regarding Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:

     “They will not mourn for him:
     ‘Oh, my brother!’ or, ‘Oh, sister!’
     They will not mourn for him:
     ‘Oh, for the master!’ or, ‘Oh, for his splendor!’
19 He will be buried with a donkey’s burial,
     Dragged off and thrown out beyond the gates of Jerusalem.
20 Go up to Lebanon and cry out,
     And raise your voice in Bashan;
     Cry out also from Abarim,
     For all your lovers have been crushed.
21 I spoke to you in your prosperity;
     But you said, ‘I will not listen!’
     This has been your way from your youth,
     That you have not obeyed My voice.
22 The wind will sweep away all your shepherds,
     And your lovers will go into captivity;
     Then you will certainly be ashamed and humiliated 
     Because of all your wickedness.
23 You who live in Lebanon,
     Nested in the cedars,
     How you will groan when sharp pains come on you,
     Pain like a woman in childbirth!

24 “As I live,” declares the Lord, “even if Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were a signet ring on My right hand, yet I would pull you off; 25 and I will hand you over to those who are seeking your life, yes, to those of whom you are frightened, that is, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Chaldeans. 26 I will hurl you and your mother who gave birth to you into another country where you were not born, and there you will die. 27 But as for the land to which they long to return, they will not return to it.

28 Is this man Coniah a despised, shattered jar?
     Or is he an undesirable vessel?
     Why have he and his descendants been hurled out 
     And cast into a land that they had not known?
29 O land, land, land,
     Hear the word of the Lord!

30 This is what the Lord says:

     ‘Write this man down as childless,
     A man who will not prosper in his days;
     For no man among his descendants will prosper 
     Sitting on the throne of David 
     Or ruling again in Judah.’”

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

Here, God tells us that we should not mistreat or take advantage of the strangers, as well as the orphans and widows.  This does not mean that a country should "open their borders" to allow anyone and everyone to stream in, because God also tells us that we are to do justice and righteousness.  But, if criminals and terrorists are allowed to freely come in and out of a country, guess what?  They will take advantage of those who are wanting to come into the country.  There's a price that they require, in order to traffic them in.  But guess what?  Part way there, they stop and ask for more money.  If one cannot pay, they will have to work off their debt... by either working for the cartel, or being trafficked in forced labor and/or sex slavery.  Therefore, if one supports the idea of open borders, they support the idea of slavery.

We've even heard some of the politicians complain about the deportation of illegal immigrants.  In their hopes of coming across as concerned and caring, they say things like, "Our economy is going to collapse!"  "Who is going to take care of our children, clean our homes, do our yardwork..." etc.  Well, these are the very same things that plantation owners said, back when the GOP fought to free the slaves!  How much does one love money when it comes down to taking advantage of desperate people and getting cheap labor!  And there are hundreds of thousands of children being trafficked for sex and forced labor.  Is there no compassion and care for these victims?  How is this not upsetting?!

There is a right way to be an immigrant, and to safely come into our countries.  It not only protects the citizens, but it protects the immigrants themselves.  Most people are NOT against immigrants - IF - it is done the right way!!!  And then, we are to show love and kindness to those strangers, as well as the neighbors who are strangers only because we haven't gotten to know them yet.  As for those who are here illegally, we are still to show love and kindness, but that doesn't mean we support their illegal behavior.  Every country has border control and laws around why and how one enters it.  

If we look at verse 16, God explains that by in pleading the cause of the afflicted and poor, it is demonstrating that one knows the Lord in a personal relationship.  Doing good doesn't save us, but it proves that we have been saved.  Love and kindness, as well as justice and law enforcement, can and should go hand in hand.  With that, love needs to be directed and applied appropriately.  The issues above come out of the love for money!

