Read: Jeremiah 23:21-25:38; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17; Psalm 84:1-12; Proverbs 25:15
God told the people that he had not sent their prophets or give them the words that they were saying. They were prophesying false dreams of hope that were not encouraging the people to repent. After King Jehoiachin and the officials were carried into exile to Babylon, The Lord showed Jeremiah two baskets of figs. One basket had good figs in it and the other had bad figs. God would watch over his good figs which were the people he sent into exile into Babylon. God would bring them back to the land. The bad figs would be judged according to the wickedness of their hearts. They would die by sword, famine or plague.
Jeremiah reminded them that he had warned them for 23 years of what would happen if they didn’t repent. God also sent other prophets to warn them, but they refused to listen so they would be judged for 70 years in the land of Babylon. Everyone would be judged for their sins.
In Thessalonians there had been some bad teaching that the Lord had already come back. He assured them that this had not yet happened and before it did, the antichrist would arise and oppose and exalt himself above everything of God. He will set himself in God’s temple proclaiming himself to be God. He will do counterfeit miracles and signs and wonders. People will be given a spirit of delusion so that they will believe the lie of the Antichrist. But, Paul encourages the church that they have been chosen from the beginning to be saved and have the power to believe the truth.
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by this grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. Amen.
Sunday, October 14, 2018
Saturday, October 13, 2018
Sat.’s Devo - Judgment on the Leaders
Read: Jeremiah 22:1-23:20; 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12; Psalm 83:1-18; Proverbs 25:11-14
God’s main complaint with Judah’s officials is that they didn’t judge fairly. They didn’t rescue the oppressor who had been robbed. They treated the alien, the widow and the fatherless with violence and killed innocent babies. They made all these decisions in the palace of the king.
Josiah had been a righteous king who brought about reform and peace. Josiah’s son, Shallum or renamed: Jehoiakim did just the opposite. He built a beautiful palace using slave labor and ruling without mercy or justice. He practiced all types of idolatry and sin. God called Jehoiakim a broken pot that no one wanted. God was going to cast him out of the land where he and his family would be poor and none of his children would sit on the throne.
God also judged the shepherds who were suppose to be the spiritual overseers of his people. Instead of guiding them in the truth, they had brought division and not taken care of them.
To the remnant, God was going to bring them back to their homes where they would be fruitful and increase in number. He was going to give them shepherds would would take care of them and help them grow in Him.
The prophets and the priests had mostly gone astray and were prophesying by the power of Baal. They had led the people in wickedness and idolatry. They would have to drink the bitter poisonous waters they had given out.
Jeremiah summed it up with these words, “In days to come you will understand it clearly.”
In Thessalonians, Paul also talked about judgement. He was speaking of the judgment to come. Judgment only falls on those who have rejected him and his son. But for the believer, God has promised a calling and power to fulfill every act and good purpose.
Lord, may we walk in the calling you have placed on our lives with your power and grace.
God’s main complaint with Judah’s officials is that they didn’t judge fairly. They didn’t rescue the oppressor who had been robbed. They treated the alien, the widow and the fatherless with violence and killed innocent babies. They made all these decisions in the palace of the king.
Josiah had been a righteous king who brought about reform and peace. Josiah’s son, Shallum or renamed: Jehoiakim did just the opposite. He built a beautiful palace using slave labor and ruling without mercy or justice. He practiced all types of idolatry and sin. God called Jehoiakim a broken pot that no one wanted. God was going to cast him out of the land where he and his family would be poor and none of his children would sit on the throne.
God also judged the shepherds who were suppose to be the spiritual overseers of his people. Instead of guiding them in the truth, they had brought division and not taken care of them.
To the remnant, God was going to bring them back to their homes where they would be fruitful and increase in number. He was going to give them shepherds would would take care of them and help them grow in Him.
The prophets and the priests had mostly gone astray and were prophesying by the power of Baal. They had led the people in wickedness and idolatry. They would have to drink the bitter poisonous waters they had given out.
Jeremiah summed it up with these words, “In days to come you will understand it clearly.”
In Thessalonians, Paul also talked about judgement. He was speaking of the judgment to come. Judgment only falls on those who have rejected him and his son. But for the believer, God has promised a calling and power to fulfill every act and good purpose.
Lord, may we walk in the calling you have placed on our lives with your power and grace.
