Thurs.’s Devo - There is Hope in our Future

Read: Jeremiah 30:1-31:26; 1 Timothy 2:1-15; Psalm 87:1-7; Proverbs 25:18-19 God instructed Jeremiah to write down everything he was giving him because it would be a written decree for them to look back on and testify of God’s faithfulness to them. *** Everywhere Jeremiah looked were people in horror and terror. This would one day end and they will be saved. God would break them out of the yoke of bondage they were under and will return them to a life of peace and quiet where no one is terrorizing them. Then God will completely destroy the nations who destroyed them. Israel’s exile is her punishment for her sins. Then the ones who exiled her will go into exile. *** God will restore the health of Israel and heal her wounds. They will rebuild from their ruins and reconstruct their palaces. They will prosper as a nation and God will punish anyone who hurts them. They will have a ruler who comes from their own people and God will be their God and they will be his people. *** Those who survived Babylon will find blessings in the barren land and God will give them rest. They will play music and dance with joy. They will plant vineyards and eat produce from their own gardens. All will go to worship the Lord together. God will not forget the blind and lame and expectant mothers and women in labor. All will return with tears of joy. *** God who scattered his people will now round them up and bring them home. They will come home singing songs of joy with much wealth. Their mourning will be turned to joy and they will enjoy much abundance and good gifts. They will receive God’s reward. Israel will once again embrace her God. *** In Timothy, Paul urges Timothy to pray for God to help the people everywhere. He prays for the kings and those in authority because they determine whether the people live in freedom or slavery. Jesus is the only mediator between God and man and he wants everyone to be saved. *** In their places of worship he wants men to be able to raise holy hands to God. Holy hands means they are free from anger and controversy. Women should be modest and holy devoted to God and not be a distraction from God. *** Women should learn to listen and to submit to their husbands because they are more likely to be deceived like Eve was. Women will be saved by the birth of a savior if they continue to live a live of faith, love, holiness, and modesty. *** Lord, help us to know our role and be satisfied and prosper in that role. Thank you for hope for the future and for your steadfast love.

Wed.’s Devo - A Public Rebuke

Read: Jeremiah 28:1-29:32; 1 Timothy 1:1-20; Psalm 86:1-17; Proverbs 25:17 Hananiah, a prophet from Gideon addressed Jeremiah publicly in front of the priests and people. He spoke in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies and said that in two years God would bring back all the Temple treasures and Jehoiachin and all the captives to Jerusalem. God would break the yoke that the king of Babylon had put on their necks. *** Jeremiah told him that if a prophet predicts peace, it will be proven true when his predictions come to pass. Then they will know if he was really from the Lord. Hananiah took the yoke that was on Jeremiah and broke it in pieces and told the people again what he had said. Jeremiah left the Temple area. *** God sent Jeremiah to tell Hananiah that he broke a wooden yoke, but God had replaced it with a yoke of iron. All the nations will be put under King Nebuchadnezzar, even the wild animals. *** Jeremiah rebuked Hananiah and told him God had not sent him. Because the people believed what Hananiah had said, he would die that year. Two months later, he died. *** Jeremiah, who was in Jerusalem, sent a letter to the elders, priests and prophets and all the people who had been exiled to Babylon. He sent the letter by one of Babylon’s ambassadors. It told them to build houses and carry on their lives and multiply because they were going to be there for seventy years. He warned them not to listen to the false prophets. *** After the seventy years, the Lord will come and do all the good things he promised. He had good plans for them. Then, he will end their captivity and restore their fortunes. He will gather them and bring them home to their own land again. *** Jeremiah’s letter continued… as for the ones left in Jerusalem, they are the bad figs of Jeremiah’s vision. They will die of famine, war and disease. They will be scattered all over the world and become an object of contempt and mockery. This will be because they didn’t listen. But the ones exiled to Babylon didn’t listen either. Their prophets Ahab and Zedekiah lied to them so they will be burned alive and you will watch. Their names will become a bad proverb because they lied in God’s name. *** Shemaiah, who was in Babylon had sent a letter to Zephaniah, the priest in Jerusalem telling him to arrest any crazy man who claims to be a prophet and named Jeremiah. He told Zephaniah about the letter Jeremiah had sent them saying that they would be in Babylon for 70 years. But when Zephaniah got the letter, he went to Jeremiah and let him read it. *** Jeremiah had an open letter sent to the exiles in Babylon telling them not to listen to the lies Shemaiah was telling them. God would punish him and his family and none of his descendants would live to see the good things God has planned for them. *** Paul had urged Timothy to stay in Ephesus while he went to Macedonia. The people in Ephesus had gotten lost in the Gnostic teaching of genealogies that went back to fallen angels and things that took their attention off Jesus and his teachings. *** He told them instead, to let their hearts be filled with love and to live a life with clear conscience and genuine faith. *** These false teachers wanted to be known as teachers of the law of Moses but the law was given to show sinners their sins. It was not given to cause arguments among those who did right. Paul knows this because he counted himself the chief of all sinners. Christ saved him and now his whole purpose is to honor Christ. *** Paul urged Timothy to keep his conscience clear because some had deliberately violated their conscience which shipwrecked their faith. He gives Hymenaeus and Alexander as examples, who Paul handed over to Satan so they might learn not to blaspheme God. Lord, may we not be drawn away by every wind of doctrine but stand firm in our faith. May we not give in to fear or hopelessness but see the future and the good that you have planned for us.

