In Jeremiah 6:2 God refers to Jerusalem as delicate and lovely. He describes them like this because of the way God’s people were living for pleasure and luxury. They were turning their backs on God and God is declaring that he is going to allow Babylon to attack Jerusalem. We can look at this and view God as unfair or mean, but in reality God is being a loving Father calling His children back to repentance. More so it is a picture of the mercy God has on His people. In chapter 5 God says He is going to allow Babylon to attack Jerusalem, but not to destroy Jerusalem.

Why would God do this? Well, God warned His people in Leviticus 26:14-20 that if they turn their backs on God to worship false idols, that He was going to do what it takes to bring repentance. God does this as any loving Father would do to correct His children from going down the wrong path. In Hebrews 12:7-11 the writer says that God only chastises His children. The fact that God is bringing Babylon against Jerusalem is evidence that the people of Jerusalem are His children. The fact that God chastises you is evidence that you are His sheep.

This is true with us too because as God allows things to happen in our lives that we may see as bad, He really allows those things to bring us back to Himself. See, if we are sheep and God is the shepherd, the shepherd with keep nudging the sheep that keep wandering off the path. The shepherd will keep nudging them until one day the shepherd has to break the sheep’s knees because of his disobedience. Now why would the shepherd do that, because the shepherd is a jerk? No, the shepherd does that because there was no other way of bringing the sheep on the right path.

If we keep going against where God wants us to go, he will bring us to our knees. Has God already brought you to your knees? Do you feel like everything is just going sour in your life? Maybe God is using these things to bring you closer to Him. God sees that you only pray when bad things happen, maybe God is using those bad things to have you communicate with Him more. Take a step back today and see if you are following the path that God wants you to walk on so that he doesn’t have to use force to bring you to where He wants you to be. How do we know where to go? Psalm 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.” Read God’s word and He will give you direction on where to go and what to do.

Jeremiah 4

In verse 1 we see the ultimate goal. It says, “If you return, O Israel, declares the Lord, to me you should return. If you remove your detestable things from my presence, and do not waver…”

Jeremiah is known as the weeping prophet who was called at a young age to proclaim the word of God to Judah. He was warning them to turn from their sin as Babylon is going to attack them and destroy Jerusalem. We read on Thursday that they have turned from God and forgotten about who He is. This nation was still doing sacrifices but they were also worshiping idols too. They did the service but their hearts were far from God. Jeremiah’s job was to give the warning of what will happen unless they return to the Lord.

In this chapter we see that not only did Judah receive the warning but God also gave them hope. That is one thing that the Bible always does. It points out the wrong that is done, such as sin, but we also read the hope on what can change. We are sinners, who have forgotten about God just like Judah. We may not have started worshiping some statue as god but we do forget about God and put other things (materialistic stuff) above God and treat those things as a god. But just like there is a warning there also is a chance for redemption.

In 2nd Peter 3:9~ We see that the Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you , not wishing that any would perish, but that all should reach repentance. God wants mankind to repent, to return. The best illustration of this is the parable Jesus gives of the prodigal son. Read Luke 15:11-32 and you can see the example that Jesus gives of returning to the Father. We were created to be in a relationship with God but because of sin we have been separated from Him. We as sinners have run away from the Father and his purpose with a relationship. Where is there hope for us to return to the Father? It is in Christ, as he died on the cross and rose again from death and conquered death and sin for us to come to the Father. Where are you at? Have you forgotten God? Have you run away from home (spiritually speaking)? It’s time to return, it’s time to ask for forgiveness for your sin (1st John 1:9). Do not take advantage of the time that God has given you, return now, as we do not know what tomorrow has for us. God is there willing to forgive those that want forgiveness. Ask God to forgive you of your sin. I will be praying for you all.

Sorry for the inconvenience but Sports Day has been cancelled due to poor weather conditions. So if you show up tomorrow and we are not there, you know why.

Have a Blessed Day!

In this chapter of Jeremiah we see a relationship that is getting the boot. The relationship is between God and Israel and God was telling Israel that he is tired of their sin.

In verse 13 we see the reason why God was upset. It says, “For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters. and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.” This would be if you lived in a desert, thirsty for water and found a fountain in the middle of the desert always giving fresh water. Now when you think about it you would not want to leave, but this is not what Israel did. They could care less about the living water and then wanted to collect their own water in their cisterns, big pots dug in the ground that collect rain water. But they did all that work but what they built could not collect any water because there were tons of cracks in it. Israel forgot about God, turned from Him and followed after false gods.

