Thurs.’s Devo - God’s Discipline

Read: Lamentations 4:1-5:22; Hebrews 2:1-18; Psalm 103:1-22; Proverbs 26:23
When everything is taken away from us it is hard to see beauty and appreciate it. In Jerusalem, everything was upside down. Dreams were shattered, security was gone and there was not hope.
The people had lost their love form God a long time ago and now they were being forced to act out their heartlessness. They were seeing their own selfishness play out as they preferred themselves over their own children.
The rich could no longer afford all their beauty treatments and shriveled up to look like the poor. Everyone was on the same level which was the dirt.
No one believed that Jerusalem could be taken. All the kings knew the stories of Moses and how he destroyed Egypt with the help of his God. But, Go had withdrawn his hand from his people and left them open for their enemies.
They had chose false prophets and priests and rejected God’s. This was the cost of their rebellion.
In Hebrews, we see the same message. The writer urges us to remember the stories of the Bible and heed their warnings. One-third of the angles in heaven chose to rebel with Satan and they are loved up awaiting their punishment (Jude)
God didn’t put the world under angel’s care but under Jesus’ authority. Jesus in turn put it under our authority. Jesus came down as a man to suffer and dies as a man, so that he could transfer his holiness to us as his fellow brother. He is now our High Priest who understands every temptation we go through. By dying, Jesus conquered death for us.
Lord, from our inmost being we praise you!

Wed.’s Devo - The Faithfulness of God

Read: Lamentations 2:20-3:66; Hebrews 1:1-14; Psalm 102:1-28; Proverbs 26:21-22
Times were so bad that Jeremiah questioned God where they would get their next meal. Would they have to become cannibals? Daily they watched their young, old and strongest dies of famine and war.
It was too late to pray for deliverance. They were paying the price of their rebellion. Their life was so bitter, they couldn’t even remember the good ole days of prosperity. In the midst of all the devastation Jeremiah had a glimpse of hope. They were not all consumed because God is love and his compassions never fail; they are new every morning.
Jeremiah had to encourage himself in the Lord. He proclaimed that God was his portion and he would wait for him to move. God had a set time and then his blessing would flow once again. In the meantime, their enemies were making the most of their calamities.
I love Hebrews! No one knows who wrote Hebrews but I wonder if it didn’t come from the conversation Jesus had with the two men on the way to Amaeus. He had just died on the cross and risen when he met them and explained the scriptures from Moses till then. Hebrews is theology straight from heaven.
The writer starts out explaining how God spoke though the prophets in the Old Testament but now his spokesman is Jesus. God and Jesus created everything in the universe. Don’t you know they had fun doing that!
Jesus competed his work and was rewarded to sit on the right hand of God becoming more superior to all the angels. Jesus had to earn his inheritance and his right to reign.
What will it look like when the earth and the sky are rolled up like a garment and totally changed?
Hebrews talks much about angels. They are sent to serve us on earth as God’s children just as they served Jesus when he walked the earth.
When we read our Psalm today we see where Hebrews gets its quotes.
Lord, when we are in distress, help us to remember to wait on you to come because you are faithful.

Tues.’s Devo - From Lamentation to Freedom

Read: Lamentations 1:1-2:19; Philemon 1:1-25; Psalm 101:1-8; Proverbs 26:20
Lamentations is a very interesting book. It consists of five poems written as acrostics. Chapters 1, 2, and 4 are 22 verses long - one for each Hebrew letter of their alphabet. It was to show that Israel’s punishment was complete (A-Z, or Aleph to Tau). Lamentations is recited every year on the Ninth of Av which is a sad day for Israel. The 10 spies brought back their evil report on this day. The first and second temple were destroyed. The Jews were expelled from Spain in 1942 on this day. There are many more bad things that have happened to Israel on the ninth of Av.
Israel fasts on this day and sit on the floor in the posture of mourning while they read Lamentations by candlelight in memory of this day. It is called the “Black Fast” because it is devoid of hope. Jewish tradition says that the Messiah would be born on this day to bring hope to Israel’s darkest hour.
Most scholars believe that Jeremiah wrote Lamentations. Whoever it was, they see Israel as a lonely widow weeping bitterly for comfort with no hope in sight. No one observes their feasts or travels to Jerusalem. They have become the tail and their enemies - the head. The people of Israel are made to look at their sins and see that they brought this upon themselves. They have to watch as everything they once owned and treasured is now by their enemies. They once ate delicacies and now scrounge for food. Everything the true prophets of God warned would happen has now happened and there is no one to save them. The words of the false prophets echo in their heads as a farce. Jerusalem was suppose to be perfect in beauty, the joy of the whole earth, but it has become a joke. There is no amount of repentance that will change their fate. It is too late for that.
Paul wrote to Philemon in Colossi. He commended them for their faith. Paul prayed that they would be active in sharing their faith and fully understand every good thing available in Christ. He also complemented the way they loved and refreshed one another. Then he got to his point. Philemon had had a slave named Onesimus who robbed him then fled to Rome. In Rome, Onesimus met Paul and became a believer. Paul was sending Onesimus back to Philemon to be reconciled to him. He asked Philemon to accept him as a converted brother in Christ and Paul offered to pay Philemon what Onesimus owed him. Onesimus would be accompanied by Tychicus who would be bringing this letter.
Paul wrote that he was confident that Philemon would do what he said and more. Then he prayed for grace for him. What a picture of salvation from slave to freedom.
Lord, help us to restore those who have wronged us and help them to walk in freedom and forgiveness.

Mon.’s Devo- Live For Eternity

Read: Jeremiah 51:54-52:34; Titus 3:1-15; Psalm 100:1-5; Proverbs 26:18-19
Jeremiah continued his prophecy against Babylon in Chapter 51. Jeremiah had written it on a scroll and given it to the staff officer who accompanied King Zedekiah to Babylon. He was to read it out loud when they got there, then tie a stone to it and throw it into the Euphrates to be a sign that like that scroll, Babylon would sink to rise no more.
Chapter 52 was not written by Jeremiah but probably by Ezra. It was a synopsis of what Jeremiah had prophesied before. It began with the rule of King Zedekiah and told his story. He had done evil in God’s eyes and had to pay tribute to Babylon. After a few years he stopped paying Babylon which caused them to come against them in battle. The Babylonians put Jerusalem under a siege which lasted 6 months. When they completely ran out of food, the army of Babylon broke through the wall and Judah’s army fled, along with the king. The king was pursued and captured while his army deserted him. Zedekiah was taken to Babylon where he was made to watch his children and wives killed before having his own eyes gouged out. He was put in prison in Babylon where he died.
Babylon was set on fire and most of the people (4,600) were taken to Babylon. All the treasures of the temple were dismantled and taken also. The priests and officers were taken to Babylon and executed.
After being in exile for 37 years Evil-Merodach became king in Babylon. He brought King Jehoiachin out of prison and gave him new clothes and exalted him to eat at his table. Jehoiachin had only been 8 years old when he began to reign in Judah. He had reigned for 3 months and 10 days before he was taken to Babylon. He was now 45 years old and much wiser. God was giving him a second chance.
Paul told Titus to remind the people to be subject to their rulers and those in authority. They were in Crete - a very prosperous island known for their evil and deceit. Corruption reigned in their government and yet Paul encouraged them to submit to their authority. Paul gives us an example of life in Crete in verse 3. He reminded the believers to live their lives devoted to doing what was good. He warned against getting into useless arguments about the law but to live being generous and productive.
Lord, may we pray for and honor our leaders in government because you set them there. May we live our lives in love being generous and productive for your kingdom.