Friday, October 12, 2018
Fri.’s Devo - The Clay Jar
Read: Jeremiah 19:1-21:14; 1 Thessalonians 5:4-28; Psalm 82:1-8; Proverbs 25:7B-10
God told Jeremiah to buy a clay jar from the potter to represent Judah. He was to take it to the Valley of Ben Hinnon pronounce to the people and their sins then break the jar to show what God was going to do with their nation. It was going to be shattered beyond repair.
When the false priest, Pashhur heard what Jeremiah prophesied, he had him beaten and put in stocks. When he came to get him the next day, Jeremiah told him that when God brought the destruction on Jerusalem that Pashhur and his family would be taken into exile where they would die along with everyone who believed Pashhur’s false prophesies.
Jeremiah gives us an inside look into what he was feeling at the time in verses 7-18 of chapter 20. He feels the weight of his calling but God’s words were like fire shut up in our bones so they compelled him to speak.
When Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon started attacking Jerusalem, the king of Jerusalem wanted to hear what Jeremiah had to say so they sought him out. Jeremiah told them what he had told them all along. God was going to destroy Jerusalem and turn them over to the Babylonians. Whoever stayed in Jerusalem to fight it out would die by the sword, famine or plague, but whoever surrendered to them would live. He admonished them to put right everything they had done wrong to one another before this happened.
Paul taught his people to walk in love and respect for one another. He warned them to honor prophecy, have discernment and avoid evil.
May you Lord, the God of peace, sanctify us and keep us blameless until you come back.
God told Jeremiah to buy a clay jar from the potter to represent Judah. He was to take it to the Valley of Ben Hinnon pronounce to the people and their sins then break the jar to show what God was going to do with their nation. It was going to be shattered beyond repair.
When the false priest, Pashhur heard what Jeremiah prophesied, he had him beaten and put in stocks. When he came to get him the next day, Jeremiah told him that when God brought the destruction on Jerusalem that Pashhur and his family would be taken into exile where they would die along with everyone who believed Pashhur’s false prophesies.
Jeremiah gives us an inside look into what he was feeling at the time in verses 7-18 of chapter 20. He feels the weight of his calling but God’s words were like fire shut up in our bones so they compelled him to speak.
When Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon started attacking Jerusalem, the king of Jerusalem wanted to hear what Jeremiah had to say so they sought him out. Jeremiah told them what he had told them all along. God was going to destroy Jerusalem and turn them over to the Babylonians. Whoever stayed in Jerusalem to fight it out would die by the sword, famine or plague, but whoever surrendered to them would live. He admonished them to put right everything they had done wrong to one another before this happened.
Paul taught his people to walk in love and respect for one another. He warned them to honor prophecy, have discernment and avoid evil.
May you Lord, the God of peace, sanctify us and keep us blameless until you come back.
Thursday, October 11, 2018
Thurs.’s Devo - Curses and Blessings
Read: Jeremiah 16:16-18:23; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-5:3; Psalm 81:1-16; Proverbs 25:6-7A
God gave Judah a list of their offenses over and over again. Their sin had become so deep it had engraved itself in their hearts. God cursed the person who trusted in man for his strength and turned from the Lord. He would not be capable of being blessed when prosperity came but would live in a desert place. God blessed the man who trusted in the Lord and put his confidence in Him. He would be like a tree planted by the water who had deep roots in the spirit. That man would not fear when trials came.
God rebuked them for bringing in loads of merchandise into Jerusalem during the Sabbath. God was trying to keep his picture pure. The Sabbath has to do with the day of rest or the millennium of rest. There will be no work during that day. This was to be a reminder of what was ahead and when they didn’t honor the Sabbath, God was upset not only because they messed up his picture but because their hearts were bent on doing what they wanted to do.
God sent Jeremiah down to the potter’s house to show him a picture and give him a message for Judah. As he watched the potter form the vessel on his wheel, the Lord showed him that the clay is the people and he is the potter who had wanted to make them a vessel he could use but instead, they were marred as the pot in the hands of the potter was. He would have to reshape them through adversity since they refused to be molded into God’s plan.
Paul was teaching the Thessalonians the same principle. In the New Testament being molded was called sanctification. They were to be sanctified by avoiding sexual immorality, leading a quiet life and minding their own business. By their work ethics they were to win the respect of outsiders. Paul warned them that just like in Jeremiah when the false prophets were saying peace, peace, the end would come. Only those listening to the Holy Spirit would be ready.
Lord, help us to be ready for whatever trial or test you bring us. Sanctify us with your Word.
