Read: Jeremiah 37:11 - 38:14; Ezekiel 1, 2
In reading today’s reading it is not hard to see that King Zedekiah was fickle. He turned with whoever was in front of him. When he was with Jeremiah, he was loyal to him but as soon as one of his officials had a problem with Jeremiah, he let them do what they saw fit. He did make sure Jeremiah had bread and he did let the Ethiopian deliver him out of the cistern. But he also let the man put him there. Jeremiah held to God’s Word. When the king asked him what was going to happen to Jerusalem, he told him the truth even though he knew it was not what the king wanted to hear. Jeremiah defended God’s Word with his life and God saved his. The truth was that the Babylonians would take Jerusalem and if the king would surrender to them then things would go good for him and Jerusalem would be spared destruction. If he did not, then he would be killed, his wives and children led to captivity and Jerusalem would be burned to the ground.
During this time Ezekiel had a vision of heaven. He saw the four creatures mentioned in the fourth chapter of Revelation. These creatures were the embodiment of God’s Spirit - the four faces of Jesus, the four faces of God. These faces were of a human, an lion, an ox, and an eagle. These creatures had wings and wheels by which they flew illumined in brilliant light. Ezekiel’s vision left him overwhelmed in silence for seven days.
This is a reminder to me that when everything looks terribly bleak, God is hovering over earth watching over everything that is going on. He is always near.
Lord, thank you for your presence in our lives and in our nation. We need your nearness and your assurance that everything will be as you plan. Thank you that You are not fickle; you know exactly what you are doing and it is good. We trust in You.
Sunday, August 14, 2016
Saturday, August 13, 2016
Sat.’s Devo - Be God’s Sword
Read: Jeremiah 51:15-52:3 ; 2 Kings 24:10-20; 2 Chron. 36:10-14; 1 Chron. 3:10-16; Jeremiah 37:1-10
God told Jeremiah that he was a battle-ax and a sword though Jeremiah never fought in a battle. It was not Jeremiah’s hand that held a sword that the Lord was referring to; it was Jeremiah’s mouth that was a sword because he spoke what the Lord told him to speak. He proclaimed it and God did it. He told Jerusalem that the Babylonians would take them captive and they did. He said that the Medes would destroy Babylon, and they did.
Our mouths are swords too. They can be swords that bring death and judgment or swords that bring life. If it is the Lord’s words we are speaking, they will bring life. Life comes through death. Jeremiah spoke of judgment and wrath against nations that defied the Lord, but God always said that out of this death would sprout restoration and life. Divorce looks like death, but out of it can come life. We are all going through some semblance of death all the time because God is out to kill our flesh so that His spirit can spring forth. It doesn’t always look like we think it should because God is a physician who carefully and meticulously operates on us with the utmost care and love. He is not concerned with how long it takes, but in how complete it is. God’s timing is always perfectly planned to fit his timeline….not ours.
Lord, we submit our bodies to your knife so that we can be your sword in the battles that count for the kingdom. Let us not get weary in well-doing knowing that we will receive a crown of life and glory in the end.
God told Jeremiah that he was a battle-ax and a sword though Jeremiah never fought in a battle. It was not Jeremiah’s hand that held a sword that the Lord was referring to; it was Jeremiah’s mouth that was a sword because he spoke what the Lord told him to speak. He proclaimed it and God did it. He told Jerusalem that the Babylonians would take them captive and they did. He said that the Medes would destroy Babylon, and they did.
Our mouths are swords too. They can be swords that bring death and judgment or swords that bring life. If it is the Lord’s words we are speaking, they will bring life. Life comes through death. Jeremiah spoke of judgment and wrath against nations that defied the Lord, but God always said that out of this death would sprout restoration and life. Divorce looks like death, but out of it can come life. We are all going through some semblance of death all the time because God is out to kill our flesh so that His spirit can spring forth. It doesn’t always look like we think it should because God is a physician who carefully and meticulously operates on us with the utmost care and love. He is not concerned with how long it takes, but in how complete it is. God’s timing is always perfectly planned to fit his timeline….not ours.
Lord, we submit our bodies to your knife so that we can be your sword in the battles that count for the kingdom. Let us not get weary in well-doing knowing that we will receive a crown of life and glory in the end.
Friday, August 12, 2016
Fri.’s Devo.- Wake Up!
Read: Jeremiah 31:15-41; 49:34 - 51:14:16-17
If you are praying for a wayward child Jeremiah has some great promises to pray. “Do not weep any longer, for I will reward you. Your children will come back to you from the distant land of the enemy. Their is hope for your future. Your children will come again to their own land.” Jeremiah 31:16.