Tue.’s Devo - God’s Yoke

Read: Jeremiah 26:1-27:22; 2 Thessalonians 3:1-18; Psalm 85:1-13; Proverbs 25:16 Jeremiah’s prophecies are not in order. This one we read today was given during Jehoiakim’s reign. Here is the order of the last five kings of Judah: Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, Zedikiah. God sent Jeremiah to stand in the courtyard in front of the Temple and give them God’s word. If they didn’t listen to the prophets that God sent them, he was going to destroy this Temple like he destroyed Shiloh (where the Tabernacle had been.) As soon as he finished speaking, he was mobbed by the priests and leaders and the people. They wanted to have him killed. *** The officials in the palace heard the commotion and ran over to hold court. They listened to what the priests and prophets were saying about Jeremiah. They wanted him to die a traitor. *** Jeremiah spoke and said he was just saying what the Lord told him to say. If they would stop sinning and begin to obey the Lord, he would change his mind about bringing disaster upon the. If they kill him, they will be killing an innocent man and they will be judged accordingly. The officials told the priests and prophets that there was no grounds to kill him. Some of the elders spoke and reminded them of Micah who prophesied during the reign of King Hezekiah. He prophecied the same thing about Jerusalem but King Hezekiah didn’t kill him. He led the nation to repent and God changed his mind. *** Around this time, Uriah son of Shemaiah was also prophesying the same thing in Kiriath-jearim. When the king and his army officers heard what he said they sent someone to kill him, but Uriah ran to hide in Egypt. He was found and brought back to King Jehoiakim where he was killed and buried in an unmarked grave. Uriah’s brother, Ahikam stood up for Jeremiah and persuaded the court not to turn Jeremiah over to the mob to be killed. *** Chapter 27 happened early in Jehoiakim’s reign. The Lord told Jeremiah to make a yoke and fasten it on his neck with leather straps. He was to give a message to the ambassadors to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon. God was going to give their nations to Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon. God has given control of the whole earth to Nebuchadnezzar until his time is up. Then, God would send a nation to conquer him and rule over Babylon. They were to put themselves under Babylon’s yoke. He warned them not to listen to their false prophets who told them Babylon would not rule them; they were liars. But, any nation who submitted to the king of Babylon would get to live in their own land. *** Jeremiah also told King Zedekiah this same message and begged him to submit to Babylon’s yoke so they could stay in the land. He told the king and the priests not to listen to their false prophets who told them that Babylon was soon returning the things they stole from the Temple. This was a lie. Instead, they should be praying that the things still in the Temple will stay and not be taken also. As for them, they needed to surrender to the king of Babylon and not die by famine and the sword. All the articles in the Temple will be taken to Babylon and stay there until God sends for them. Then God will bring them back to Jerusalem. *** Paul writes from Corinth where not everyone is a believer. He asks for prayer that their teaching would spread and be honored by those who hear it. He warns them to stay away from people who want to live off everyone else and not work. Idleness is the parent to busybodies. They should stay away from these people. *** Paul ends with our prayer: May the Lord of peace himself give you us peace at all times and in every situation. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us all!