Sun.’s Devo - The Last Battle

Read: Jeremiah 51:1-53: Titus 2:1-15; Psalm 99:1-9; Proverbs 26:17
The “spirit of the destroyer” was the Medes and the Persians who were going to come against Babylon. They would come and completely destroy Babylon for Israel’s sake. There will be no healing for Babylon. Babylon was birthed in wickedness back at the tower of Babel and will end totally torn down.
It’s false gods were objects of mockery because they had no life in them. The very foundation of Babylon was confusion which will be unearthed. God said he would stretch out his hand and roll them off the cliffs and make Babylon a burned out mountain. That sounds a lot like Revelation.
God will blow the trumpet and bring all the nations together for battle. This battle was Babylon against the Medes but in the end it will be Armageddon. The last battle will be God’s army against the spirit of Babylon, which is Satan’s army. Vengeance will be served.
In Titus, Paul urges Titus to teach all ages to have self-control, respect for their fellow man, honor for authority, love for all, and contentment in their state of life. This was a tall order because Titus was a young man and fighting timidity. Paul encouraged him to teach, encourage and rebuke with authority and not to let anyone despise him because of his age.
Lord, you hold the future in your hands. Help us to know the season we are in. Help us not live in dread or fear because you are doing great and mighty things in our land. The best is yet to come for your people.

Sat.’s Devo - Babylon Will Fall

Read: Jeremiah 49:23-50:46; Titus1:1-16; Psalms 97:1-98:9; Proverbs 26:13-16
God used Babylon to judge all the nations of the earth. He told Babylon to attack the Syrian cities of Hamath, Arpad, Damascus, and Kedar. Some of these cities were known for their beauty and splendor and it was amazing that nothing was spared by the Babylonians who were like locusts.
Elam was next on the list. Elam was another name for Susa and it had conquered the Babylonians many times in the past. Now, the Babylonians would have their say.
At last, Chapter 50 tells of Babylon’s fall. In Revelation, Babylon will be used to bring down all the kingdoms of the earth then it will be judged. This is the picture.
The gods of Bel and Marduk will be judged and all of her idols. The people of Israel who had been held captive will ask for the road to Jerusalem and they will return home. God will forgive his people and they will be spared.
In verse 21, the land of Merathaim is mentioned. Merathaim is a symbolic name for Babylon which means “double rebellion”. They were the most rebellious of them all. They were used as God’s “hammer” but now it was their turn to be judged.
God would judge their false prophets and warriors. God would curse their weapons and their treasures. He called Babylon a land of idols and her idols would fear him. Babylon would be overthrown like Sodom and Gomorrah never to be revived. God would send an army from the north which were the Medes and the Persians. In the last days that army from the north will be the Lord’s army from heaven.
Paul writes to Titus, his son in the Lord. Paul left Titus in Crete to bring unity and government to the church. Crete was the center of Greek mythology and false religion. The gospel was so anti-Greek and different from anything they had ever heard so they needed much teaching to help them understand the way of the gospel. He instructed Titus to appoint elders to help oversee the church and its members and gave explicit guidelines for these appointees. Their job was to silence the false teachers and bring truth. The gospel is not for the lazy person but for the ones who by faith do the works of Jesus.
Lord, we give you praise because you are sovereign over the whole earth. May we be diligent in our works for you.

Fri.’s Devo - God’s Judgement on His Enemies

Read: Jeremiah 48:1-49:22; 2 Timothy 4:1-22; Psalms 95:1-96:13; Proverbs 26:9-12
God gave Jeremiah a word for all the major nations he was bringing judgment to. The Moabites came from Lot’s oldest daughters incestuous relationship with her father, Lot. The whole history of the Moabites was one of hostility toward Israel and God. Moab was the place where Moses died and the nation that warred against Israel right before they entered the promised land. They worshiped Chemosh, the fish god. One of Solomon’s wives had convinced Solomon to build a temple in Jerusalem to this god.
According to Jeremiah’s word, Moab had remained in her land and never had to go into exile, but that was about to change. The Chaldeans from Babylon were coming who displace people like people pour wine from one jar to another. Chemosh would not be able to save them.
The Ammonites were friendly with the Moabites. The Moabites were more settled in their land and the Ammonites more semitic. The Ammonites came from Lot’s other daughter’s incestrous relationship with her father. They also were enemies of Israel. Their chief city was Rabah mentioned in 49:2 and they worshipped Molech who required human sacrifices. Solomon had an Ammonite wife who he built places of human sacrifice for her and her god. Their son was Rehoboam, the king after Solomon.
God said the Babylonians would judge them for their sins also. They would be destroyed but like Moab, God would one day restore their fortunes and bring them back to their land.
The last people Jeremiah spoke against were the Edomites. The Edomites had refused passage through their land when the Israelites left Egypt with Moses. They had been know for their wisdom. One of Job’s friends was from Teman in Edom. Their capital was Bozrah. God’s wrath toward Edom seems to the greatest. He was doing a total wipe out of them and they would not resurface.
Paul reminds us that Jesus will judge the living and the dead when he appears again. Because of this, we need to be diligently preaching and teaching the truth. We will all appear before God’s throne of judgment. Some will be judged and some rewarded according to their faith. Faith in Jesus is our escape from judgment.
Lord, may we live our lives so that we will be able to say like Paul: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

Thurs.’s Devo - Nations Against Nations

Read: Jeremiah 44:24-47:7; 2 Timothy 2:22-3:17; Psalm 94:1-23; Provers 26:6-8
Jeremiah saw that the exiles to Egypt were bent on worshipping idols so he told them to just keep doing it. In the end, they would see whose word stood - his or theirs. God would bring disaster on them and very few of them would escape with their lives. He gave them a sign so they would know that he was telling the truth. The sign was that the Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt would be turned over to his enemies just like Zedekiah had been turned over to Nebuchadnezzar.
He had a word for his friend and supporter, Baruch. He would see the disaster fall on his people but he would escape.
His word to Egypt was to get ready for battle. They had been defeated by Babylon but Babylon was returning to fight Egypt, and Egypt would not win, again. They would be taken into exile, but like Judah, they would one day return. The Philistines and the cities of Gaza, Ashkelon, Tyre and Sidon would also be destroyed by the Chaldeans. They will plow them down like a woodsman cutting down trees.
Paul gives us a good description of what Judah had become - lovers of themselves, money, fame, disobedient to their elders, ungrateful, unholy and with out love. They were especially lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. That is also a good description of the world we live in. It will become worse as the end draws near, but where sin abounds, grace abounds more.
Paul addressed the believers telling them that they know the truth and won’t be deceived by the world. Paul’s life was characterized by faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, and sufferings. He tells us that if we want to live for Christ these things should characterize our lives too.
He ends with one of my favorite scriptures: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is used for for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” When he referred to “all Scripture” he was referring to the Old Testament law and the prophets. That was the only scripture they had at the time. That is where we get doctrine, we just have to know how to seek it out. Romans 7:14 tells us that the law is spiritual. It takes spiritual eyes to read the law and understand how to apply it to our lives.
Lord, help us to walk in the Spirit and see with our spiritual eyes what you are doing on the earth. Bless your people with strength and power to stand in the evil days.