God had used Babylon to punish the nations for their sin and now it was time to punish Babylon, the great whore. He was going to send the Medes from the north. Mede means “my garment”. The Medes were the garment God was using to cover the earth with his glory and power. This is a picture of God’s end-time judgement when he will judge Mystery Babylon in Revelation 17. Both Jeremiah 51:7 and Revelation 17:4 talk about a golden cup full of abominations and filthiness that made the nations drunk. Jeremiah promises that the Lord will fulfill all his plans against Babylon. In Revelation 18 it says that Babylon will fall because it had become the habitation of devils. To the people of Israel, Jeremiah tells them to get out of Babylon and flee back to their own land. In Revelation 17:4, God tells his people to come out of her and to not partake in her sins. So we see that the days of Jeremiah parallel the end times.
God does this over and over. He repeats history to give us something to relate to. The end judgment will supersede any judgment that has gone before but it is God’s way of preparing us and letting us know he is serious. We need to wake up to what is going on in the world and in the heavenly realm. God is speaking loudly to his children to repent and turn to them with their whole heart. Nothing we do should be done without asking him first. Our life is his and we are his. We need to live like we believe that. I am speaking to myself.
Lord, help us be mindful of the things you are mindful of. Forgive us of our pettiness and selfishness. Awaken your Bride! Awaken your Church!
If you are praying for a wayward child Jeremiah has some great promises to pray. “Do not weep any longer, for I will reward you. Your children will come back to you from the distant land of the enemy. Their is hope for your future. Your children will come again to their own land.” Jeremiah 31:16.
God had used Babylon to punish the nations for their sin and now it was time to punish Babylon, the great whore. He was going to send the Medes from the north. Mede means “my garment”. The Medes were the garment God was using to cover the earth with his glory and power. This is a picture of God’s end-time judgement when he will judge Mystery Babylon in Revelation 17. Both Jeremiah 51:7 and Revelation 17:4 talk about a golden cup full of abominations and filthiness that made the nations drunk. Jeremiah promises that the Lord will fulfill all his plans against Babylon. In Revelation 18 it says that Babylon will fall because it had become the habitation of devils. To the people of Israel, Jeremiah tells them to get out of Babylon and flee back to their own land. In Revelation 17:4, God tells his people to come out of her and to not partake in her sins. So we see that the days of Jeremiah parallel the end times.
God does this over and over. He repeats history to give us something to relate to. The end judgment will supersede any judgment that has gone before but it is God’s way of preparing us and letting us know he is serious. We need to wake up to what is going on in the world and in the heavenly realm. God is speaking loudly to his children to repent and turn to them with their whole heart. Nothing we do should be done without asking him first. Our life is his and we are his. We need to live like we believe that. I am speaking to myself.
Lord, help us be mindful of the things you are mindful of. Forgive us of our pettiness and selfishness. Awaken your Bride! Awaken your Church!
Thursday, August 11, 2016
Thurs.’s Devo - A Hope and a Future
Read: Jeremiah 23:33 - 24:10; 29-31:14
Jeremiah sent a message to the exiles in Babylonia. They were to live in the land as if it was their own land. They were to settle there and build a life and pray for the land because its welfare would determine their welfare. This is a word for us in our nation. We might not like what we see going on but we cannot “check out”. We must be a part of it and pray for it. This is still our nation and we determine the outcome of our nation, not the politicians or leaders - the prayers of God’s people determine the outcome of a nation. We have to hold on to the fact that God will set us free from the oppression and sin of our nation. He has plans for America for good and not for disaster, to give it a future and a hope. We have to pray wholeheartedly for our nation and not give up.
God told Israel that she could not go unpunished and we as a nation can not go unpunished for our sin, but we hold on to the hope that God is our deliverer who is bringing us a great revival of souls and we will be safe, healthy, restored and established once again. That was God’s promise to Israel and that is God’s promise for America.
We are all going through some deep trials that are tremendously hard but God promised us that if we survive and not lose heart then we will find blessings even in the barrenness of the land and we will have rest. Because God loves us, we will be happy once again and be rebuilt and prosperous. So, let us not be weary in well doing because we will receive a reward if we don’t faint.
Lord, thank you for your marvelous promises even in the midst of pain and suffering.
