Wed.’s Devo - The Coming Judgement -

Read: Jeremiah 23:21-25:38; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17; Psalm 84:1-12; Proverbs 25:15

God rebuked the false prophets who did not speak his words. He reminded them that he was a god who was near to them, who fills heaven and the earth with his presence. He heard all the false predictions the prophets told the people, and all their dreams that they used to spread their lies to lead the people astray. 

God told Jeremiah that when someone came to him and asked what was the burden of the Lord, he was to answer that they were the burden of the Lord. God’s burden was their own perverted words. God would cast them out of his presence and bring them to perpetual shame.

Nebuchadnezzar came and took many of the officials and craftsmen to Babylon. Then the Lord gave Jeremiah a vision of two baskets of figs that were placed in front of the temple of the Lord. One basket contained very ripe figs and the other very bad figs that were too bad to eat. He explained that Israel was like these two baskets. He was sending the good figs to Babylon and they would return to the land. They will receive a new heart to know that He is God and they are his people. They will return to him with their whole heart.

The bad figs were King Zedekiah and his officials that had been left in the land and those who went to Egypt. They would become a reproach and a curse wherever the Lord sent them. They would be utterly destroyed from the earth.

In the fourth year of the reign of King Jehoiakim the Lord said that for 23 years he had been prophesying what was coming and they people refused to listen or repent. He had warned them to not go after false gods and they refused to stop, so the Lord’s anger was provoked over and over.

Since they refused to repent, Nebuchadnezzar would come to this land and the surrounding nations and destroy it. The time of partying and joy was over. The whole land would be devastated and they would be made to serve the king of Babylon for 70 years. All the nations would be made to drink the cup of God’s wrath. The nations were Egypt, all the kings of Uz and the Philistines, Edom, Moab and the sons of Ammon all of the kings of Tyre, Sidon, Dedan, Tema, Buz, Arabia, the mixed tribes in the desert, the kings of Zimri, Elam, Media, and all the kingdoms on the earth. They will all drink from the cup of God’s wrath.

In Second Thessalonians, Paul changes from talking about the Day of the Lord to talk about the second coming of Christ. He told them not to be alarmed about it. A rebellion must come first and the man of lawlessness will be revealed. He will take his seat in the temple of God and proclaim to be God himself. He will do false signs and wonders and deceit those who refuse to love the truth. They will be condemned along with this man of lawlessness. Jesus will kill him with his breath and bring him to nothing when he appears. 

Paul rejoices in the fact that we are chosen to walk in the glory of the Lord. We must stand firm in our convictions and the truth of the Word. Paul prayed comfort for our hearts.

Lord, we know in the end we inherit your kingdom and all the goodness that you have stored up for us. May we walk looking forward to our reward and may we not be deceived or afraid of the lies we see and hear. Our hope is in You and your promises and You cannot lie. 

Tues.’s Devo - May We Be Found Faithful -

Read: Jeremiah 19:1-21:14; 1 Thessalonians 5:4-28; Psalm 82:1-8; Proverbs 25:7b-10

God told Jeremiah to go and buy a piece of pottery and ask the 72 elders go with him to the valley of the Son of Hinnom. The seventy-two elders were composed of the Sanhedrim, or Great Council, which were taken partly from "the priests," and partly from the other tribes. They represented the spiritual and political leaders of the people. This valley was where they offered human sacrifices to Molech and Baal. At the gate of this valley potters met to make vessels to use in the temple. 

Jeremiah gave them the word of the Lord. Because they had filled this place with the blood of innocent children and babies, this place would soon be called the Valley of Slaughter where they would be killed with the sword. Their bodies would be left to be food for the birds and the beasts. Food will become so rare, they would eat one another in their distress. 

Then, Jeremiah broke the piece of pottery he had brought and told them that this was how God would break his people and they would not be able to recover. All the houses in Jerusalem that offered offerings on their roofs to the hosts of heaven would be destroyed. 

Jeremiah then went back to the city and stood on the court of the Temple and told the people that disaster was coming upon their land because they refused to hear God’s words.

When the priest, Pashhur heard what Jeremiah was saying he beat him and put him in stocks for the night. The next day, he released Jeremiah. Jeremiah told Pashhur that God called him Terror on Every Side because God would make him a terror to himself and his friends. He would witness their death and others all around him and see the fall of Jerusalem. He would witness their exile and all the wealth of their nation being seized by the king of Babylon. He would be taken to Babylon and have to live through what was coming so he could see that he was wrong and Jeremiah was right. 