Wed.’s Devo The Soldier, the Athlete and the Farmer

Read: Jeremiah 42:1-44:23; 2 Timothy 2:1-21; Psalms 92:1-93:5; Proverbs 26:3-5
Johanan rescued the people from Ishmael who wanted to take them to the Assyrians. Johnan wanted to take them to Egypt but first he and his officials met with Jeremiah to hear what he would say. Jeremiah reported that they were to stay in the land of Judah. Nebuchadnezzar would not be mad at them but extend compassion toward them and God would bless them in their land. If they chose to go to Egypt they would die of the sword, plague or famine because the Babylonians would attack them there and have no mercy. The Egyptians wouldn’t like them either and they would be hated and persecuted.
Johanan heard the word and didn’t believe it. He chose to lead all the people to Egypt where they ended up worshipping the gods of the Egyptians. They blamed all their troubles and hardships on Jeremiah and the fact that he made them stop worshipping their idols. Jeremiah explained that all their troubles were because they worshiped other idols and turned from the living God.
In reading the Old Testament were realize how important it is to have godly leaders because the way the leaders go is the way the nation will go. That is why we need to be praying every day for our leaders and their decisions.
Paul reemphasized this very concept. He used the examples of a soldier, an athlete, and a farmer. A soldier is going to wholeheartedly obey his officer, so it is important that the officer be good and wise. The athlete will only win if he obeys the rules. A farmer is worthy of being the first to enjoy the harvest from his own crops that he has worked so hard for. We as soldiers, runners of our race and sowers of the Word have one leader and that is Jesus who is the head of the Church. If we endure hardship as a soldier we will have the favor of God. As an athlete, if we obey the Word of God we will win the victor’s crown. If we work hard in the field like a farmer, we will reap a harvest of souls.
Lord, may we endure the trials of this earthly life in honor of You and may we run our race in obedience and may we plant good seed that will grow into a great harvest for the Kingdom.

Tues.’s Devo - God’s Goodness to His Faithful

Read: Jeremiah 39:41-18; 2 Timothy 1:1-18; Psalm 90:1-91:16; Proverbs 26:1-2
Just as Jeremiah had prophesied, the Babylonians besieged Jerusalem for six months. When they broke through the wall, King Zedekiah and his men tried to escape against Jeremiah’s warning. Zedekiah was captured, brought back to face Nebuchadnezzar and made to watch his children and nobles killed. Then they put Zedekiah’s eyes out and marched him to Babylon. The Babylonians set fire to Jerusalem and took the good people to Babylon. They left the poor people who owned nothing to keep the land.
Nebuchadnezzar had given specific orders concerning Jeremiah. He was to be looked after and not harmed. He was to have whatever he asked. It was to be his choice where he went and what he did. He was honored because they knew that he had predicted Jerusalem would fall by their hands.
Jeremiah sent word to Ebed-Melech that he would be saved. He had spared Jeremiah’s life because he feared God.
The imperial guard found Jeremiah in Ramah in chains and set him free. He went back to Jerusalem to help Gedaliah who had been set to rule over Jerusalem.
When the Babylonians left and the Jews that had been refugees in Moab learned that Gedaliah was the governor of Jerusalem so they returned. God blessed their harvest and all was well until Ishmael staged a coop. He killed Gedaliah and his officers and led the people captive to the Ammonites.
God sent Johanan as their deliverer who met Ishmael on their way. When the people defected to Johanan, Gedaliah escaped with eight of his men to the Ammonites and Johanan took the rest of the people to Egypt. They were afraid of the wrath of the Babylonians since one of their own had killed the governor Nebuchadnezzar had set up. What a mess!
Paul writes a second letter to encourage young Timothy. He reminds him of the strong faith he was raised under in his grandmother. He tells him that God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and self-discipline. Paul had suffered for the gospel and had seen the power of God and the fulfillment of serving Christ and he didn’t want Timothy to shrink away because of fear. Paul knew that his life meant nothing on this earth. He was living for eternity. He wanted Timothy to do the same.
Lord, may we rest in the shadow of your wings today and fear no evil.

Mon.’s Devo - Putting the Kingdom First 10-21-19

Read: Jeremiah 37:1-38:28; 1 Timothy 6:1-21; Psalm 89:38-52; Proverbs 25:28
We are back to the reign of Zedekiah and no one was paying any attention to Jeremiah’s words. But the king kept asking Jeremiah what he was hearing. Jeremiah would tell him, but it would end up with him landing in prison. The officers of the king were working against Jeremiah and the king. Zedekiah seemed to have little power over his government. These officials had Jeremiah falsely arrested and put in a dungeon where the king had to rescue him and put him in the courtyard prison with instructions that he be fed until the bread ran out of the city. From this place, Jeremiah continued to warn the people that the Babylonians would take the city, even though the Egyptians were coming to help them. This only prolonged their take over.
Jeremiah’s prophesies made the officials so mad they put him in a cistern. He was rescued when the king found out and Jeremiah was brought secretly to the palace. Zedekiah wanted to know what God was saying. Jeremiah told him that if he would surrender to the Babylonians it would go well with him but if he refused, his wives and children would be taken to Babylon and he would be taken also. Jerusalem would be burned to the ground. He sent Jeremiah back to the courtyard with instructions not to tell of their conversation. Jeremiah obeyed.
It is obvious that the Word of God can not be imprisoned or put in the ground but it will always surface and accomplish what it is meant to.
Paul encourags us to be faithful and hardworking for our bosses and those in authority over us especially if they were believers. He warns us of the love of money and said that if we could walk in godliness and be content in that state then we had found the true riches. If we are generous with what we have, we will be laying up treasures in heaven that can’t be taken away.
Lord, help us to set our priorities on You and your kingdom which is the only one that will last.

Sun.’s Devo - Listen and Obey

Read: Jeremiah 35:1-36:32; 1 Timothy 5:1-25; Palm 89:14-37; Proverbs 25:25-27
Yesterday we read of the time when Hezekiah was king and today we are going back two kings before Hezekiah to when Jehoiakim was king.
Jeremiah was told to invite the Recabite family to one of the side rooms in the temple and set some wine before them and invite them to drink. They had been instructed by their forefather never to drink wine or settle in houses and plant seed or vineyards. If they obeyed his command they would live long on the earth, so they had obeyed his word to that day.
Jeremiah used their devotion to the word of their fathers as an example to the Jewish people. Judah’s heavenly father had told them not to worship idols or live wickedly but they had disobeyed. Because of their actions, they would get every curse God had promised to them. To the Recabite, Jeremiah said that they would never fail to have a man to serve Him.
Another time, God told Jeremiah to have Baruch, the scribe write down the prophesies God had given him against Judah. On the day when all Judah came to Jerusalem for the time of fasting he was to read it to the people. Since this was in the ninth month it was not a regular feast fast but a self imposed fast by the people. This showed that the people were crying out to the Lord for help. Baruch was to read the words to the people.
Micaiah heard Baruch’s words and took him to the heads of state so they could hear them. When they heard the words they were filled with fear and knew that the king needed to hear this. They told Baruch to get Jeremiah and hid out while they took his words to the king.
They told the king about the scroll and he ordered them to get it and read it to him. As they read it, he would take a knife and cut it and throw it into the fire. The once scared officials caved under the presence of their unrighteous king and hardened their hearts too. Jehoiakim ordered Jeremiah and Baruch to be arrested but God had hidden them.
God told Jeremiah to write the same words on a new scroll and send it to Jehoiakim and tell him that just because he refused to listen to the first one didn’t erase the words. He would be punished for not heeding the warning and no one in his family would sit on the throne of David. His body would be thrown out and not buried. The new scroll was given to him with the new words added to them. God has the last say!
In Timothy, Paul gave them instructions about specific people: elders, youth, and widows. The bottom line was to treat them with the respect due them and to never show favoritism or partiality. Keep pure and honest. Some people’s sins would be judged on earth and some sin would be judged in heaven. Nothing is hidden from God.
Lord, may we live listening to your voice and hearing your warnings. We long to be quick to hear and quick to obey.