God gave Judah a list of their offenses over and over again. Their sin had become so deep it had engraved itself in their hearts. God cursed the person who trusted in man for his strength and turned from the Lord. He would not be capable of being blessed when prosperity came but would live in a desert place. God blessed the man who trusted in the Lord and put his confidence in Him. He would be like a tree planted by the water who had deep roots in the spirit. That man would not fear when trials came.
God rebuked them for bringing in loads of merchandise into Jerusalem during the Sabbath. God was trying to keep his picture pure. The Sabbath has to do with the day of rest or the millennium of rest. There will be no work during that day. This was to be a reminder of what was ahead and when they didn’t honor the Sabbath, God was upset not only because they messed up his picture but because their hearts were bent on doing what they wanted to do.
God sent Jeremiah down to the potter’s house to show him a picture and give him a message for Judah. As he watched the potter form the vessel on his wheel, the Lord showed him that the clay is the people and he is the potter who had wanted to make them a vessel he could use but instead, they were marred as the pot in the hands of the potter was. He would have to reshape them through adversity since they refused to be molded into God’s plan.
Paul was teaching the Thessalonians the same principle. In the New Testament being molded was called sanctification. They were to be sanctified by avoiding sexual immorality, leading a quiet life and minding their own business. By their work ethics they were to win the respect of outsiders. Paul warned them that just like in Jeremiah when the false prophets were saying peace, peace, the end would come. Only those listening to the Holy Spirit would be ready.
Lord, help us to be ready for whatever trial or test you bring us. Sanctify us with your Word.
Wednesday, October 10, 2018
Wed.’s Devo - God’s Compassion
Read: Jeremiah 14:1-16:15; 1 Thessalonians 2:10-3:13; Psalm 80:1-19; Proverbs 25;1-5
God told Jeremiah to tell the people that in spite of their disbelief that anything bad would happen to them, it was coming. The prophets that prophesied peace were exposed for being false. God would bring destruction and they would receive the thing they said would not happen. Even Moses and Samuel would not be able to change his mind. They would receive one of the four outcomes: death, war, starvation, or captivity. God would use four means to destroy and devour them: the sword, dogs, fowls of heaven, and the beasts of the earth.
God’s only compassion would be shown to the remnant. They would be sent to a foreign land but one day God would redeem them out of the hand of the tyrant of that land. When they went to the foreign land, they were not to marry or have children there. If they did, they would die a painful death and not be allowed to mourn or bury them. There will be no joy in that land and when people ask, why God is so hard on them they are to tell them that it was their fault. Their fathers had forsaken the Lord and they had done worse.
When the time of judgment was over, God would bring them back to Israel.
Paul encouraged the Thessalonians to walk worthy of God. He lamented that he was not able to come himself, but sent Timothy to minister to them, establish them and comfort them concerning their faith.
Lord, may we be established and rooted firmly in You.
God told Jeremiah to tell the people that in spite of their disbelief that anything bad would happen to them, it was coming. The prophets that prophesied peace were exposed for being false. God would bring destruction and they would receive the thing they said would not happen. Even Moses and Samuel would not be able to change his mind. They would receive one of the four outcomes: death, war, starvation, or captivity. God would use four means to destroy and devour them: the sword, dogs, fowls of heaven, and the beasts of the earth.
God’s only compassion would be shown to the remnant. They would be sent to a foreign land but one day God would redeem them out of the hand of the tyrant of that land. When they went to the foreign land, they were not to marry or have children there. If they did, they would die a painful death and not be allowed to mourn or bury them. There will be no joy in that land and when people ask, why God is so hard on them they are to tell them that it was their fault. Their fathers had forsaken the Lord and they had done worse.
When the time of judgment was over, God would bring them back to Israel.
Paul encouraged the Thessalonians to walk worthy of God. He lamented that he was not able to come himself, but sent Timothy to minister to them, establish them and comfort them concerning their faith.
Lord, may we be established and rooted firmly in You.
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
Tues.’s Devo - The Joy of Following Christ
Read: Jeremiah 12:1-14:10; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-29; Psalm 79:1-13; Proverbs 24:30-34
Jeremiah was a prophet that God had do prophetic acts to give the people living pictures of what they looked like in God’s eyes and what he was doing. Jeremiah was to get a linen belt and hide it in the rocks. When he came back days later, he dug the belt out of the rocks and it was useless. The belt represented Israel who God was saying was useless to him because they had become so filthy in sin. God was going to expose their sin and punish them for them.