In Chapter 20, Jeremiah has a meltdown as he talks to the Lord about what he sees coming and how hard it has been to try to tell a people who refused to believe.

In Chapter 21 he has a word for King Zedekiah, the last king of Judah. He tells him that the Lord is not coming to their aid; he is actually fighting against them. They will not survive this attack and many will be killed. A remnant will be taken to Babylon. He still begs the king to do the right thing and judge righteously. He warns him that he will be judged for his evil deeds. 

In Thessalonians, Paul is still explaining the Day of the Lord. He tells them not to worry because if they are walking in the light, this day will not come as a surprise to them. They will be warned and ready. God will not come to believers in wrath but with love and salvation. They will live with him. 

Paul encouraged them to respect and have love for their spiritual leaders and to walk with peace with their brothers and sisters in the faith. We are to help the weak, encourage the fearful, and admonish those who are stuck in complacency. We are not to repay evil for evil but to do good to one another. We are to always rejoice and pray and be thankful for every situation we find ourselves in. We are not to quench the Spirit and to love prophecies, having discernment. We are to stay away from evil in every form.

Lord may your peace cleanse us and may we stand blameless before your when you return. May you find us accomplishing your purposes on the earth. May we be found faithful. 

Mon.’s Devo - Woe to the Last Kings of Judah

Read: Jeremiah 22:1-23:20; 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12; Psalm 83:1-18; Proverbs 25:11-14

In this chapter Jeremiah is addressing the last four kings of Judah who were all kin to Josiah and all wicked: Shallum or Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim,  Jeconiah, and Zedikiah. He addressed them as kings who oppressed the foreigners living among them and the fatherless and the widow. They all shed innocent blood which is the blood of children and babies. God was preparing destroyers to come against them and all would know it happened because they forsook the covenant they made with the Lord and worshiped other gods and served them.

Jeremiah said that Jehoiakim would be taken into captivity and never again see Jerusalem in his lifetime. God reminded Jehoiakim of his father Josiah who ruled with justice and righteousness. He judged the poor and needy and fought for them. Jehoiakim would die away from Jerusalem and no one would be sad. 

Jehoiakim’s successors would not care for the people and they will be taken into captivity. God would bring his people back one day and set a king over them who does care for them. Then they will prosper. God will raise up his king to reign and he will be wise, just and righteous. Judah will be saved and Israel will rest in peace. 

The day is coming when people will no longer call his people the one God brought out of Egypt, but the one God brought out of the countries he has scattered them. 

Jeremiah gave a word to the prophets who no longer gave his words. They had become adulterers who went after other gods and forsook the Lord. God would bring disaster upon them. They prophesied by Baal and led the people astray. The prophets of Jerusalem walked in lies and encouraged the evil people to continue sinning.  Jeremiah told the people not to listen to these prophets who filled them with vain hope. They were not speaking God’s words and what they were saying would not come to pass. They prophesied peace when God was saying destruction.

Paul wrote a second letter to the church in Thessalonica praising them for their continued growth of faith. Paul had boasted about them to the other churches because they stood firm in the midst of persecution. He reminded them of the reward they would receive from God and the eternal punishment their enemies would face. He prayed that the name of Christ would always be glorified through their lives.

Lord, we pray that also that your name would be glorified through our lives. May we walk steadfast, unmoveable in our faith. Thank you for the grace to do this.

Sun.’s Devo - God is Our Saviour -

Read: Jeremiah 16:16-18:23; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-5:3; Pal 81:1-16; Probes 25:6-7a

God was sending fishers to fish out those hiding underneath the surface and hunters to hunt those who hide in the mountains and hills. They are not hidden from the Lord. They will pay double for their sins of leading God’s people to serve pagan gods. When God was finished with them they would know that his name is the Lord. 

God would give all their wealth to their enemies and they would serve them in a foreign land. Cursed is the man who trusts in another man to save them, but blessed is the man who puts his trust in the Lord. He will not need to fear when the judgement comes. He will bear fruit in the year of famine. 

The man who forsakes the Lord will have his name written in the dust. This verse makes me wonder if Jesus wasn’t writing the names of the people accusing the woman caught in adultery when he wrote in the dust. 

Jeremiah prayed that God would protect him from the people who persecuted him and his words. He prayed that God would judge them. 

