Read: Jeremiah 1:1-2:30; Philippians 4:1-23; Psalm 75:1-10; Proverbs 24:17-20
Jeremiah prophesied from the end of Josiah’s reign through his next two sons until Judah went into exile. Josiah was a good king who brought spiritual reform but sadly his sons were not.
God told Jeremiah he had chosen him from the womb and he would put his words in Jeremiah’s mouth. Jeremiah’s father was the high priest at the time. God showed him natural things like branches from the almond tree and boiling pots to show spiritual implications. God gave Jeremiah tremendous fortitude and courage to stand before Judah and point out their sins and call them to repentance. He pointed out how they had changed gods as a nation. No other nation had done that but they had forsake the true God for a bunch of stone dead gods who had no power. It made no sense but showed how spiritually dead they were. They had no discernment and could not see how far they had fallen. Jeremiah was God’s wake up call.
In Philippians, Paul encouraged them to rejoice always but he knew that they had to have a renewed mindset to be able to do this. He told them what to think about: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. Paul could tell a church’s spiritual state by how they responded to him. He could tell if they were mature or not. How we treat others is a reflection of how we love the Lord. That is convicting!
Lord, help us to have love, real love for one another that reflects our devotion to You. Help us to all realize our calling to speak your words.
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