Jeremiah sent a message to the exiles in Babylonia. They were to live in the land as if it was their own land. They were to settle there and build a life and pray for the land because its welfare would determine their welfare. This is a word for us in our nation. We might not like what we see going on but we cannot “check out”. We must be a part of it and pray for it. This is still our nation and we determine the outcome of our nation, not the politicians or leaders - the prayers of God’s people determine the outcome of a nation. We have to hold on to the fact that God will set us free from the oppression and sin of our nation. He has plans for America for good and not for disaster, to give it a future and a hope. We have to pray wholeheartedly for our nation and not give up.
God told Israel that she could not go unpunished and we as a nation can not go unpunished for our sin, but we hold on to the hope that God is our deliverer who is bringing us a great revival of souls and we will be safe, healthy, restored and established once again. That was God’s promise to Israel and that is God’s promise for America.
We are all going through some deep trials that are tremendously hard but God promised us that if we survive and not lose heart then we will find blessings even in the barrenness of the land and we will have rest. Because God loves us, we will be happy once again and be rebuilt and prosperous. So, let us not be weary in well doing because we will receive a reward if we don’t faint.
Lord, thank you for your marvelous promises even in the midst of pain and suffering.
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
Wed.’s Devo - The Head and Not the Tail
Read: Jeremiah 49; 2 Kings 24:5-9; 2 Chron. 36: 6-9; Jeremiah 22:24 - end of chapter 23
God’s plan is for his people to be the head and not the tail. They are to be the leaders. When God’s people rebel everything gets turned upside down. The head becomes the tail. That is what had happened to Israel. They were going to be taken into captivity by the people they should have been ruling.
When God judges his people, he also judges the world. This was a time when all the world was being judged and God used Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon to bring his judgment. Nebuchadnezzar means “confusion of the abode of treasure”. It also means “prophesy, the earthen vessel is preserved.” Nebuchadnezzar was a type of anti-christ that was preserved to bring judgment on the earth. Babylon means “confusion”. Confusion destroys faith and stirs up doubt and unbelief which are two things that will keep you from the promised land.
In Jeremiah 23, God came down heavy on the false prophets that prophecy in Baal. They prophesied what the people want to hear and not what God was saying. They prophesied peace when God was saying destruction. They were suppose to be the upholders of truth and God’s Word but instead, they were liars working against God. They brought confusion; God brings peace.
Lord, we rest in the peace that comes from your Word. May we be the head and not the tail.
God’s plan is for his people to be the head and not the tail. They are to be the leaders. When God’s people rebel everything gets turned upside down. The head becomes the tail. That is what had happened to Israel. They were going to be taken into captivity by the people they should have been ruling.
When God judges his people, he also judges the world. This was a time when all the world was being judged and God used Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon to bring his judgment. Nebuchadnezzar means “confusion of the abode of treasure”. It also means “prophesy, the earthen vessel is preserved.” Nebuchadnezzar was a type of anti-christ that was preserved to bring judgment on the earth. Babylon means “confusion”. Confusion destroys faith and stirs up doubt and unbelief which are two things that will keep you from the promised land.
In Jeremiah 23, God came down heavy on the false prophets that prophecy in Baal. They prophesied what the people want to hear and not what God was saying. They prophesied peace when God was saying destruction. They were suppose to be the upholders of truth and God’s Word but instead, they were liars working against God. They brought confusion; God brings peace.
Lord, we rest in the peace that comes from your Word. May we be the head and not the tail.
Tuesday, August 9, 2016
Tues.’s Devo - Be an Example of Faith
Read: Jeremiah 16-18; 35
God gave Jeremiah a tangible example of Israel and what God was going to do. God told Jeremiah to go to the potter and see the picture. The potter was turning a pot on his wheel. When the pot didn’t turn out the way he had hoped, he threw it down on the ground and broke it. Then he took new clay and started over. This is exactly what God was doing to Israel. He was rejecting her because she refused to be molded in his hand. He would start over with the Gentiles and a remnant of Jews who would accept his transforming power.
When God judges he removes his protection and peace. Ever since 9/11 we have been vulnerable as a nation and it is hard to find peace. Only those who trust in God can live in peace now. We who trust in the Lord are blessed. We will have plenty of spiritual water and we will thrive and continuously bear fruit.
God reminded his people of the Recabites. They were a people who refused to drink wine because their ancestors refused to drink wine. God’s people couldn’t keep a single law passed down by their ancestors. God told the Recabites that because they stayed true to their fathers, they would always have descendants who served the Lord. What a promise!
Lord, we pray that our offspring would be like the Recabites and follow in our footsteps of faith. We pray that they would go further than we do in faith and devotion to You.
