Thurs.’s Devo - God of the Nations

Read: Jeremiah 8:8-9:26; Colossians 3:1-17: Psalm 78:32-55; Proverbs 24:27 Other nations tried to read the stars and were terrified by what they thought the stars were saying. God told Israel not to follow their practices. Other nations made gods from pieces of wood. They decorated them with gems and metal but they were nothing but scarecrows. God told them not to be afraid of their gods. But, there is no one like God who is great and full of power. He is the king of all the nations and they should fear him and not their gods. None of the nations can stand up to God when he gets angry. God told Jeremiah to tell all the people who trusted in their homemade idols about the God who created the earth. He controls the thunder and the rain. He sends the lightning and releases the wind. The idol makers are frauds and the people who buy them are fools. It was time for the people to pack their bags because the siege against Jerusalem was about to happen and they would be taken into exile. The towns of Judah were about to be destroyed and become desolate. Jeremiah plead with the Lord for mercy for them and revenge on their enemies. God sent Jeremiah to remind the people of the covenant they made with him and the consequences it says would happen if they broke it. They would be cursed. They had chosen to worship other gods so they would be shamed. God told Jeremiah to not weep or pray for them anymore because He would not listen. The people wanted to make sacrifices to God but also to enjoy their sins and idolatry. There were many who plotted to kill Jeremiah but God wouldn’t let it happen. These men would die instead. In Colossians, Paul instructed the wives to submit to their husbands as it is fit in the Lord. I take that to mean that as long as the husband fits into God’s standard, the wife is to submit. It doesn’t mean that if the husband is sinning that the wife is to submit to that. The husband is to love his wife and not treat her harshly. Children are to please the Lord by obeying their parents. Fathers are not to aggravate their children because they will become discouraged. Workers are to honor their bosses as if they were working for the Lord. Bosses are to be just and fair to their employers as they represent the Lord. Through Christ, we have the power to live wisely and have the right response for every situation. Like Paul, we are surrounded by other Christians who are there to help us in this life. We should be thankful for them. God made us to need the whole Body in our walk. Lord, help us to see the big picture of your kingdom and how we fit into it.