Sat.’s Devo - It All Ends Well

Read: Jeremiah 31:27-32:44; 1 Timothy 3:1-16; Psalm 88:1-18; Proverbs 25:20-22
While Jeremiah was still in prison in the courtyard, God gave him another prophecy that if they would call upon the Lord he would answer them and show them great and unsearchable things that they didn’t know. The houses of the wealthy had been torn down to use as fortifications against the siege and they would be filled with dead bodies because they refused to surrender to the Babylonians like God told them to do.
But, in spite of their rebellion, God had great plans for their city and one day it would flourish again and there would be sounds of joy and gladness in the streets. Prosperity and fortunes would be restored and Jesus would walk these streets and Judah would be saved and Jerusalem would be called “The Lord Our Righteousness.”
Other nations would look upon the destruction of Jerusalem and say that God had rejected his people, but the covenant God had with his people was as fixed as the laws of nature and the laws of heaven.
When the battle got the heaviest, God sent a message to Hezekiah that the Babylonians were about to take the city and burn it down. He would be taken to Babylon and see the king of Babylon eyeball to eyeball. Hezekiah would not die in the battle but die a peaceful death and be honored when he died.
Another word came to Jeremiah that the people were to make a covenant with God to free their Jewish slaves just like the law had told them to do every seventh year. They agreed and free their slaves. Over the space of time, they took back their slaves so God proclaimed they would either be killed by the sword of the Babylonians, plague or famine.
I love how the Bible messes with our theology. Paul wrote to Timothy that in the later times some would abandon the faith and be deceived by wrong teaching and liars who had seemed their consciences with a hot iron. They would forbid people to marry and forbid them to eat certain foods that God created for food.
He told the church not to have anything to do with their godless myths and old wives’ tales but to remember the good teaching and truths of the faith that they had been taught.
Paul told Timothy to not let people look down on him because of his young age but to prove his maturity by the way he lived, loved, his faith and his pure life. He told him to keep reading the scripture to the public and to keep teaching the truth and to use his gift that was given to him by their prophecy. He encouraged Timothy to keep going because he would see a harvest if he persevered.
Lord, remember your covenant of peace you have made with your people. We pray for the peace of Israel and America. Give us eyes to see the good you have proclaimed over our nation so that our prayers would line up with your heart.

Fri.’s Devo - Nothing is Impossible with God

Read: Jeremiah 30:1-31:26; 1 Timothy 2:1-15; Psalm 87:1-7; Proverbs 25:18-19
In reading Jeremiah it is important to know that it is not in chronological order. Yesterday we read of Israel in captivity and today we are reading about the time before they were taken. It can be confusing and I don’t know why it was written this way but it was. One thing we can be sure, because of God’s love for his people, He warned them over and over of what was going to happen.
Today, God gives Israel hope of what will happen after they have been uprooted, torn down, overthrown and destroyed. He will rebuild them, replant them and watch over them and bring them back to their home.
He gave them a promise that the son would no longer die for the sins of his father but he would only die for his sins. In other words, salvation can come to anyone no matter what their background is.
God promised to write his laws on their hearts. His gift was the Holy Spirit to help us live these laws. God also promised to rebuild the city of Jerusalem never to be destroyed again.
Chapter 31 begins with Babylon besieging Jerusalem. Jeremiah had been thrown in prison for prophesying what was manifesting right then. Jeremiah had proclaimed that the king, Zedekiah, would be taken to Babylon and if he tried to oppose the Babylonians he would not win.
God also told Jeremiah that his cousin, Hanamel would come as ask him if he wanted to buy a piece of land since he was the closest living relative. He was to buy the land and it was to be a sign to the people that their kinsman redeemer had bought the land and one day he would give it back to them.
In the natural, this looked like a silly thing to do. The land was about to be burned down and the people taken into exile so it was not a good investment to buy land in a place you were leaving for 70 years, but Jeremiah’s life was a sign. Jeremiah obeyed and bought the land and placed the deed in a clay jar. I have to wonder if this wasn’t one of the documents they found in the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Jeremiah prayed for his nation and God’s answer was, “I am the Lord, is anything too hard for me.” That is God’s response to our impossible situations and unfulfilled promises. Time and money is nothing to God; if he has promised it, he is faithful to perform it.
Paul gives us the foundation for everything in the government of his kingdom and that foundation is the family. You do that well, then you get promoted to help others outside your family. Our family is our litmus test.
Lord, help us to love our families and take responsibility for building our foundation on truth and righteousness. Help us to get our priorities ordered according to your Word.

Thurs.’s Devo - The Future and the Hope

Read: Jeremiah 30:1-31:26; 1 Timothy 2:1-15; Psalm 87:1-7; Proverbs 25:18-19
I don’t know how long Israel and Judah have been in captivity but God began to encourage them of their future. He had just promised to give them one and now he was giving Jeremiah a picture of it. He would bring them back to their own land, give them a leader from their own people, and heal their wounds. The time in captivity would be to discipline them and turn them back to their God and they will repent.
When they returned, God would restore everything they had lost. They would plant and harvest fruit and sing for joy. God would bring them back weeping, praying and singing to their homeland. God would turn their mourning into dancing and give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow. He would feed the priests and bless them and the people would be prosperous.
Jeremiah was shown all this in a dream and awoke and felt refreshed. He now had a message of hope for the people.
In reading Timothy it is important to realize the setting. He is in the city of Ephesus. Ephesus was a Greek city that worshipped the goddess Dianna (Latin) or Artemus (Greek), the fertility goddess who fell out of heaven. This was probably a meteor that fell and their explanation of it since they were so superstitious. Anyway, they worshipped women which made the women in that city much different from the Jewish women that had no rights and were considered property. Women in Ephesus reigned, so Timothy had to address the new believers about how to dress and how to behave in church. The Greek women were used to ruling over their husbands, so they had to learn the proper authority.
Paul told them first that they needed to pray and give thanks for those in authority in order to live peaceful and safely in the land. They were living with a very hostile ungodly government. They were not to oppose it but to pray for it and keep peace so it would go well with them.
Prayer is the most efficient way to get change. God has an army that can uproot and tear down governments in a moment. We need to appeal to God when we don’t like the things that are happening and obey what he tells us to do. We are not to tolerate evil in our cities but stand against them in prayer.
Lord, teach us to war with our spiritual weapons and bring your kingdom in heaven down to earth.

Wed.’s Devo - Battle of the Prophets

Read: Jeremiah 28:1-29:32; 1 Timothy 1:1-20; Psalm 86:1-17; Proverbs 25:17
When Babylon took Jerusalem, the king of Babylon made Mattaniah the king and changed his name to Zedikiah (2 Kings 24:17-19). He was only 21 years old and was as evil as Jehoiakim had been. During the beginning of his reign the prophet Hananiah went to the temple and prophesied that God had broken the yoke of the king of Babylon off of them and would bring back to Jerusalem the treasures of the temple along with every person and thing that had been taken. This would be done in the next two years. Then for dramatic effect, he took the yoke off of Jeremiah’s neck and broke it. Done! So he thought.
Jeremiah left and God’s word came to him to go back and tell Hananiah that God would replace the wooden yoke he had broken with a yoke of iron and they would serve Nebuchadnezzr king of Babylon until their 70 years was over. Because Hananiah prophesied lies, he would be killed that year. He died 2 months later.
Jeremiah sent a letter to the exiles in Babylon telling them to settle in, marry, build houses, and pray for the blessings and peace of Babylon. In seventy years God would visit them and bring them back. Then he gave them that wonderful promise of plans, peace and hope for their future. He was talking about fulfilling that promise in 70 years!
I doubt that is what we are hoping for when we quote that scripture…hope in 70 years! I know it is not what I am thinking when I quote it. We are so programmed to the here and now, but Jeremiah had eyes for the future generations. He was kingdom minded and knew that we are on a rolling ball that is rolling to the end. What we do today effects our great great grand children. We are eternal creatures.
Back to our story, God told Jeremiah that he would put to death all the prophets that were prophesying lies to his people in Babylon. One of these prophets in Babylon, Shemaiah, sent word back to the people in Jerusalem. He wanted to know why they had tolerated letting Jeremiah live. Jeremiah sent word back to him and the people in exile that God had not spoken by Shemaiah and God would put him to death and none of his descendants would live to see the good things God was planning for them.
In the time of Timothy’s writing, the religion of Gnostics was surfacing. The genealogies he was speaking of was not tracing their lineage which would have been encouraged, but it was tracing spirits which was a practice in gnosticism. He said that this type of study only lead to controversy and was a waist of time. The main goal of any Christian is love, a pure heart, a good conscience and a sincere faith.
He explained that the law was for sinners who don’t have the law written on their hearts. We do, because of the cross. Our law is summed up in loving God and loving others as Christ did.
Lord, may we fight the good fight today, holding on to faith and a good conscience.