God told Jeremiah to go and stand in the People’s Gate - the one that the kings of Judah used to go in and out. He would give him a word. He did and God told him to tell them to start caring about how they honored the Sabbath and to stop their working on that day. If they would stop their work and honor the Sabbath then God would continue to let their kings go in and out of the gate and the city would continue to be inhabited forever. People would come from all over to worship the Lord there. 

God then told Jeremiah to go to the potter’s house and watch him at his wheel. He told him that he would do what the potter did with his clay. He could break the people down and destroy them anytime he decided to and he could rebuild them and plant them also. Right now, he was shaping disaster and devising a plan against them unless they chose to repent. 

Instead of repenting, the people devised a plan to discredit Jeremiah. They determined not to listen to his words. 

Jeremiah cried out to the Lord about this. He was trying to help the people and yet all they wanted to do was to destroy him. Jeremiah did not want God to forget what the people were doing to him. He asked for God to deal with them according to their sins.

In Thessalonians, Paul urged them to be sexually chaste and moral in a very unchaste and immoral atmosphere. God has called us to be holy and pure. He encouraged them to increase in their love for one another and to work hard and be good examples to the world.

Then Paul began to talk about the return of Christ. He told them that believers who had died would rise first to meet the Lord in the air, and then those who are alive on the earth would meet them. 

Paul explains that the return of Christ is not the same as the day of the Lord. The day of the Lord is the day when God will deal with his enemies. All the prophets talked about that day. It would happen when their false prophets were proclaiming peace and safety. It would be a sudden event like a labor pain. It will hit them in the gut and none of them will escape that day.

Lord, may we be prepared for what is coming in our day. May we not be afraid because we are confident that God will be with us and save us. 

 

Sat.’s Devo - Stand in Faith

Read: Jeremiah 14:11-16:15; 1 Thessalonians 2:10-3:13; Psalm 80:1-19; Proverbs 25:1-5

God told Jeremiah again not to pray for this people. They offered sacrifices, but not to him. Their prophets gave the people words of peace and safety, but they were not God’s words. Jeremiah was to tell them God’s words. It was not a time of peace and safety, but war and famine and they would not win. 

God said that even if Samuel and Moses prayed for this people, he would not relent on what he was about to do. Some would die from diseases caused by the famine, some would die in the battle, and some would be taken captive. God would send four destroyers: the sword, wild dogs, birds of the air, and beasts of the earth. Judah would become a horror for all to see because of the terrible idolatry that Manasseh had led them into. 

All their wealth will be taken but if they return to him, he will restore them. If they come to him with words of worship from a true heart, then He will make them strong. He will deliver them out of the hand of the wicked and redeem them. 

God told Jeremiah not to marry or have children at this time because they will all die and not even be buried. They will be food for the birds and beasts of the earth. Jeremiah was not to grieve when he sees this happening. No one will have funerals, or weddings or parties. They will bear the burden of their iniquities and sins. 

The ones who are taken captive will one day return. Then, instead of talking about their great deliverance from Egypt, they will talk about their great return from Babylon. 

In Thessalonians, Paul is very grateful for this church who suffered much persecution by the Jewish leaders who killed Jesus. They tried to hinder them from preaching to the Gentiles. But now wrath has come to them at last.

Paul had wanted to come and visit them but was hindered by Satan. They had been left in Athens and had to send Timothy in their place to encourage them and exhort them in their faith. 

Paul had worried that they might have gotten discouraged and fallen away, but was very pleased to hear that they were going strong. Timothy had brought back a great report of how they were growing in their faith and standing fast in the Lord. This gave Paul great joy. 

Lord, may we increase and abound in love of one another and for you. May our hearts be established and holy when we stand before you one day. 

Fri.’s Devo - Following Christ is Not for the Weak

Read: Jeremiah 12:1-14:10; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-2:9; Psalm 79:1-13; Proverbs 24:30-34

Jeremiah asks the Lord why he lets the wicked prosper and does nothing about it. They talk a big talk about the Lord, yet their hearts are evil. Jeremiah complains that God knows his heart, that he is not evil, yet he suffers. He wonders how long God is going to wait to judge the wicked.

God responds that Jeremiah’s suffering is only going to get worse, so he needs to toughen up. He warns him that Judah’s neighbors will also go into exile, but if they turn to the Lord, God will save them. If they refuse to repent, they will be destroyed. 

