Mon.’s Devo - Be An Example of Holiness 10-19-20

Read: Jeremiah 33:1-34:22; 1 Timothy 4:1-16; Psalm 89:1-13; Proverbs 25:23-24 God tells us to ask him about the future and he will tell us what is going to happen. He will let us in on his remarkable things he is planning. God told them not to even fight the Babylonians when they came. Their sins had made it impossible for them to stand a chance of winning. But, there was good news about their future. In their future, they would come back to their land and God would raise up a righteous descendant from King David’s line to do what is just and right. Then, there would always be Levitical priests to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings to the Lord. Jeremiah told Zedikiah that Jerusalem would be taken and burned to the ground. Zedekiah would try to escape but be caught and taken to Babylon to see the king Nebuchadnezzar face to face. He would die there but be mourned by his people. Before Zedekiah received Jeremiah’s message he had made a proclamation for everyone to free their slaves. It was in the law that slaves were only to serve six years and the seventh year they were to go free. They had done that, but later had forced them back into slavery. Since they did that to their own people, he was going to set them free to be destroyed by war, disease and famine. They broke his covenant so he was breaking them. The bodies of the officials would be food for the vultures and wild animals. This is the fate of the wicked in Revelation. Paul described the people in the church like the officials of Jeremiah’s days. Paul called them hypocrites and liars whose consciences were dead. They would condemn marriage and certain foods. God has ordained marriage and all foods to be clean by His Word and prayer. They were so concerned about the things pertaining to the body but not things pertaining to their heart. Physical training is good for us right now but does not follow us when we die. Godly training not only is better for us now, but also benefits our life in the life to come. No matter what our age is, we can be an example to all believers in the way we live, in our love, our faith, and our purity. Paul told Timothy to focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers and teaching them until he could come himself. He reminded Timothy to grow in his spiritual gift that God had given him when the elders laid hands on him. Lord, may the words of Paul encourage us also to live as examples from pure hearts of love and commitment. Lord, you are faithful, no matter what we are going through. You are the hope and the resurrection.