Tue.’s Devo - Restoration is the Goal

Read: Jeremiah 26:1-27:22; 2 Thessalonians 3:1-13; Palm 85:1-13; Proverbs 25:16
Jeremiah had gone to the kings and officials and they refused to heed his words so this time God sent him to the courtyard of the Temple and speak to all the people of the town who came to worship. He was to tell them to turn from their evil ways because God was going to judge their deeds. The priests and the prophets listened but when he was finished they seized him to kill him.
The officers heard about it and went to sit in the place of judgment so they could hear the charges against Jeremiah and his defense. The priests told the officers what Jeremiah had prophesied about the city and their fates then Jeremiah told them how God was going to punish them for their sins. Jeremiah was sentenced to death. But, some of the elders stepped forward and reminded them about Micah who had prophesied the same thing during Hezekiah’s reign. He didn’t have Micah killed, but repented and it went well for the city and the king. They warned the officials that by not listening to Jeremiah they were bringing disaster upon themselves.
Jeremiah was saved but the same fate did not come for Uriah, another of God’s prophets who prophesied the same message at the same time. Uriah heard that they planned to kill him so he fled to Egypt. He was brought back to Jerusalem and killed.
Jeremiah also had a friend in high places named Ahikam who had Jeremiah spared.
During Zedikiah’s reign, Jeremiah was told to send word to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Sidon, (Jerusalem’s enemies) that the kingdom of Babylon was going to reign over the world because God was going to put every nation under them. Any nation that refused to bow to Babylon would be destroyed. Jeremiah told his own king that this would happen and told him to submit to Nebuchadnezzar because this was the Lord’s doing. He told the king to not listen to his own lying prophets because the treasures of the temple would go to Babylon until God released them to be brought back.
Paul was serious about their walk of righteousness. It wasn’t the law he was concerned about, it was the fact that they should walk in love toward one another and God and their deeds should follow their heart. Each person was to use the gifts God had given them and walk in them, then they wouldn’t have time to fulfill the desires of the flesh. If they did have someone in their group that was idle or walking in sin, they needed to disassociate with him and warn him as a brother, not an enemy. The goal was always to be restoration and fellowship.
Lord, we pray for our nation that righteousness would be restored and you would be lifted high. May faithfulness spring up from the earth and meet with love.

Mon.’s Devo - Good and Bad Figs

Read: Jeremiah 23:21-25:38; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17; Psalm 84:1-12; Proverbs 25:15
God made it clear that the prophets that the people listened to were not sent by him because if they had been from him their message would have turned the people back to him. Their prophesies were lies that they swore were from God and God was tired of their lies.
Once Jehoiachin, Jehoiakim’s son and the officials were taken into captivity to Babylon, God showed Jeremiah a vision of two baskets of figs. One was full of very good figs and the other with very bad figs. The good figs pertained to the good people that God sent away into exile. He would watch over them and bring them back to Jerusalem one day. The other basket of bad figs represented all of Judah’s bad kings and officials who had been taken into exile. These people who had refused to lead the people into repentance would be treated badly and not return to rebuild Jerusalem. They would die in captivity.
To all the people of Judah that were left, Jeremiah told them that because they had turned away from the Lord and refused to repent, they would be in captivity for 70 years in Babylon. After that time, God will cause every nation on the earth to drink the wine of his wrath and they will all be brought down because they came against Jerusalem at some time during their past. This is a picture of the end when all the nations will be judged according to how they treated Israel. That is still true about nations today. Thank God we have a president who honors Israel.
In Thessalonians, there were false teachings that the day of the Lord had already come. Paul told them this was not true because the main event that had to come first was the appearance of the Ant-Christ. He was being held back until God said it was time to appear. The saints will be gathered to heaven first then he will appear on earth and do all sorts of miracles and signs to get people’s minds off the fact that so many righteous people just raptured off the face of the earth. He will bring the counterfeit peace to try to be the answer for the people’s fear.
Thank you Lord that you bestow favor and honor on your people and no good thing will you withhold from those who walk blameless before you.

Sun.’s Devo - In the Midst of Trials, There is Hope

Read: Jeremiah 22:1-23:20; 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12; Psalm 83:1-18; Proverbs 25:11-14
God told Jeremiah to go tell the king that if he would do what was just and right toward the oppressed and sentence the robber, treat the alien with respect, take care of the widow and the orphan and stop shedding innocent blood then they would continue to live in prosperity. The city of Jerusalem would enjoy many kings. But if the king didn’t listen and change then the palace would become a ruin. All the nice buildings and fine living they were enjoying would come to an end and be destroyed. Other nations would look on this city and talk about how God destroyed it because they forsook him.
Jehoahaz, Josiah’s son had already been taken into exile and he would never return. The king used slave labor to build his palace that he was enjoying, but a fine building does not make a king. A king takes care of his people and is just and right, but the king of Judah did none of these good things. Jehoiakim, the king, would not be mourned when he died because the people did not love or honor him. His son, Jehoiachin would also be taken into exile and not return.
God would punish the shepherds who should have taken care of his people and taught them the truth. They should have been the spiritual leaders but instead they led Judah into idolatry. They would be replaced by shepherds who would lead righteously and bring the people back to Jerusalem and back to him. One day, the great Shepherd, Jesus would come and save Israel and Judah and be called the Lord Our Righteousness.
The prophets would be judged also because they used their power unjustly and prophesied lies. The prophets of Samaria in Israel prophesied by Baal but the prophets of Judah committed spiritual adultery and lived a lie. They spoke words of false hope and prosperity and kept the people from repenting. Their job was to warn the people but they put the people to sleep spiritually.
The Bible was written for every time period and these verses in Thessalonians are written especially for those who were being persecuted then and those who would come to faith after the rapture. It was to encourage them that God would judge those who were persecuting them and give them relief. It reminded them that they were not alone and those of the faith that were watching them boasted of their faith and perseverance. One day, Jesus would come in majesty and rescue them and it would be worth it all. God is worthy of any and all the persecution we go through.
Lord we pray that you count us worthy of your calling and that you would be glorified in our lives today.