Mon.’s Devo - Be Not Deceived

Read: Jeremiah 23:21-25:38; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17; Psalm 84:1-12; Proverbs 25:15 God brings up the false prophets again. They were going around claiming to have dreams from Him. They are not true prophets but prophets of deceit and the dreams they claimed to have were not from the Lord. God called the true prophets to give his words. They were like grain that would bring life, but the false prophet’s words were like straw that caused the people to sin. *** God told Jeremiah if they asked him ‘What prophecy has the Lord burdened you with now?’ He is to respond, ‘You are the burden.’ God was tired of them saying they got their words from the Lord when it was a lie. He warned them, He would expel them from his presence along with Jerusalem. He would make them an object of ridicule and their name would be infamous throughout the ages. *** King Nebuchadnezzar took King Jehoiachin, his officers and all the craftsmen and artisans to Babylon. Jeremiah was left and God gave him a vision of two baskets of figs placed in front of the Lord’s Temple. One was filled with fresh, ripe figs and the other with bad figs, too rotten to eat. God told him that the good figs reprinted the exiles he sent to Babylon. He would watch over them and bring them back again. They would recognize him as the Lord and return to him wholeheartedly. But the bad figs represent King Zedekiah who was left in Jerusalem and those who lived in Egypt. He would make them an object of horror and a symbol of evil to every nation on the earth. He would eventually kill them all off. *** Chapter 25 was written before they went into exile. Jeremiah had prophecied for 23 years that the land was going to be taken by a foreign nation and sent into exile. He begged them to turn from their idols and worship the Lord, but they refused to turn so they would go into exile for 70 years. When the time was over, God would punish Babylon and make it a wasteland. They will become enslaved just as they had enslaved Judah. *** God had a cup of his anger and Jeremiah was sent in the spirit to give it to the Pharaoh in Egypt and all his attendants, officials and people. He was also taken to the land of Uz and the Philistine kings to make them drink from the cup. From there he was taken to the nations of Edom. Moab, Ammon, Tyre, Sidon, Dedan, Tema, Buz, Zimri, Elam and Media…all the kingdoms of the world. Finally, the king of Babylon had to drink from the cup of the Lord’s anger. This would signal the fall of their nations. The Lord of Heavens Armies would accomplish this. *** In Thessalonians, Paul wants to clarify some misconceptions about Jesus’ second coming. Some were saying that the day of the Lord had already began, but Paul told them not to be deceived by this. This day would not come until a great rebellion against God had happened and the man of lawlessness was revealed. This man would bring destruction and exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He would even sit in the temple of God and claim that he is God. *** He can only be revealed when the one who is holding him back steps out of the way. But Jesus will slay him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming. *** This man of lawlessness will have counterfeit power to do signs and miracles. He will use deceit to fool those on their way to destruction because they refuse to be saved. They will be condemned for choosing evil over truth. *** Thank you, Jesus, for salvation and truth. Help us to stand firm on your Word and in your spirit. Thank you for the comfort you strengthen us with to keep going with confidence. You are our rock.

Sun.’s Devo - A Righteous King is Coming

Read: Jeremiah 22:1-23:20; 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12; Psalm 83:1-18; Proverbs 25:11-14 Jeremiah was sent to speak to the king face to face. He was to tell King Zedekiah to stop robbing the people, mistreating the poor and murdering the innocent. Josiah had been a good king who gave justice and help to the poor and everything had gone good for him, but the last three kings: Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim and Jehoiachin had done the opposite. *** Jeremiah told them that when Jehoiakim is dragged out of Jerusalem, the people will not mourn for him. His son, Jehoiachin will take his place and God would abandon him also. He would be handed over to Nebuchadnezzar and be taken to Babylon where he would die. None of his children would ascend to the throne. All the shepherds who were supposed to care for the people will be taken away. They will be judged for the evil they had done. *** At the appointed time, God will gather a remnant from the countries they are scattered to and bring them back. Then they will be fruitful and increase in number. God will appoint responsible shepherds to care for them. A righteous descendant of David will be their King and he will do what is just and right. His name will be The Lord Is Our Righteousness. *** God rebuked the prophets of Jerusalem because they committed adultery and loved dishonesty. They encouraged evil and would not repent. He likened them to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. God will cause them to drink poison for what they have done. Jeremiah warned the people not to listen to what they said. They didn’t speak for the Lord. In the end, they will understand that Jeremiah spoke the truth. *** In Paul’s second letter to the church in Thessalonica, he commends them again of their faith and love for one another in the midst of all their persecution. He tells them that God will justify them and give them rest. His angels will bring judgment on those that still refuse to obey the Lord. They will receive punishment with eternal destruction and forever be separated from the Lord. Lord we pray with Paul asking for you to enable us to live a life worthy of the call on our lives. May you give us the power to accomplish all the good things our faith prompts us to do and may the name of Jesus be honored because of the way we live.