Why Christianity is not a prosperity-name-it-and-claim-it kind of system-of-belief is because as a true believer in Jesus Christ, our focus will be on Him, and not on money.  The LOVE of money is the root of all kinds of evil.  This does not say that one cannot have wealth.  Notice in verse 21, God says that He warned Israel in their time of prosperity, but they would not listen.  They were prosperous because the Lord had blessed them, but then... because of their disobedience, God allowed them to lose everything.  It is typical that people will not see their need for God while they are "rich" and everything is going their way.  It is also typical for those who love money, to be jealous of others who seem to have more than them, and will even accuse them of being selfish, greedy and lacking in compassion, even if they are generous, compassionate and philanthropic.

In verses 3-4, the Israelites are told that - IF they do justice and righteousness - THEN they would prosper.  When we become Christians and live obediently in God's righteousness, He will bless us, but we do not know if it will be monetarily.  That is not what our hope should be fixed on.  What we do know is that we will have treasures in heaven, and for here, right now, the Lord will give us (at the very least) everything we NEED.  And even better, as we allow Him to work in our lives, He will give us His peace, joy and hope, and have access to His wisdom and strength.  

We can also be content in all things when we rely on and put our trust in the Lord.  I can tell you from experience that even though we lived at poverty level for several years and were not "well off" for many more... our kids never realized that we were "poor."  And even when we went through various sorrows and struggles, those were very wonderful "rich" years as we saw how God worked things out, which helped us mature in our walk and faith in the Lord!

relationships (Jeremiah 21:1-14) The Hug of Protection

(Jeremiah 21:1-14) 

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Malchijah and Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, saying, 2 “Please inquire of the Lord in our behalf, because Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is making war against us; perhaps the Lord will deal with us in accordance with all His wonderful acts, so that the enemy will withdraw from us.”

3 But Jeremiah said to them, “You shall say to Zedekiah as follows: 4 ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: “Behold, I am going to turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, with which you are making war against the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the wall; and I will gather them into the middle of this city. 5 And I Myself will make war against you with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm, and in anger, wrath, and great indignation. 6 I will also strike the inhabitants of this city, both the people and the animals; they will die of a great plague. 7 Then afterward,” declares the Lord, “I will hand Zedekiah king of Judah, his servants, and the people, that is, those who survive in this city from the plague, the sword, and the famine, over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, to their enemies, and to those who seek their lives; and he will strike and kill them with the edge of the sword. He will not spare them nor have pity nor compassion.”’

8 “You shall also say to this people, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Behold, I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death. 9 Anyone who stays in this city will die by the sword, by famine, or by plague; but anyone who leaves and goes over to the Chaldeans who are besieging you will live, and he will have his own life as plunder. 10 For I have set My face against this city for harm and not for good,” declares the Lord. “It will be handed over to the king of Babylon and he will burn it with fire.”’

11 “Then say to the household of the king of Judah, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, 12 house of David, this is what the Lord says:

     “Administer justice every morning;
     And save the person who has been robbed from the power of his oppressor,
     So that My wrath will not spread like fire 
     And burn, with no one to extinguish it,
     Because of the evil of their deeds.

13 “Behold, I am against you, you inhabitant of the valley,
     You rocky plain,” declares the Lord,
     “You who say, ‘Who will come down against us?
     Or who will enter our dwellings?’
14 But I will punish you according to the results of your deeds,” declares the Lord,
     “And I will kindle a fire in its forest 
     So that it may devour all its surroundings.”’”

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

Some people have a problem with God having wrath, but if anyone wants justice, fairness, peace and safety, one has to have a sovereign authority.  And that authority needs to be fair, just, powerful, reasonable, and able to make that happen.  And the people need to cooperate within that system, and work together.  God tells us that we are to defend and protect the rights of the innocent, and the vulnerable, as well as to stand up for what is right.  God also tells us to respect those in authority and the laws of the land, and not let criminals get away with their crimes!

There's a disturbing trend happening in our North American countries.  Right now, there is a group, or groups, who are (in the name of "compassion" and "the law") protecting, defending and enabling the criminals and terrorists, but vilifying and fighting against the law and authority figures.  This defies all logic.  But in creating chaos, fear and hate, it's all about those leaders or want-to-be-leaders, desiring more money and control.  Their hope is that the people will see them as their only solution for peace and safety, and in that, they will be more than willing to just hand over the control and their hard-earned money.

