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.

Wed.’s Devo - May We Not be Deceived But Walk in Truth

Read: Jeremiah 8:8-9:26; Colossians 3:1-17; Psalm 78:32-55; Proverbs 24:27

Jeremiah’s theme today is deceit. The wise men wrote lies, the prophets and priests deceived the people with their words for money. People deceived their own neighbors and it led them from one evil to the next. God’s people no longer knew him. 

God’s only recourse was to refine and test them in the fire. He would do this through war and famine. He would scatter them until they woke up from their sinful slumber and turned back to them. 

They had boasted in having the Temple of the Lord and being the children of Abraham but God called them those who were circumcised only in the flesh, but uncircumcised in their heart.

Paul continues to encourage the believers in Colosse to set their minds on things in heaven and the things of God instead of the things going on in the earth. He told them to put to death the carnal sins that weighed them down and which were only idolatry. God was coming one day to pour his wrath on those who walked in sin. He told them to stop deceiving one another but to put on Christ. 

Christ was holy, compassionate, kind, humble, meek, and patient with man’s short comings. They were to imitate him and let him live through them. Above all Christ was love which makes them one. Christ brings us his peace and make us thankful. 

Lord, may your Word dwell in us richly, teaching us in wisdom. May we sing songs of thankfulness to you in our hearts. May we walk letting Jesus walk through us and do everything in your name. 

Tues.’s Devo - Religion Will Not Save Anyone

Read: Jeremiah 6:15-8:7; Colossians 2:8-23; Psalm 78:1-31; Proverbs 24:26

 Jeremiah saw that the people who sinned had no conscience of their evil. They were not ashamed that they had turned from the Lord and now worshipped gods who could not help them. They still went through the motions of worship to the Lord, but they mixed it with idolatry. Their hearts were far from the Lord. 

God told Jeremiah to go and stand on the gate leading to the Temple. He was to tell those who entered to worship the Lord to repent and change their ways and he would let them stay in this land. He warned them not to trust in the Temple building to save them. They would need to start administering justice to one another. They would need to stop oppressing the foreigner, the widow and the orphan and stop shedding innocent blood. They would need to stop worshiping other gods which only hurt themselves and to turn to him with their whole heart.

He told them to stop believing lies, stop stealing, killing, committing adultery, swearing falsely, and making offerings to Baal and other gods. God told them to go and see what he did to Shiloh, where they used to worship him. Shiloh was a city of Ephraim, "on the north side of Bethel.” Here the tabernacle was set up after the Joshua took over Canaan. It remained here during all the period of the judges till the ark fell into the hands of the Philistines. It was a very secluded spot, which had become a mass of shapeless ruins. God called them to remember this because he would do this to the temple they put all their trust in to save them.

God told Jeremiah to stop praying for these people because he would not hear his prayers. They were bent on worshipping their false gods and had taught their children to do the same. They were doing exactly what he delivered them from in Egypt. Jeremiah could tell them to repent all he wanted to, but they would not turn; they were a nation that did not obey his voice and refused to be disciplined. So their land would become a waste. The bones of the kings of Israel, their leaders, the priests and their prophets would all be brought out of their tombs and laid in the sun to rot. 

Paul made it clear in his letter that Christ was the fullness of God and the ultimate authority. It is in Christ that we are saved and raise to walk in his power and authority. He nailed our sins to the cross and disarmed the rulers and authorities on earth and in heavenly places and put them to open shame. He triumphed over them.

All the rituals of the feasts and the Sabbath were shadows of things to come. He warned them not to get caught up and deceived by the visions of man and their stories. He warned them not to get into legalism and man-made religion. It has no value to making anyone holy.

Lord, with all the information we have available to us, may we keep your Word as our ultimate authority. May we measure everything by your Spirit and your Word. May we not be deceived, but walk in your Spirit and your truth. May we learn like Judah had to learn that religion will not save anyone - only true worship will save us. 

Mon.’s Devo - The Warnings Go Out -

Read: Jeremiah 4:19-6:14; Colossians 1:21-2:7; Psalm 77:1-20; Proverbs 24:23-25

Jeremiah begins by crying out in anguish as he sees the result of the hard hearts of the people. They are wise at doing evil, but stupid in understanding the consequences of their choices. Jeremiah can see what is up ahead for them and it was total devastation. He tries to describe it to them hoping it will make them want to repent. 

The Lord confirms what Jeremiah had told them and says that the whole land would become a desolation. He has made up his mind and he will not change it. 

There is no justice in the land and no truth. No matter what the prophets warned, the people refused to repent. The leaders  took it lightly to oppress the poor. God would use the wild animals to bring retribution to these people. They would destroy their food supply, kill their animals and their children. Their cities would be destroyed through war. 

But, God will not destroy them all. He always reserves a remnant who will live through all the destruction and will be taken to a foreign land to serve them. 

This will happen because there is no fear of God in the land. The people listen to their own false prophets and refuse to hear the prophets of God. Jeremiah warns them to prepare for war even though their prophets lie to them about peace. Everything they owned will be turned over to their enemies because they refused to heed God’s warnings.

The church in Colosse was not a plant of Paul’s but probably of Epaphras who lived there. It met in the home of Philemon. Paul was in prison when Epaphras asked for his help in dealing with the false teaching that was threatening his church. The heresy was a blend of pagan-occultism, Jewish legalism and Christianity. It was an early form of Gnosticism which taught that Jesus was not fully God and fully man, but a semi-divine being that was a mediator between God and man. They believed that enlightened believers could achieve spiritual fullness through special knowledge and self-discipline.

Paul wrote his letter to expose the heresy of Gnosticism and instruct the people in the truth. He warned them not to return to paganism and inspired them to love God and one another.

One of the great mysteries of God that had been hidden for generations was the fact that God was the God of the Gentiles also and that Christ lives in every believer who has given himself to the Lord through Christ. In Christ they would find all the hidden wisdom and knowledge, not through this heresy that was floating around. 

Lord, may we be established and built up in Christ so that we might be forever wise, understanding and thankful. May we not be tossed around by heresies about the mysteries of the kingdom when they are found in your Word. May we do all we can to walk in love and fellowship with one another.