Jeremiah 34-36

God instructed Jeremiah to write His Words on a scroll. He enlisted Baruch for this task. This was so that it could be read to the leaders of Jerusalem. Unfortunately, the message was rejected and Jeremiah and Baruch were ordered to be bound. Nevertheless, we have those words today because Jeremiah was obedient to God.

Has the Lord ever told YOU to write? Many Christian chronicle their devotional life in a diary. I have chosen to use this app to record my thoughts. This blog is more for YOU … not that I have anything more important to say … my main motive is to stir you to do your own Bible study and record what God impresses to you.

What God speaks to you is not insignificant.

Jeremiah 33

My son-in-law is an excellent preacher. One of his key life verses is Jeremiah 33:3 which says, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”

God does not use email, USPS, FedEx, UPS etc. God uses your voice and His ears. He is just a prayerful request away. He’s as close as the mention of His Name. His voice is especially tuned to hear cries for help from His people … ANYONE for that matter.

Children who stray from their spiritual roots need do nothing more than call to Jesus for help when they encounter life’s sorrows … and THEY WILL. Raising them with the knowledge of Christ and His Power is like giving them the key to life. They will know when and where to use it by calling upon His Name in their hour of need.

God says, “I WILL answer you.”

Jeremiah 32

Years ago we sang a chorus called, “Ah, Lord God!” It was a musical adaptation of Jeremiah 32:17. The key phrase was, “Nothing is too difficult for Thee.”

“What’s learned in song is remembered long!”

This is a truth that every Christian believer should know and live in. Obviously, God does not grant wishes that are outside of His Will as expressed in His Word. But, whenever our prayers and requests line up with His Will, He can accomplish ANYTHING.

Our faith is the key that unlocks His power when we ask in Jesus’ Name.

Jer. 30, 31

God takes great delight in restoring lives. It’s as if the process isn’t complete unless failures are corrected and tragedies are healed over.

As an example, take old cars. In 1955, a Chevy Bel Air cost $2166. Restored, it is worth $75,000. Inflation considered, that’s an impressive difference in value.

God is in the restoration business. He takes broken lives, marriages, families etc. and puts them back together. They become trophies of His grace.

There is NO LIFE too far broken or gone for God to fix.

Jer. 28, 29

Jeremiah instructed the Israelites who were carried away in exile to, “Seek peace and well-being for the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its peace (well-being) you will have peace.” [Jer. 29:7 AMP]

In life we may find ourselves in cities or situations we don’t find comfortable … not of our choosing. We have a choice. We can stomp and complain about it, or begin praying and seeking peace in it. God knows where He wants us to end up, and He’s at work bringing that about. Meanwhile, bless the circumstance you find yourself in. Someday, you will look back and see how it benefited you.

Jer. 26, 27

Through Jeremiah God spoke some hard words to hear. Nobody wants to hear, “You will be conquered and led off in captivity.” Nevertheless, God did AS HE TOLD JEREMIAH. His words turned out to be true, and we have them recorded in the canon of scripture. He displayed courage and integrity that were exemplary.

We should be able to both give and receive hard words sometimes. The critical element is speaking in love.

Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. [Pr. 27:6 KJV]

Jeremiah 24, 25

Many of the inhabitants of Jerusalem were dragged off in exile to Babylon after Nebuchadnezzar’s conquest of the city. God told them if they submitted to the exile, He would preserve their lives. However, if they remained and resisted they would lose their lives.

The point is this: God can preserve His people when they are subdued by ungodly regimes. These regimes think they can diminish God’s power or influence. They are sadly mistaken.

His people are wise to faithfully continue to serve Him and retain a Christian culture in the home.

“In the world you shall have tribulation. Be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. [Jn 16:33]

Jeremiah 23

God used Jeremiah to call out shepherds and prophets who were less than honest, less than authentic. They called themselves ministers but their motives were not pure. God dealt harshly with them.

Today we likewise have ministers(?) who employ questionable tactics in their service to God. They say God told them, but their message does not line up with God’s Word. Or, they merely use “God told me” as a means of promoting their own importance. In the New Testament era, hopefully God deals with them less severely than He did in Jeremiah’s day.

Ministers should seek to be authentic representatives of God’s Kingdom and seek purity of heart and motive. This comes through a daily, sold-out commitment to Christ Jesus through prayer and study of God’s Word.

Jeremiah 21, 22

It’s easy to think we get lost in the shuffle, that we are merely one insignificant person whose sins and offenses don’t matter. This is dangerous thinking. God watches each person and tallies the events of their life, whether they do right and are honorable ,,, or otherwise.

God says, “My anger will not (be quenched) … because of the sinful things YOU have done.  I will punish you for what has come of what YOU have done,” [Jer. 21:12c, 14 NIV] In the context of Jeremiah’s word to the inhabitants of Jerusalem just before Babylon conquered them, they were told to submit to exhile or die in the city. Each had an individual choice.

We have a choice … accept the cleansing blood of Jesus and be forgiven of our offenses, or individually suffer the consequences of sin – ETERNAL DEATH.

CHOOSE LIFE through the life and blood of Christ!

Jeremiah 20

Can you imagine saying, “‘I will not mention (God’s) word or speak anymore 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.”

For Jeremiah, holding the office and ministry of Prophet to the nation was a painful and difficult thing. He received severe negative pressure from those who were the targets of his warnings from God. He even cursed the day he was born and felt his life was lived in shame. Yet, the impact and power of his prophecies resound even until the present time.

Sometimes it’s not a picnic to be obedient to God’s call upon our lives. In eternity, however, there will be rewards and consequences of GREAT VALUE.