Can you show me any communist country where all the people are free, happy and thriving, and do not experience fear?  Could communism work?  Yes, BUT only in a perfect world.  And we most certainly do NOT live in a perfect world!  It is interesting though, when things get really bad, that unbelievers will ask Christians to pray for them that things go well, but they refuse to go to the Lord themselves.  Do they feel the heat of God's fire and are afraid?  Yet, as they choose to avoid or run away from God, they run towards chaos, deception, destruction, death and an eternal fire.  

The truth to realize is that the only way to extinguish the fire that will burn against us is to humbly go to the Lord Jesus for forgiveness.  Verse 8 shows us that God is loving and wants a personal relationship with all people.  And so, He always gives us a choice, and one of them is always the way of life.  In becoming a Christian, we are not just saved from our own sins, we are saved from God's wrath.  And in this, we can run into the Lord's open arms of protection, compassion, healing, comfort, peace, joy and eternal life.

relationships (Jeremiah 20:1-18) True Love's Confidence

(Jeremiah 20:1-18) 

When Pashhur the priest, the son of Immer, who was chief overseer in the house of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things, 2 Pashhur had Jeremiah the prophet beaten and put him in the stocks that were at the upper Benjamin Gate, which was by the house of the Lord. 3 Then on the next day, when Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “Pashhur is not the name the Lord has called you, but rather Magor-missabib. 4 For this is what the Lord says: ‘Behold, I am going to make you a horror to yourself and to all your friends; and while your eyes look on, they will fall by the sword of their enemies. So I will hand all Judah over to the king of Babylon, and he will take them away as exiles to Babylon and will kill them with the sword. 5 I will also give all the wealth of this city, all its produce and all its valuable things—even all the treasures of the kings of Judah I will hand over to their enemies, and they will plunder them, take them away, and bring them to Babylon. 6 And you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house will go into captivity; and you will enter Babylon, and there you will die and there you will be buried, you and all your friends to whom you have falsely prophesied.’”

7   Lord, You persuaded me and I let myself be persuaded;
     You have overcome me and prevailed.
     I have become a laughingstock all day long;
     Everyone mocks me.
8   For each time I speak, I cry aloud;
     I proclaim violence and destruction,
     Because for me the word of the Lord has resulted 
     In taunting and derision all day long.
9   But if I say, “I will not remember Him
     Nor speak anymore in His name,”
     Then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire 
     Shut up in my bones;
     And I am tired of holding it in,
     And I cannot endure it.
10 For I have heard the whispering of many,
     “Terror on every side!
     Denounce him; let’s denounce him!”
     All my trusted friends,
     Watching for my fall, say:
     “Perhaps he will be persuaded, so that we may prevail against him 
     And take our revenge on him.”
11 But the Lord is with me like a powerful champion;
     Therefore my persecutors will stumble and not prevail.
     They will be put to great shame because they have failed,
     An everlasting disgrace that will not be forgotten.
12 Yet, Lord of armies, who tests the righteous,
     Who sees the mind and the heart;
     Let me see Your vengeance on them,
     For to You I have disclosed my cause.
13 Sing to the Lord, praise the Lord!
     For He has saved the soul of the needy one 
     From the hand of evildoers.

14 Cursed be the day when I was born;
     May the day when my mother gave birth to me not be blessed!
15 Cursed be the man who brought the news 
     To my father, saying,
     “A boy has been born to you!”
     And made him very happy.
16 But may that man be like the cities 
     Which the Lord overthrew without relenting,
     And may he hear an outcry in the morning
     And an alarm for war at noon;
17 Because he did not kill me before birth,
     So that my mother would have been my grave,
     And her womb forever pregnant.
18 Why did I ever come out of the womb
     To look at trouble and sorrow,
     So that my days have been spent in shame?

