Mon.’s Devo - God’s Case Against His People

Jeremiah 12:1-14:10; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-2:8; Psalm 79:1-13; Proverbs 24:30-34 Jeremiah had a case to bring before God and he knew God would give him justice. His question was why are the wicked so prosperous and seem to be so happy. They talked about the Lord like he was their god but he was not in their hearts. *** We could say that about the singers who say in their concert that they are Christians and yet they worship Satan. They have all the wealth of the world and seem to be happy but we know that is not the truth. *** Jeremiah continued to complain about the situation in his land. God had stopped the rain so their fields were drying up, and the evil in the land was abundant. The people didn’t think God even knew their future. Jeremiah’s family members had turned against him. *** God responded and said he had abandoned his people because they abandoned him. The leaders had trampled his truth and turned everything that was good into evil. Their enemies were coming and no matter what they did to save themselves, it would not do them any good. The good things God had intended for them would be taken by enemy nations and they would be uprooted to other nations. *** Afterward, God would return everyone to their own nations. If the nations learn the ways of his people and swear by his name, they would be saved and given a place among his people . Any nation that refused to obey him would be uprooted and destroyed. *** God instructed Jeremiah to take the loincloth he was wearing and bury it beside the Euphrates River. After a long time, God told him to go back and dig it up. It had rotted and fallen apart. God said this was a picture of how He would rot away the pride of Judah and Jerusalem. Their pride had made them like this loincloth - good for nothing. Judah and Israel were created to be God’s pride and joy but they refused to obey. He would fill everyone’s cups with the wine of drunkenness from the king to the lowest person. Then he would smash them against each other and they would fight one another. *** Jeremiah begged the people to repent but concluded that they would not be able to start doing good since they had always done evil. God would expose their sins to their shame. *** In Chapter 14, the people responded to their lack of rain. The land had run out of water. Their crops had died. The people finally acknowledged that their sins had caused this and cried out to the Lord to save them, to save his own reputation. But, God wasn’t being moved by them anymore. He said it was time to punish them for their sins. They would no longer be accepted as his people. *** Paul writes to the Thessalonians thanking them for their faithful work, loving deeds and the enduring hope they have in Jesus. *** Paul commended them for taking his message seriously and believing it as their own. Though the truth had brought them persecution and trouble, they had stood for the truth becoming an example to all believers in Greece and throughout Macedonia and Achaia. Everywhere Paul went, he heard good testimonies about what was happening in their church. They had turned away from the idols to serve the living and true God. *** Lord, thank you for always preserving a remnant of people who honor you and trust you. May we rise up together and fight for your justice and your cause. Thank you that You bring us victory. You win!