Paul commends the church of the Thessalonians for their love and endurance that had been an inspiration to them and other believers. They lived in a time of great persecution and suffering for their faith. Their joy in the midst of it had become a model for the other churches. Everyone had heard of their great faith. They came from a life of idols and sin to follow Christ. Paul recounted his hardship also. When the early believers became Christians, they gave up everything to become a follower. We have it really easy today. Our persecution may be a little rejection but nothing like they faced.
Lord, help us to realize that what we have in Christ is worth dying for, even if we never have to suffer the persecution that Paul and his followers did.
Jeremiah was a prophet that God had do prophetic acts to give the people living pictures of what they looked like in God’s eyes and what he was doing. Jeremiah was to get a linen belt and hide it in the rocks. When he came back days later, he dug the belt out of the rocks and it was useless. The belt represented Israel who God was saying was useless to him because they had become so filthy in sin. God was going to expose their sin and punish them for them.
Paul commends the church of the Thessalonians for their love and endurance that had been an inspiration to them and other believers. They lived in a time of great persecution and suffering for their faith. Their joy in the midst of it had become a model for the other churches. Everyone had heard of their great faith. They came from a life of idols and sin to follow Christ. Paul recounted his hardship also. When the early believers became Christians, they gave up everything to become a follower. We have it really easy today. Our persecution may be a little rejection but nothing like they faced.
Lord, help us to realize that what we have in Christ is worth dying for, even if we never have to suffer the persecution that Paul and his followers did.
Monday, October 8, 2018
Mon.’s Devo - Being Accountable
Read: Jeremiah 10:1-11:23; Colossians 3:18-4:18; Psalm 78:56-72; Proverbs 24:28-29
Jeremiah exposed the worthlessness of their idols that they fashioned out of wood and stone and decorated, then worshipped. God is a god that wasn’t made with human hands and can actually do something and yet they chose to worship the ones they could make themselves that had no power. Sin blinds the eyes of the sinner and clouds man’s decisions.
Isaiah counseled them to pack up and leave because they would not be able to stand in the siege.
God explained over and over to them why this was happening to them. It was not because God was mean but because they had disobeyed everything he told them and had chosen other gods who were not able to save them. It was not God’s fault this was happening, but theirs. God made it crystal clear.
In Colossians, Paul gives us commands so that our lives will go well for us. Wives were to submit to their husbands, husbands were to love their wives without bitterness, children were to obey their parents in all things and fathers were not to discipline in anger. Servants were to honor their bosses and all these things were to be done as if we were doing it to the Lord. But, there is a disclaimer that is worth knowing. Verse 25 says that if someone does wrong, he will receive the wrong which he has done. So if a wife is unfaithful, someone will be unfaithful to her. If a husband is abusive, he will be abused. If a son is rebellious and disrespectful, it will be done to him. Everyone is going to be held accountable for their actions and what is sown will be reaped. I hope that that is a comfort to you if you have been on the side of being abused or disrespected. God sees everything that is going on on the earth and he may be slow in bringing retribution, but he is sure.
Lord, your heart is that all repent and receive forgiveness and mercy and that is our prayer. I pray for healing to all of our hearts that have been bruised or wounded and that God would make every crooked path straight.
Jeremiah exposed the worthlessness of their idols that they fashioned out of wood and stone and decorated, then worshipped. God is a god that wasn’t made with human hands and can actually do something and yet they chose to worship the ones they could make themselves that had no power. Sin blinds the eyes of the sinner and clouds man’s decisions.
Isaiah counseled them to pack up and leave because they would not be able to stand in the siege.
God explained over and over to them why this was happening to them. It was not because God was mean but because they had disobeyed everything he told them and had chosen other gods who were not able to save them. It was not God’s fault this was happening, but theirs. God made it crystal clear.
In Colossians, Paul gives us commands so that our lives will go well for us. Wives were to submit to their husbands, husbands were to love their wives without bitterness, children were to obey their parents in all things and fathers were not to discipline in anger. Servants were to honor their bosses and all these things were to be done as if we were doing it to the Lord. But, there is a disclaimer that is worth knowing. Verse 25 says that if someone does wrong, he will receive the wrong which he has done. So if a wife is unfaithful, someone will be unfaithful to her. If a husband is abusive, he will be abused. If a son is rebellious and disrespectful, it will be done to him. Everyone is going to be held accountable for their actions and what is sown will be reaped. I hope that that is a comfort to you if you have been on the side of being abused or disrespected. God sees everything that is going on on the earth and he may be slow in bringing retribution, but he is sure.
Lord, your heart is that all repent and receive forgiveness and mercy and that is our prayer. I pray for healing to all of our hearts that have been bruised or wounded and that God would make every crooked path straight.
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