This would be like you and I forgetting what Jesus did on the cross. Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well that he gives living water (John 4). It would be if we decided that we can work for our salvation instead of entrusting into the work of Christ, God’s grace. We would ignore God and think we can earn our way to heaven by doing anything and everything that would work.

The one thing about this passage in Jeremiah is that not only is God calling out Israel from their sin and falling away, he is giving them the warning of what is going to happen if they do not turn from their sin. God does not say, alright because of your mistakes, I’m dumping you and finding a new people, instead he still shows that he is God and loves them. In Jeremiah 3:14, God asks Israel to return. In Jeremiah 29:11 God tells Israel that he has a plan for them. God is faithful and his love is enduring.

Despite our sin, God is faithful and instead of Him saying too bad, you guys are sinners, Jesus still died for us. Hebrews 12:2 says, “Jesus is the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. We can pray after reading this chapter, how thankful we are for what God has done. He has given grace to us. May we cling to that and not run from God.

The call of the Prophet

In the first chapter of Jeremiah we are introduced to the prophet. But before he was a prophet he was a priest. During the reign of Josiah(a good king) the Lord came to Jeremiah and called him to be a prophet to the nation of Judah. Jeremiah was a young man at the time and his first response was, “I don’t know how to speak, I am only a youth.”

Has God ever called you to something you felt like you were not capable of doing? Have you ever told God that maybe He picked the wrong person for the job? Maybe you felt God telling you to share your faith with your friends at school but you felt like you couldn’t. You did not know what to say, you weren’t sure if they would listen, what if they ask a question you don’t have the answer to? All these things can keep us from doing the work of God. But God does not call us to something He will not give the ability to accomplish.

Look at what God’s response to Jeremiah was in 1:7-10. God specifically told Jeremiah that He would give the words to him. God would give Jeremiah the ability that he lacked so that he could accomplish what the Lord told him to do. Do you really think that when God calls you to share the Gospel with someone and leave you hanging? He will help you and He enable you. This does not mean that you should go around and get into arguments about Christianity with everyone you see, wait for the Holy Spirit to guide you.

Does God view youth the same way that we do? I don’t think so. Where we see immaturity and lack of experience I think God see’s potential and a way to bring glory and honor to himself. What is more God glorifying than a young person living a life sold out for God and giving the honor to God?  1 Timothy 4:12 says “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” So next time you feel like you are too young or people will look down on you because of your age, set an example for them to the glory of God.

Isaiah 66:2b “But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.”

Do you want to really worship God? Do you want to bless and honor God with your life? How can we do that? How can we worship God in a way that guarantees that we are truly worshipping and honoring God? This verse is the key to authentic worship. I don’t mean just singing worship songs either. I am talking about a lifestyle of worship that brings honor and glory to God in everything it does. Let’s look at 3 steps to a God honoring life.

Being Humble

What is the first thing the verse above says about the one that God looks at? “he who is humble.” The first step to a God honoring life is realizing that you can do nothing for God. That’s right, nothing. Going to church will not honor God, reading your Bible will not honor God, and praying will not honor God if it is done with the attitude of “look at what I have done for you God!” A humble person understands that he can do nothing to earn anything from God. Humility is the first step to living a God honoring life.

Having Remorse

The next step toward a life that honors God is a contrite spirit. Look at the verse above again. “contrite in spirit.” What does that mean? It means that you have remorse and that you feel bad about sins you have committed. It’s about knowing that you deserve death for even the smallest sin you have committed. Without remorse we will continue in our sin. Ask the Lord to give you His heart toward sin. It is evil and disgusting. Be broken over your sin and that will help you toward the last step of living a God honoring life.

Obeying His Word

The final step to living a God honoring life is found in the last part of Isaiah 66:2b “trembles at my word.” How do you view the Bible? Hebrews 4:12 says “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Is that how you view the Bible? 2 Timothy 3:16 says “All Scripture is God-breathed.” That means that every word in the Bible was inspired by God. It is one thing to read the Bible or even study the Bible, but do you obey it? Jesus said that those who love me keep My(Jesus’) commandments. His word instructs us and guides us and we need to do what it says.

With humility we come to God because of what He has done for us(not the other way around), our remorse points us to our Savior(Jesus), and our Savior calls us to obedience. That is the life that honors God.