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

In a weak moment, a believer could be persuaded to stray away from God.  But understand that unbelievers do not care about us, they just want to bring us down and have things go their own way.  It helps for us to know and remember that there will be suffering no matter which side we choose.  Rather choose to continue allowing God to persuade us, because God does care for us, very much so.  

While we will suffer for the sake of the gospel, for God to have His way in us is the most excellent thing.  No matter what we are going through or what we will go through, as we continue to draw closer to the Lord in a personal relationship, we will experience His strength, peace and joy.  And as He promises to look after us, since He is just and fair, love, and all-powerful, all-knowing, and everywhere present, we can be very confident in Him and His plans for us!

Romans 8:28   And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Romans 5:1-5 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we also have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we celebrate in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only this, but we also celebrate in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

relationships (Jeremiah 19:1-15) We Listen When We Care

(Jeremiah 19:1-15) 

This is what the Lord says: “Go and buy a potter’s earthenware jar, and take some of the elders of the people and some of the senior priests. 2 Then go out to the Valley of Ben-hinnom, which is by the entrance of the Potsherd Gate, and proclaim there the words that I tell you, 3 and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, you kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “Behold I am going to bring a disaster upon this place, at which the ears of everyone that hears of it will tingle. 4 Since they have abandoned Me and have made this place foreign, and have burned sacrifices in it to other gods that neither they nor their forefathers nor the kings of Judah had ever known, and since they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent  5 and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, a thing which I did not command nor speak of, nor did it ever enter My mind; 6 therefore, behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when this place will no longer be called Topheth or the Valley of Ben-hinnom, but rather the Valley of Slaughter. 7 And I will frustrate the planning of Judah and Jerusalem in this place, and I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies and by the hand of those who seek their life; and I will make their carcasses food for the birds of the sky and the animals of the earth. 8 I will also turn this city into an object of horror and hissing; everyone who passes by it will be appalled and hiss because of all its disasters. 9 And I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they will eat one another’s flesh during the siege and in the hardship with which their enemies and those who seek their life will torment them.”’

10 “Then you are to break the jar in the sight of the men who accompany you, 11 and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord of armies says: “To the same extent I will break this people and this city, just as one breaks a potter’s vessel, which cannot again be repaired; and they will bury their dead in Topheth, because there is no other place for burial. 12 This is how I will treat this place and its inhabitants,” declares the Lord, “so as to make this city like Topheth. 13 The houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will be defiled like the place Topheth, because of all the houses on whose rooftops they burned sacrifices to all the heavenly lights and poured out drink offerings to other gods.”’”

14 Then Jeremiah came from Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy; and he stood in the courtyard of the Lord’s house and said to all the people, 15 “This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: ‘Behold, I am going to bring on this city and all its towns the entire disaster that I have declared against it, because they have stiffened their necks so as not to listen to My words.’”

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

In Jeremiah 17, God talks about testing every deed.  He will judge all of us according to our deeds.  For the unbelievers, they will be judged and punished for their sinful deeds.  For believers, because we have humbly gone to the Lord for forgiveness of all sins, we will be judged and rewarded for our good deeds done with right motives.  

Some people will see this and think that this isn't fair, and will "have compassion" for those who reject God and His word.  I saw a meme recently where a sheep is saying, "But the verses!" and "Jesus" replies back with, "Love over verses."  Sadly, there are churches, pastors and people who "know" all the verses, but ignore them, and/or take them out of context in order to control, manipulate or suit their own desires and agendas.

Let's put this into a human perspective.  Would we want to marry someone who rejects us, mocks us, and doesn't care what we say?  Or someone who tries to manipulate us by being "nice enough" in order to just get what they want?  Or someone who twists our words around so that they can do whatever they want?  What kind of union and relationship would that be?!

God does love everyone, and God does tell us to love everyone, but the definition of the verb "love" does not include "accept" or "tolerate".  God is holy and cannot have a relationship with sin, and so He came in flesh to suffer and die for all sin, to pay our debt to sin, so that He can provide a way for us to be forgiven, and become one of His children.  Our choice.  And so, in our choice to have a personal relationship with the Lord, would we not long to hear and trust in every word that He says?