Sat.’s Devo - A Picture of the End

Read: Jeremiah 19:1-21:14; 1 Thessalonians 5:4-28; Psalm 82:1-8; Proverbs 25:7b-10
Jeremiah was told by God to take a clay jar and all the elders and priest to the Valley of Ben Hinnom. There he was to declare their sins that had been committed in that place and tell of the destruction that would happen to them in that place. Then he was to smash the jar to show them that Israel and specifically that place would be irreparable.
This valley was a narrow ravine that separated Mount Zion and a hill they called the Hill of Evil Counsel. It was called the Valley of Decision by Joel. It was the place that Judah burned their children alive to Moloch and Baal (Joshua 15:8). That specific part was called Tophet which had five stoves that they used for this horrid act. After the exile, they would use this place to burn all the idols or garbage there. It was to be kept burning so that it represented hell. Hinnom is called Gehenna in the Greek and Jesus referred to it in Matt 23:33; Luke 12:5 and Matt 5:22).
When Jeremiah did this, the priest Pashhur, the chief officer had him beaten and put in stocks. The next day, when Pashur came to release Jeremiah, Jeremiah had a nice word for him. His name was no longer Pashur which means “increasing of white linen”, but Magor-Missabib meaning “fear from around about”. Instead of increasing his ministry, he would see so much violence and death all around him that he would be terrorized. He had prophesied peace, but he would live to see the destruction that he spoke against and all his friends would see that he spoke a lie. He would go into exile and die in Babylon, a false prophet.
In Chapter 20:7 we read the cry of Jeremiah and see how human he was. He felt deceived by God because he had spoken what he was told and it only brought him ridicule and pain. If he told himself he would never speak another prophecy then the word would be like fire shut up in his bones…he had to let it out. He had his pity-party but this was the time that God had chosen for him to be born.
In Chapter 21, Jeremiah’s popularity changed because what he has prophesied was actually happening. Babylon was attacking! So, the elders come to Jeremiah to see if they could convince him to come up with some kind of better outcome for them, since God had always came through for Israel in the past. But this time, Jeremiah told them He wouldn’t. They needed to stop fighting and surrender. If they fought, they would lose and die. If they wanted to live, they needed to surrender.
In Thessalonians, Paul assured them that they were not the ones God was saying would be asleep and overtaken by the thief. They were children of the light and God does nothing that he doesn’t first tell his prophets. They would have plenty of warning.
This is a comfort to those who come to Jesus after the rapture. The second coming will be something they will be ready for and receive with great expectation and relief. The world will be taken by the thief because they walk in darkness and are blind.
Paul gives us lots of practical ways we are to be walking and it all culminates in loving the things of God like prophecy, the fire of the Holy Spirit, and love for God and one another.
Lord, may we always be found joyful, praying continually, and giving thanks for every circumstance because we know that this is your will for us.

Fri.’s Devo - God’s Perfect Love

Read: Jeremiah 16:16-18:23; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-5:3; Psalm 81:1-16; Proverbs 25:6-7a
God had just finished giving them hope for tomorrow but then wanted them to make sure they realized that the time of hope was not then. Now, God was hunting them down to punish them because they had defiled his land and filled it with idols.
God curses the man who depends upon his own strength but blesses the man who trusts in the Lord. This man will be watered and fed by God and has nothing to fear in the natural because he will be taken care of by God.
God searches the heart and examines the mind and rewards a person according to his actions because our actions confirm what is in our hearts and minds. For those that forsook the Lord, their names will be written in the dust. (This is what Jesus might have been writing in the dirt when the woman was caught in adultery in John 8:6.)
God told Jeremiah to go and proclaim at every gate that the people were not to bring loads through these gates on the Sabbath or God would destroy the city by fire. God made a big deal about bringing loads in the city through the gates on the Sabbath so it must mean something pretty important to us.
Since everything in the Old Testament is a picture of something spiritual I looked up the meaning in the Hebrew of the word “loads” and it means “tribute, an utterance of doom, mental desire or prophecy.” The Sabbath is suppose to be a day of rest and a picture of the last millennial where peace will be on the earth. As Christians we are to live in this rest so God is serious about us bringing stress and worry into our hearts when he is reigning in us and his reign is one of peace and prosperity of soul. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit and there is nothing to fear or worry about, we are citizens of heaven even though we live on earth. In a good way, we need to picture our lives as clay in God’s hands. He never stops molding and making us into his vessel that he can use. He is in charge of the fire and the whole process of our refinement. We can rest in his hands.
Paul warns against being immoral but to love each other as brothers and sisters in the Lord. Our lives should so glorify the Lord that we win the respect of the world.
Then Paul gives us in a nutshell what will happen in the end. The church will be taken up…the rapture, and then he says that about the dates and times, he doesn’t need to write this to them. One reason for this is that we won’t need to know when Jesus returns because we will return with him. The ones that were left after the rapture will be taken by surprise. God will come like a thief to them…God is never the thief to his people. They will not escape just like the people we are reading about in Jeremiah.
Lord, thank you for being such a kind father that holds us in his hands. Help us to remember this when we are tempted to fear that Your perfect love casts out all fear. Amen!

Thurs.’s Devo - Hope For a Future Generation

Read: Jeremiah 14:11-16:15; 1 Thessalonians 2:10-3:13; Psalm 80:1-19; Proverbs 25:1-5
God told Jeremiah to stop praying for the well-being of the people because it was not going to happen even if they fasted and prayed. Their sins were too great to repent now. Their prophets prophesied peace and safety but they would eat their words when they found themselves destitute on the streets.
Jeremiah could see into that day of judgment and destruction and wondered if God had rejected Judah completely or if there was any hope.
God’s answer was that even if Samuel or Moses pled with him for this people he would not save them. They were doomed for death. There would be no hope for these people.
Then Jeremiah turned his concern towards himself since there was nothing to be done for the people. He reminded God what of his obedience and faithfulness to say what God had told him to say. God promised to be a wall around him of protection.
God told Jeremiah not to marry or have children in this place or to attend a funeral. These were to be signs that it is pointless to plan a future when it was about to be taken from them and God would not even mourn their deaths or have pity on their calamity because they brought it on themselves. He had reached out to them for years in order to save them but they refused to repent so now they would eat the fruit of their labor.
But…one day, God would bring them back to their own land and restore and rebuild them. There would be hope for a future generation.
Paul encouraged the church at Thessalonica because they had been persecuted for standing for the truth of the gospel. Paul longed to come in person to be with them and lift them up but when it became impossible, he sent Timothy. He reminded them that they were destined for trials because they bore the same mission that Jesus had.
Timothy must have come back to Paul in the middle of his letter because he received news from Timothy of their love and faithfulness which made Paul so glad. I love Paul’s prayer:
May the Lord make our love increase and overflow for each other and may we be strengthened in our hearts so that we will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.

Wed.’s Devo - The Ruined Belt

Read: Jeremiah 12:1-14:10; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-2:9; Psalm 79:1-13; Proverbs 24:30:34
I love how Jeremiah questions God. He told him how just God was with everything he had brought to his courts but was wondering why he wasn’t that just with the wicked. According to what Jeremiah was seeing they were living without consequences and thriving. Jeremiah’s very thoughts were tested by God which didn’t seem very fair to Jeremiah.
It is true, we as God’s ambassadors are held to a higher standard than the world. They don’t represent him on the earth and we do. He is conforming us to the image of Christ and Christ learned obedience through the things he suffered.
But, God did have plans to bring justice and they would pay for their sins, God had to orchestrate nations to do it, which takes time.
God’s vengeance would also fall on the nations that volunteered to punish Israel and Judah. They would have the same thing happen to them. They would be uprooted from their land for a while and then they would all return to their land, hopefully more humble and with a fear of God.
God told Jeremiah to go and buy a leather belt and wear it for a few days so everyone would notice it. Then he was to take it off and bury it in the dirt at Perath. After many days, he was to dig it back up and show it to the people. It was ruined and worthless and he was to tell the people that in the same way, he would ruin the pride of Judah. They were the belt that God had bound around his own waist to be his people but they chose to rebel.
In Ephesians, God tells us to put on the belt of truth. Israel was to represent God’s truths but instead they were acting like their idolatrous neighbors. He had not choice but to destroy them and raise up a new seed.
God still cried out to them to repent before he brought destruction because it would be better for them to go though it with God than without him. He pled with the king and queen to repent because their crowns were about to fall. All Judah would be taken captive and dispersed. In their pride and arrogance, they refused to believe it.
Paul’s visit to Thessalonica came on the heel of his beatings in Philippi. His pain did not deter him from going straight to the synagogue every Sabbath for three weeks to proclaim the gospel. He ended up having to flee for his life during the night. He wrote two letters to the Thessalonians and the first one begins by commending them for their steadfast walk with the Lord during tribulation. Their reputation of faith had been spread abroad. They had turned from worshipping idols to worshipping the living God.
Lord, may we learn from the past and stay humble to you in times of prosperity and lack.