God gave Jeremiah several prophetic acts to do to be an illustration to the people of what was coming. He told him to get a linen sash which the priests wore and put it around his waist. This was to be a symbol of Israel as a holy people. After the people saw him wearing it, he was to take it to the Euphrates and bury it in a hole in the rock where it would stay for a while. At the right time he was to go dig it up and show it to the people. It was ruined and good for nothing. 

Then Jeremiah was to tell them the meaning of it. This is what God would do to their pride. They were evil and refused to hear his word and turn their hear to worship him so they would end up like this sash which was good for nothing. 

God told Jeremiah to say, “Every bottle shall be filled with wine.” They didn’t think this was a profound statement because, of course, every bottle was to be filled with wine. But the Lord said that it meant that he was going to fill every leader of Judah with drunkenness. They would be so drunk, they would not be able to save themselves or the country and God would have no mercy for them.

Jeremiah begged them to humble themselves and repent because they were headed for a fall. They would all be killed or taken captive to Babylon. He warned them of droughts to come. God would not send them rain and there would be no harvest. Their sins had caused the heavens to shut and they would have no rain.

The church at Thessalonica was the second church established in Europe. Jews and devout Greeks made up this church. Many prominent women in the city became Christians and this church sent financial support to Paul several times. He wrote his letters to encourage them. Paul knew that many of them had once worshiped idols. The Roman officials and Jews who opposed the gospel were not pleased with this new religion of Christianity and accused them of “turning the world upside down” which was a serious charge of civil disobedience. They were accused of going against the decrees of Caesar claiming to serve another king - Jesus. Many of those who opposed the church were the husbands of the wives who attended. During one of his visits to this church, Paul had to escape at night to save his life.

Paul begins his letter to them by letting them know they are always in his prayers. He is proud of their faith, their labors of love and their steadfast hope in Christ. They had received the gospel joyfully in the midst of great affliction and had been examples to other churches of their conviction and courage. 

Paul reminds them of how he and Silas had been imprisoned in Philippi and God’s angels set them free. They were all experiencing the persecutions of their decision to follow Christ. 

Lord, may we not lose heart when we see the wicked prospering around us, but remember their end. God will save us at just the right time. In the meantime, may we be faithful and diligent in our stand for righteousness and truth.

Thurs.’s Devo - God Alone is God

Read: Jeremiah 10:1-11:23; Colossians 3:18-4:18; Psalm 78:56-72; Proverbs 24:28-29

The Gentiles had many superstitions about eclipses and comets and signs in the heavens that were ridiculous and God told his people not to consider their fears. They made idols and decorated them with silver and gold thinking they had power, but God alone is God and there are no other gods. They were not to fear the human gods. They were stupid and foolish. God is the only living God and he is the King of the earth.

They were to tell those who worshipped idols that these gods did not make the heavens and the earth and they would perish. But God made the heavens and the earth by his wisdom. He made it all with his voice. All the men who made idols and all who worshiped them would be put to shame. 

Jeremiah sees what is coming from the north and warns the people but they refuse to hear. Their shepherds do not look to the Lord for their help. The flock is scattered and have not prospered. Jeremiah pleads for his life to be spared. He asks that God pour out his wrath on the nations that don’t know him who have oppressed Judah. 

God responds and reminds Jeremiah of how he brought them out of Egypt and made a covenant with them to bring them into this land. All they had to do was to keep his covenant with him and worship him as their God, but they refused. He had warned them this would happen if they rebelled against him, but they refused to repent. They went after other gods and refused to serve him, so he is bringing disaster upon them and they would not be able to escape. 

God told Jeremiah not to pray for this people. He would not listen. He had a word for the men of Anathoth who had told Jeremiah to stop prophesying or they would kill him. God would punish them and they would die in the battle or starve to death.

In Colossians, God had a word for the husbands, wives, children, and servants. They were to learn to submit to those over them as unto the Lord. They were to do their work as if they were working for the Lord. He would reward them for their service. 

He told the masters to treat those under them fairly as they wanted God to treat them.

Paul asked them to pray that God would open the door for them to reach more people about the gospel of Christ. 

We are to walk in wisdom in the world and let our words be gracious. The Holy Spirit will give us answers to their questions. 

Paul had sent Tychicus and Onesimus to give them this letter and tell them how Paul was doing. He wanted his letter to be read to the church at Laodicea also and sent greetings from others to them. 

Lord, may we remember that we are to do everything for your honor and glory. May we not lose sight of your humility, and your great power as we navigate through this life.