Jesus has given us all of the verses found in the Bible!  He is very serious about everything He has told us, and we can see in this passage, that He is very serious about us listening to His words!  All of His words!  The Bible is God's infallible word, as He is speaking directly to us.  

To hear, and listen to, and trust in God's words. in context, is to gain knowledge and understanding in order to live obediently in His will.  God never contradicts Himself, so we can KNOW without a doubt - that we can fully trust what He says.  And what He wants for everyone, is to know Him personally, and experience His blessings.  And therefore, because He loves us, He tells us exactly what we need to know.

relationships (Jeremiah 18:1-23) Why Frustrate Things?

(Jeremiah 18:1-23) 

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2 “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will announce My words to you.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something on the wheel. 4 But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make.

5 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 6 “Am I not able, house of Israel, to deal with you as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, house of Israel. 7 At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot it, to tear it down, or to destroy it; 8 if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I planned to bring on it. 9 Or at another moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to build up or to plant it; 10 if it does evil in My sight by not obeying My voice, then I will relent of the good with which I said that I would bless it. 11 So now, speak to the men of Judah and against the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Behold, I am forming a disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Now turn back, each of you from his evil way, and correct your ways and your deeds!”’ 12 But they will say, ‘It’s hopeless! For we are going to follow our own plans, and each of us will persist in the stubbornness of his evil heart.’

13 “Therefore this is what the Lord says:
     ‘Just ask among the nations,
     Who ever heard anything like this?
     The virgin of Israel 
     Has done a most appalling thing.
14 Does the snow of Lebanon leave the rock of the open country alone?
     Or is the cold flowing water from a foreign land ever dried up?
15 For My people have forgotten Me,
     They burn incense to worthless gods.
     And they have stumbled in their ways,
     In the ancient roads,
     To walk on paths,
     Not on a highway,
16 To make their land a desolation,
     An object of perpetual hissing;
     Everyone who passes by it will be astonished 
     And shake his head.
17 Like an east wind I will scatter them
     Before the enemy;
     I will show them My back and not My face 
     In the day of their disaster.’”

18 Then they said, “Come and let’s devise plans against Jeremiah. Certainly the Law is not going to be lost by the priest, nor advice by the wise, nor the divine word by the prophet! Come, and let’s strike at him with our tongue, and let’s pay no attention to any of his words.”

19 Give Your attention to me, Lord,
     And listen to what my opponents are saying!
20 Should good be repaid with evil?
     For they have dug a pit for me.
     Remember how I stood before You 
     To speak good in their behalf,
     So as to turn Your wrath away from them.
21 Therefore, give their children over to famine 
     And turn them over to the power of the sword;
     And let their wives become childless and widowed.
     Let their men also be slaughtered to death,
     Their young men struck and killed by the sword in battle.
22 May a cry be heard from their houses 
     When You suddenly bring raiders upon them;
     For they have dug a pit to capture me 
     And hidden snares for my feet.
23 But You, Lord, know 
     All their deadly schemes against me;
     Do not forgive their wrongdoing 
     Or wipe out their sin from Your sight.
     But may they be overthrown before You;
     Deal with them in the time of Your anger!

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

God sometimes gives us visual aids for us to understand things better, like the example of the potter and the clay.  While this example is more about how God, as Creator, has the right and the ability to judge, guide and change people, I thought of an analogy which is about our response throughout the process (not about how we "appear" but how we trust the Lord and behave towards Him).

When our kids were toddlers, they needed our help entirely in order to be ready to go anywhere, to be fully dressed and looking presentable.  There was washing up, brushing and fixing the hair, as well as dressing them.  If at any time they would have decided to be difficult or run away from us, this task would have taken a much longer time.  If they would have decided to play in a mudpuddle, they would have been even less presentable, things would have become even more difficult, and it would have required even more time.  And they probably would have missed out on having a fun adventure.  At the very least, by not cooperating, they would have frustrated and disrupted a pleasant time!