Tues.’s Devo - All to the Glory of God!

Read: Jeremiah 10:1-11:23; Colossians 3:18-4:18; Psalm 78;56-72; Proverbs 24:28-29
Apparently there had been some sign in the heavens that the astrologers of the day predicted as a bad omen. Jeremiah warned them against listening to their lies because they got their information from idols they made out of wood and metal. Their predictions were like scarecrows in the field - not real and had no power to do anything but bring fear. They prophesied lies, but God tells the truth and the truth was that the enemy was coming from the north bringing total devastation because of their hardened hearts.
God was so angered by their ways and the wickedness of their hearts that he told Jeremiah to stop praying for the people. He had reached out over and over to them but they had refused to repent. God would not listen to their cry if they turned to him now because it was too late.
Men of Anathoth, Jeremiah’s hometown had plotted to kill Jeremiah because of his prophesies but God told Jeremiah not to worry about them because he would take care of them. They and their whole families would be blotted out. It is so true that a prophet is not recognized in his own town.
In Colossians, Paul tells the wives to be subject to their husbands as it is proper to do. Colossians was a Greek city where women were gods and roles were reversed. Paul didn’t have to tell Jewish women to submit because in their culture women were slaves and did submit. But in Greek culture, women ruled, spoke out in church and were leaders.
The husbands were told to not be bitter against their wives but to love them. Children were to obey their parents, period. The adults would be held responsible for their parenting and the children rewarded if they obeyed. These words were spoken to Christian families who were following after Jesus.
To sum it up, everything we do is to be done as a gift of our hearts to God. We are to honor our bosses and our co-workers under us. We are to walk in wisdom toward those that are outside of the faith using every opportunity we have to share the hope within us.
Lord, let us seize any and every opportunity to share our faith today that you might be glorified through us.

Mon.’s Devo - Wise in Their Own Eyes

Read: Jeremiah 8:8-9:26; Colossians 3:1-17; Psalm 78:32-55; Proverbs 24:27
God asked Judah why they thought they are so wise when their scribes didn’t write the truth of what his law said and so their whole religion was based on what they wanted the people to believe. They kept putting bandaids on their sins instead of repenting and getting rid of them. They weren’t only sinning against God, they were sinning against each other. Jeremiah was so sad to watch his nation walking toward a cliff and refusing to hear the warnings.
Jeremiah saw the future destruction - dead corpses lying on the open field. The people were blinded because at the time they were living in wealth and everything looked safe, but they couldn’t see what Jeremiah could see and they refused to believe that God would punish their sins. Jeremiah pleaded with them to put their trust in the Lord, but they couldn’t hear it, just like God said would happen.
It was Jeremiah’s job to warn them, not to make them repent. It is our job to live our lives as a testimony of God’s goodness, but it is not our job to make someone repent. That is the work of the Holy Spirit. We are not responsible for the result, just to obey and be God’s voice.
Colossians gives us a picture of what a person who has died to their sin and been risen with Christ looks like. They have put off the old man and its desires and put on the new man and God’s desires. If we are in Christ, then we have his mind, his perspective, his heart, and his ways. We have to train ourselves to listen to our new man. Our old man is gone - crucified. The only enemy we have is the devil and he masquerades like our old man trying to deceive us into believing that we still have to act and think like he did. We can’t listen to his lies because we are new creatures with a new nature that is God’s nature and his desires. We can walk in righteousness.
Lord, I pray for overcoming power to walk in righteousness and peace. Renew our minds in your Word and give us discernment.
Help us to be wise in your eyes.

Sun.’s Devo - Forgiven

Read: Jeremiah 6:15-8:7; Colossians 2:8-23; Psalm 78:1-31; Proverbs 24:26
In the Old Testament the watchmen were the prophets and their mouths were trumpets. They were to tell the people what God was saying to them and lead them on the right path to God.
Isaiah told them that they were at a crossroads and they were being asked to make a decision whether to follow the road that their ancestors travelled like Abraham and Moses or whether they were going to keep on the road to destruction.
Another time Isaiah was told to stand at the gate of the city and cry out to everyone that entered to repent and turn from their ways of idolatry and God would let them remain living in Jerusalem. Their actions would reflect their heart.
God told them to go to Shiloh in Israel and see what God did to Israel because they refused to turn back to him. Maybe that would help them change their minds. But God told Jeremiah before he went that they would refuse to hear or change. Eventually, destruction will come and their graves will not have room to bury the number of people who will die there. They will be left for the birds and animals to eat.
The job of the prophet is to warn the people so they could never say that God didn’t warn them. How devastating that must have been for Jeremiah. He was doomed to look like a failure on earth but was a total success to God.
In Colossians , Paul warned them against going back to the wisdom of philosophy and principles of this world which the Gentiles had worshipped before Christ. God cancelled the curse of the law that stood against them by nailing it to the cross.
He warned them against becoming religious in their practices because every feast that God gave them pointed to Jesus. It wasn’t how they practiced them as much as it was why they practiced them and what the point was.
Back then, when they wrote legal documents they would hand write them in duplicate and sometimes triplicate, writing the word “chirographum” really large in the middle of each page. Then they would cut through that word on one copy and give half of it to the person and keep the other part in the place of government. To prove the document you brought your half and if it lined up with the other piece, you were proved to be the person it was written for. God wrote the word Forgiven across our story and gave us our copy. It is our proof through the blood of Jesus that we are forgiven and saved.
Lord, thank you for your word that is always fresh and alive for what we need today. Thank you for the blood of Jesus that makes us righteous and free. Help us to walk in freedom today.

Sat.’s Devo - Christ in Us

Read: Jeremiah 4:19-6:14; Colossians 1:21-2:7; Psalm 77:1-20; Proverbs 24:23-25
Isaiah felt the anguish that God felt over the sin of the people of Jerusalem. He called them senseless children that had no understanding and were skilled in sinning.
Isaiah went back and forth from what he saw then to what he seaw in the future. He sees Jerusalem so empty it look like the earth before creation - formless and void with no light.
Isaiah thought that maybe it was just the people of the city that were so evil, so he went to visit the leaders of the city only to find out that they were as deceived as the people. The prophets prophesied lies, and the priests ruled by their own authority instead of God’s and the sad thing was that the people liked it that way.
God had had enough and was sending nations against them and He would fight with the nations against Jerusalem, the apple of his eye.
Paul wrote the letter to the church in Colossi which was a church he had never been to. It had been probably been founded by Epaphrus, one of Paul’s disciples. The church of the Colossians was composed of mainly Gentiles, whose religion had been angelology. This was a teaching that led its followers into deeper insight into the world of the spirits and the ability to obtain higher heavenly purity and intelligence. It was a religion of mystical and mysterious revelation so Paul appealed to that hunger. He told them of the mysteries of the gospel and the first one was that Christ was in them if they were born again. Another mystery was that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge were now theirs because of the first mystery. They didn’t need to study angels or stars to find higher revelation, it lived inside of them. They just needed to seek it out.
Lord, thank you that you never change. You still love your people with the same burning love and you put in us everything we need to live the life that Jesus lived… totally devoted to you.