God gave Jeremiah a tangible example of Israel and what God was going to do. God told Jeremiah to go to the potter and see the picture. The potter was turning a pot on his wheel. When the pot didn’t turn out the way he had hoped, he threw it down on the ground and broke it. Then he took new clay and started over. This is exactly what God was doing to Israel. He was rejecting her because she refused to be molded in his hand. He would start over with the Gentiles and a remnant of Jews who would accept his transforming power.
When God judges he removes his protection and peace. Ever since 9/11 we have been vulnerable as a nation and it is hard to find peace. Only those who trust in God can live in peace now. We who trust in the Lord are blessed. We will have plenty of spiritual water and we will thrive and continuously bear fruit.
God reminded his people of the Recabites. They were a people who refused to drink wine because their ancestors refused to drink wine. God’s people couldn’t keep a single law passed down by their ancestors. God told the Recabites that because they stayed true to their fathers, they would always have descendants who served the Lord. What a promise!
Lord, we pray that our offspring would be like the Recabites and follow in our footsteps of faith. We pray that they would go further than we do in faith and devotion to You.
Monday, August 8, 2016
Mon.’s Devo - Time Is Up
Read Jeremiah 12-15
Jeremiah started out with this question: “Why are the wicked so prosperous?” They seemed happy, stable, and prosperous. They talked about God but he was not in their hearts. God answered his question with a promise. He promised to take care of Jeremiah and that one day these evil people would come to him and ask him to pray for them because they would be in trouble and distress.
Everyone can identify with Jeremiah. One moment he is wishing he had never been born and wants to die and the next he is begging God to let him live a long life! How fickle we are in the midst of trials. Jeremiah was living in a very unstable time. Chaos and sin was everywhere and God had had enough. They were about to harvest a crop of shame…in other words, they were about to be sorry they had turned away from God. Their rebellion had caught up with them.
God does in the physical world things that mirror what is going on in the spirit. There was a spiritual drought. People didn’t even care what the law said. Most of them didn’t even know what it said. So God sent them a physical drought. There was no rain which caused their business, lifestyles and harvests to grind to a halt. They expected God to come to their rescue and save the day for his name sake and his own reputation since they were known as his children. But, God told them that because they loved their sin so much and didn’t want to be close to him, he no longer considered them his people. Instead He would punish them for their sins. He told Jeremiah that he was not to pray for the people or fast for them; their time was up. That must have been a slap in their faces. Jeremiah reminded God that he didn’t join in their sin and God knew this. He promised Jeremiah that he would be protected and taken care of.
This is a great reminder to us who live in the land of grace. God is still disciplines and will put up with our sin for just so long.
Lord, help us to repent for ourselves and our nation before it is too late for us. Expose evil so it can be dealt with and judged. Remember your people who have stayed true to You in the midst of the times we are living in and keep us safe.
Jeremiah started out with this question: “Why are the wicked so prosperous?” They seemed happy, stable, and prosperous. They talked about God but he was not in their hearts. God answered his question with a promise. He promised to take care of Jeremiah and that one day these evil people would come to him and ask him to pray for them because they would be in trouble and distress.
Everyone can identify with Jeremiah. One moment he is wishing he had never been born and wants to die and the next he is begging God to let him live a long life! How fickle we are in the midst of trials. Jeremiah was living in a very unstable time. Chaos and sin was everywhere and God had had enough. They were about to harvest a crop of shame…in other words, they were about to be sorry they had turned away from God. Their rebellion had caught up with them.
God does in the physical world things that mirror what is going on in the spirit. There was a spiritual drought. People didn’t even care what the law said. Most of them didn’t even know what it said. So God sent them a physical drought. There was no rain which caused their business, lifestyles and harvests to grind to a halt. They expected God to come to their rescue and save the day for his name sake and his own reputation since they were known as his children. But, God told them that because they loved their sin so much and didn’t want to be close to him, he no longer considered them his people. Instead He would punish them for their sins. He told Jeremiah that he was not to pray for the people or fast for them; their time was up. That must have been a slap in their faces. Jeremiah reminded God that he didn’t join in their sin and God knew this. He promised Jeremiah that he would be protected and taken care of.
This is a great reminder to us who live in the land of grace. God is still disciplines and will put up with our sin for just so long.
Lord, help us to repent for ourselves and our nation before it is too late for us. Expose evil so it can be dealt with and judged. Remember your people who have stayed true to You in the midst of the times we are living in and keep us safe.
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