Even with friends or a spouse, as we get to know them, we will usually keep in mind what sort of things will irk them, as well as which things they will appreciate.  So, obviously, we will purposefully strive to NOT do things that will make them angry, in order to get along and have a wonderful time!

In the exact same way, the Lord desires that we have a close, personal relationship with Him, so that we can experience joy, and enjoy each other's presence, so why would we want to do things that would disrupt this?  In order for God to mold and shape us into something beautiful, we must put ourselves in His hands and allow Him to guide us in life.  

Disagreeing with God and His word is the same as being difficult and running away from our heavenly Father.  And we know that He will discipline us because He loves His children and wants the best for us.  Being obedient to God's will allows Him to mature us and equip us into being useful vessels of service, in order to be a blessing to Him and others.  In return, God will bless and reward us.  As we walk beside Him, along His smooth, straight and purposeful path, we will have a much more enjoyable time!

relationships (Jeremiah 17:1-27) Thriving in Love

(Jeremiah 17:1-27) 

1   The sin of Judah is written with an iron stylus;
     With a diamond point it is engraved on the tablet of their hearts 
     And on the horns of their altars,
2   As they remember their children,
     So they remember their altars and their Asherim 
     By green trees on the high hills.
3   Mountain of Mine in the countryside,
     I will turn over your wealth and all your treasures as plunder,
     Your high places for sin throughout your borders.
4   And you will, even of yourself, let go of your inheritance
     That I gave you;
     And I will make you serve your enemies 
     In the land which you do not know;
     For you have kindled a fire in My anger 
     Which will burn forever.

5   This is what the Lord says:
     “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind 
     And makes flesh his strength,
     And whose heart turns away from the Lord.
6   For he will be like a bush in the desert,
     And will not see when prosperity comes,
     But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness,
     A land of salt that is not inhabited.
7   Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
     And whose trust is the Lord.
8   For he will be like a tree planted by the water 
     That extends its roots by a stream,
     And does not fear when the heat comes;
     But its leaves will be green,
     And it will not be anxious in a year of drought,
     Nor cease to yield fruit.

9   “The heart is more deceitful than all else 
     And is desperately sick;
     Who can understand it?
10 I, the Lord, search the heart,
     I test the mind,
     To give to each person according to his ways,
     According to the results of his deeds.
11 As a partridge that hatches eggs which it has not laid,
     So is a person who makes a fortune, but unjustly;
     In the middle of his days it will abandon him,
     And in the end he will be a fool.”

12 A glorious throne on high from the beginning
     Is the place of our sanctuary.
13 Lord, the hope of Israel,
     All who abandon You will be put to shame.
     Those who turn away on earth will be written down,
     Because they have forsaken the fountain of living water, that is the Lord.
14 Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed;
     Save me and I will be saved,
     For You are my praise.
15 Look, they keep saying to me,
     “Where is the word of the Lord?
     Let it come now!”
16 But as for me, I have not hurried away from being a shepherd following after You,
     Nor have I longed for the disastrous day;
     You Yourself know that the utterance of my lips 
     Was in Your presence.
17 Do not be a terror to me;
     You are my refuge in a day of disaster.
18 Let those who persecute me be put to shame, but as for me, let me not be put to shame;
     Let them be dismayed, but let me not be dismayed.
     Bring on them a day of disaster,
     And crush them with double destruction!

19 This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and stand at the public gate, through which the kings of Judah come in and go out, as well as at all the gates of Jerusalem; 20 and say to them, ‘Listen to the word of the Lord, you kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all inhabitants of Jerusalem who come in through these gates. 21 This is what the Lord says: “Take care for yourselves, and do not carry any load on the Sabbath day or bring anything in through the gates of Jerusalem. 22 You shall not bring a load out of your houses on the Sabbath day nor do any work, but keep the Sabbath day holy, just as I commanded your forefathers. 23 Yet they did not listen or incline their ears, but stiffened their necks so as not to listen or accept discipline.

