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.