Sat.’s Devo - The Coming Judgment

Read: Jeremiah 19:1-21:14; 1 Thessalonians 5:4-28: Psalm 82:1-8; Proverbs 25:9-10 God told Jeremiah to go and buy a clay jar and take it to the place where they sacrificed children to Baal. He told them that this place would become a place of slaughter. They would be slaughtered by foreign armies and Jerusalem would be reduced to ruins making it a monument to their stupidity. They would be besieged and end up eating their own sons, daughters, and friends. *** He was to break the jar and tell them that as this jar scattered when it broke, so their nation would be scattered and shattered beyond repair. There would be so many dead bodies to bury they would run out of room to bury them. *** The priest, Pashhur, who in charge of the Temple heard what Jeremiah was saying and had him arrested, beat and put in stocks at the gate of the Temple. He was released the next day. *** Jeremiah told Pashhur that the Lord had changed his name to “The Man Who Lives in Terror”. God would send terror upon them and his friends and they will watch as they are slaughtered by the swords of the enemy. All their wealth will be taken to Babylon also. He and all his friends will die in Babylon and all will know that his prophecies about how everything was going to be all right will be proven false. *** Jeremiah goes through great internal conflict as he is persecuted for all his words. He feels like he has shamed his family and himself but can not keep the words the Lord gives him to himself. *** When Jeremiah’s prophecies began to come true and Babylon came and attacked Judah, King Zedekiah sent Pashhur to him to ask him what God was saying. Amazing how conflict and fear brings humility. They were hoping for God to deliver them. *** No such luck. Jeremiah told them that their weapons would be useless against the Babylonians and when they fought, they would be fighting against God. King Zedekiah and his staff would be handed over to Nebuchadnezzar and everyone would die of disease, war or famine. There would be no mercy. *** The only hope they would have would be to the ones who surrendered and let them take them to Babylon. They would live while Jerusalem would be reduced to ashes. *** He told the royal family to begin giving justice to the people and help the oppressed. This will help them when they are judged. *** Paul warned his people of judgment also. One day the Lord would come like a thief to the world. It will not be that way for those who are children of the day. They will be protected by their faith. God is not coming to judge the righteous, but the wicked. *** We are to live lives of diligence, love for one another and peace. We are to be bold and tenderly care for those who are weak. We are not to make fun of or treat lightly prophets or their words. We are to avoid all and every kind of evil. *** Lord, may your peace make us holy in every way and may our whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless until Jesus Christ comes again.

Fri.’s Devo - Trust in the Lord

Read: Jeremiah 16:16-18:23; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-5:3; Psalm 81:1-16: Proverbs 25:6-8 God was sending out his fishers and hunters to fish the evil people out of their hiding places and hunt them down. At last, they will know that the Lord is powerful and mighty - the only God. God will give all their wealth and treasures to their enemies. They will take the people to a foreign land. *** Those who trusted in people will be greatly disappointed, but those who trust in the Lord will not be bothered during the long months of drought. They will thrive. They will never stop producing fruit. *** God searches the hearts of men and examines all of their secret motives. He gives people their due rewards according to their actions. Those who get rich unjustly will lose it in midlife and end up poor. Those who turn away from the Lord will end up disgraced. God is the fountain of living water. *** God told Jeremiah to go and stand at the gates of Jerusalem and tell the people to stop trading and opening their gates on the Sabbath and instead, make the Sabbath a holy day. If they obeyed, there would always be a descendant of David sitting on the throne in Jerusalem. He reminded them that their ancestors had been told the same warning and they didn’t listen. Neither did the ones Jeremiah told. He warned them that if they didn’t listen and obey, God would set fire to their gates and it would spread to the palaces and no one would be able to put the fire out. *** Then the Lord sent Jeremiah to the potter’s house and he watched as the potter was making a pot on his wheel. It didn’t turn out the way he hoped so he crushed it into a lump and started over. That was just what God was going to do to his people. *** When Jeremiah told the people this, they told him to stop talking to them. They choose to live the way they want to…following their own evil desires. *** God said he would turn his back on them and in their time of trouble, he will refuse to help them. *** The people were tired of hearing all the words Jeremiah was telling them. Killing him hadn’t worked the time before, so this time they spread rumors about him. *** Jeremiah cried out to the Lord for help. He told God that he was trying to help the people, but all they want to do is kill him. Jeremiah cursed them and their children. Now, Jeremiah knows how the Lord feels. That is exactly what they did to Him. *** Paul urges the believers in Thessalonica to live their lives to please the Lord. He told them to live in holiness and avoid the sexual sins of the pagans. They are to love the Lord and have love and respect for one another. *** Paul didn’t want them to grieve over loved ones who died as believers. Their bodies will resurrect when Jesus returns. Those who are alive on earth will meet the Lord in the air. His coming will happen when everything is peaceful and secure. It will begin with pains like labor pains and when they start, there is no going back. *** Lord, may we learn from scripture that when You are ready to judge, we need to agree that your judgment is just and fair. Help us to see things through your perspective and work with you.