24 “But it will come about, if you give your attention to Me,” declares the Lord, “to bring no load in through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, but to keep the Sabbath day holy by doing no work on it, 25 then there will come in through the gates of this city kings and officials sitting on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their officials, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and this city will be inhabited forever. 26 They will come in from the cities of Judah and from the areas surrounding Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the lowland, from the hill country, and from the Negev, bringing burnt offerings, sacrifices, grain offerings, and frankincense, and bringing sacrifices of thanksgiving to the house of the Lord. 27 But if you do not listen to Me, to keep the Sabbath day holy by not carrying a load and coming in through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will set fire to its gates, and it will devour the palaces of Jerusalem and not go out.”’”

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

It is all about the condition of our hearts!  Therefore, it's all about "who we know" and who (or what) we put our trust in!  As we are all born with a sinful nature, our hearts are deceptive.  We might not be going around trying to deceive others, but we most certainly deceive ourselves.  The biggest deception is telling ourselves that we do not need God in our lives!  But, only the Lord is able to look into our hearts and judge our hearts.  Only the Lord is able to forgive and heal our hearts, and change us from the inside out.  And it is only the Lord who can "complete us", fill us, satisfy us, in a close, personal relationship that is eternally faithful!

To help us in our walk with Him, God has given us His word (the Bible), to clearly show us His way.  There are actually not that many "rules" to follow, and all of His instructions will lead us into the best and most fulfilling life possible.  But following the rules in our strength is not enough.  That is why the Lord also gives us His indwelling Holy Spirit of promise, to seal our hearts for eternity, and to help us and guide us, and convict our hearts in the way that that is best for us.  Because it is a relationship, He doesn't ever force us to obey.  But just like with a best friend or a loving spouse, we should desire to do the things that please the Lord.

Very simply put, to place God first in our lives will protect us from being deceived into going down the wrong paths.  God's way is right, while all others are wrong.  We are to keep the Sabbath holy... which is to set aside one day a week where we focus on the Lord without distractions, and just enjoy, refocus, and be re-energized!  As for tithing!!!  Well, God wants to bless us when we trust Him with everything, and that includes our finances.

Verse 11 talks about the person who protects whatever riches they acquire here on earth as if they are his own... only to lose it all, eventually.  But before we deceive ourselves into thinking that this isn't fair, we need to consider what is the truth.  For one thing, the Lord has created all things!  Therefore, all things are His!  Interesting, yes?  Now let's look at the truth another way...

The Lord has given us everything, and only asks for ten percent back (at the very least).  Our choice.  But it is when we actually trust Him, and give Him our tithes, and offerings (which are over and above the tithing), that He does bless us.  One of my friends told me that before they started tithing, they were always short on money, but afterwards, they had more than enough, even though their income never changed.  How does THAT work???  Well, God is amazing, as well as faithful!!!

Consider how a man proposes to a woman.  He asks her to marry him, to trust him that he will be devoted to her his entire life, and gives her a ring... He gives her a ring before she has even married him, because he is trusting that she will return that same love and devotion.  Just so, in giving to the Lord our love, devotion, time, energy and finances... we are demonstrating our trust in Him that He will continue to return His love and devotion.  Of course, THE LORD will!!!  Even when we falter.

Now consider how the Lord came to earth in flesh, to suffer and die for all sins, in order to provide a way for us to have a relationship with Him!!!  And He holds out His hand to all people, inviting them to enjoy this most precious relationship.  He did this and does this - whether people accept Him or reject Him.  And for those who accept Him into their lives, He is faithful, and causes us to flourish, because, after all, He is the fountain of living water, and He wants to bless and reward us for things done in His strength and to His glory.  It is only in a personal relationship with Him that we will truly thrive!!!

So, while God loves all people, those who reject Him will still die, but those who go to Him for salvation and a true relationship will live and thrive.