Fri.’s Dev. - A Loving God

Read: Jeremiah 2:31-4:18; Colossians 1:1-20; Psalm 76:1-12; Proverbs 24:21-22
The Old Testament is not about an angry God; it is about a loving God who spoiled his children with the best of everything and they turned and threw it all in his face. The Old Testament is about a loving God and a very rebellious people.
Today he is calling his people back to him. They had prostituted themselves with every nation wanting what that nation had and wanting their help in time of need. They chose their gods instead of the God of all gods. They had the best God, but had traded God for idols.
God had already lost Israel and now he was reaching out to Judah to repent and turn back to him. He started in Jerusalem since it is the center of Judah spiritually. Isaiah pled with Jerusalem to remember their God.
Paul completes what God tried to tell Israel and Judah through Isaiah. The plan from the beginning was to save the world faith in God. Through Jesus we are qualified to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. We are no longer a member of the kingdom of darkness but have become citizens of the kingdom of light. Jesus came down to earth to be the face of God to man and everything is under him. He is the head of the church and we are connected to him as his body. Through his blood he made peace between heaven and earth. That is something to contemplate.
We are his body on earth and the same ministry given to Jesus of reconciling the earth to God is our ministry. We do that by honoring the Lord with everything in us. When the world sees our devotion and love, they will want if for themselves. We are not to be envious of the world, they are to be envious of us. Then we can give them what we have.
Lord, help us to see the great treasure we have in our hearts and gladly share it.

Thurs.’s Devo - Live in Peace

Read: Jeremiah 1:1-2:30; Philippians 4:1-23; Psalm 75:1-10; Proverbs 24:17-20
Jeremiah began his ministry in the 13th reign of Josiah, king of Judah. At that time Assyria, Egypt and Babylon were threatening to overthrow Israel. Israel was eventually captured and taken into exile by the Assyrians. They threatened to take Jerusalem but God sent an angel to destroy their army. The king of Assyria’s last ruler died the same year that Jeremiah began to prophesy. The kingdom of Assyria began to fade in power when Nineveh was sacked and Egypt attempted to help them. Josiah went to attack Egypt and was be killed in battle.
The taking of Jerusalem happened over time. Nebuchaddnezar attacked several times before finally taking Jerusalem and carrying off all the Temple treasures and the captives to Babylon.
All of this would happen during Jeremiah’s lifetime.
Jeremiah was a priest living in the territory of Benjamin. He prophesied through three of Judah’s kings and into their exile into Babylon. He was called before he was even put in the womb to be a prophet to the nations. God told him he was going to send him to many kings and he was not to be afraid of their faces, but he was to speak God’s word fearlessly. His words would cause nations to be uprooted and torn down, destroyed and demolished, and others to be built and planted.
His first assignment was to tell Judah that the Babylonians were coming from the north to overcome them but God would not let it happen then. God remembered their devotion to him when they were coming out of Egypt with Moses. Now he wonders what he did to make his people turn so far away from him. He reminded them of all he had done for them and then asked them what other nations ever exchanged its gods like they had. If they would have turned back to him, he would have not had to destroy them and send them into captivity. It was their choice.
I love what Paul says about anxiety. He gives us the cure: it is to rejoice in the goodness of the Lord and be thankful. If we do this then he will hear our petitions and give us peace. He gives us a list of things we are to think about all the time: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. If we just think about these things we will have no room for worry, anxiety or fear.
Lord, thank you for reminding us of how easy it is to walk in peace. Help us to guard our minds against the darts of the enemy and to rejoice always!

Wed.’s Devo - Deliverance is Coming

Read: Isaiah 66”1-24; Philippians 3:4b-21; Psalm 74:1-23; Proverbs 24:15-16
God gave Isaiah the image of childbirth to show him what He was going to do in Israel. Their deliverance was going to come so fast that there would be no labor pains, just the joy of new birth. They had been pregnant and heavy for a long time but suddenly God was going to turn everything around.
I have noticed that he has done the same kind of thing in my life. His deliverance was always coming on that day, but it took me by surprise when it happened and it was so swift that the memory of the yuck before it was almost surreal. That is why God tells us over and over in his Word to remember what God has done in the past and remember the wilderness and the hard times too. Both are our teachers.
Paul packs a lot into his letter to the Galatians. He begins by giving them all of his earthly credentials and then tells them that they amount to nothing compared to God’s kingdom and his salvation in Christ. His desire was to be like Jesus but in order to do that he had to understand what Jesus went through in death and what he experienced in the resurrection. They are opposites. In Christ’s death he laid it all down; in his resurrection he gained it all. The dying must come first to receive the power to rise again.
This is true in life. We die to our desires and dreams so God can resurrect our dream as he planned it.
I woke up thinking about this concept. When a ship is going through a storm, the first thing they throw overboard is the baggage. We are constantly riding the storms of life and we need to get rid of our baggage to lighten our load so we won’t sink. That baggage could be resentment, pain, fear of the future, regrets of the past, unforgiveness toward God, ourselves, and other people, disappointments… fill in the blank. The truth is that we need to be a citizen of heaven here on earth and I’m pretty sure we are not going to be able to take any of that baggage to heaven, so we need to get rid of it, now. It sounds hard but it is very simple. It’s just a prayer to give it all to Jesus. He knows just what to do with it.
Lord, help us to empty our lives of baggage that we have held on to. Remind us of things that we have stuffed in our hearts and let us be free and light so that we can freely love and let your presence into our hearts, and others into our boat.

Tues.’s Devo - The Best is Yet to Come

Read: Isaiah 62:6-65:25; Philippians 2:19-3:4a; Psalm 73:1-28; Proverbs 24:13-14
Isaiah was prophesying over a time that was coming and of a day that we are still looking forward to. The watchmen he was saying would be posted on the walls of Jerusalem was referring to the prophets that would never stop speaking God’s promises and what he was going to do. Prophets will prophesy till Jesus returns and then probably in the millennium. Isaiah makes a call to rally the nation to prepare for the rebuilding of their nation. He wants them speaking it and believing it so they will actively be ready.
At that time, God will fight all our enemies and defeat them with his army. You can feel Isaiah’s frustrations as he waits for God to do this. He is ready to see God rend the heavens and come down. He keeps reminding God that he is their Father and he has promised never to leave or forsake them.
In Chapter 65, Isaiah prophesies of the Gentile people coming to God and becoming his people because Israel refused to repent. There will always be a remnant of Jews who will stay true to the Lord, but many will turn to the god of luck and destiny instead of the God of blessings and the King who determines their destiny.
When God creates the new heavens and the new earth, everything will be in our favor. We will return to life as it was in the garden of Eden. The curse of labor and pain will be gone and there will be peace on this new earth with Jesus as our King.
In Philippians, Paul was hoping to send Timothy to them since he couldn’t come himself right then. He also wanted to send Ephaphroditus to them again, now that he was over his sickness. He had almost died and Paul wanted them to hear his testimony since they had walked with him through his near death experience.
His parting words were for them to rejoice in the Lord. This was his secret of joy in the midst of everything he went through. He warned them to beware of the Judaizers and those who did evil but admonished them to remember that they had been crucified with Christ and have no room for pride in the flesh. Our Psalm is probably the picture of what they were being faced with. It is sometimes hard to understand why the wicked seem to float through life with no consequences when we suffer and wait, but one day we will see the whole picture and realize how short our sufferings were in comparison to an eternity of goodness and reward.
Lord, help us to wait patiently for your favor to come. We trust your timing and your goodness.