today's meditation (Jer.22) Being Righteous

(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word, and let it be the meditation of my heart...)

(Jeremiah 22:1-30) This is what the Lord says: “Go down to the house of the king of Judah and there speak this word, 2 and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, who sits on David’s throne, you and your servants and your people who enter these gates. 3 This is what the Lord says: “Do justice and righteousness, and save one who has been robbed from the power of his oppressor. And do not mistreat or do violence to the stranger, the orphan, or the widow; and do not shed innocent blood in this place. 4 For if you will indeed perform this instruction, then kings will enter the gates of this house, sitting in David’s place on his throne, riding in chariots and on horses, the king himself, his servants, and his people. 5 But if you will not obey these words, I swear by Myself,” declares the Lord, “that this house will become a place of ruins.”’” 6 For this is what the Lord says concerning the house of the king of Judah:

     “You are like Gilead to Me,
     Like the summit of Lebanon;
     Yet most assuredly I will make you a wilderness,
     Cities that are not inhabited.
7  For I will set apart destroyers against you,
     Each with his weapons;
     And they will cut down your choicest cedars 
     And throw them on the fire.

8 “Many nations will pass by this city; and they will say to one another, ‘Why has the Lord done this to this great city?’ 9 Then they will answer, ‘Because they abandoned the covenant of the Lord their God and bowed down to other gods and served them.’”

10 Do not weep for the dead or mourn for him,
     But weep deeply for the one who goes away;
     For he will never return 
     Or see his native land.

11 For this is what the Lord says regarding Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who became king in the place of his father Josiah, who went out from this place: “He will never return there; 12 but in the place where they took him into exile, there he will die and he will not see this land again.

13 “Woe to him who builds his house without righteousness,
     And his upstairs rooms without justice,
     Who uses his neighbor’s services without pay 
     And does not give him his wages,
14 Who says, ‘I will build myself a large house 
     With spacious upstairs rooms,
     And cut out its windows,
     Paneling it with cedar and painting it bright red.’
15 Do you become a king because you are competing in cedar?
     Did your father not eat and drink 
     And do justice and righteousness?
     Then it was well for him.
16 He pled the cause of the afflicted and the poor,
     Then it was well.
     Is that not what it means to know Me?”
     Declares the Lord.
17 “But your eyes and your heart 
     Are intent only upon your own dishonest gain,
     And on shedding innocent blood,
     And on practicing oppression and extortion.”

18 Therefore this is what the Lord says regarding Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:

     “They will not mourn for him:
     ‘Oh, my brother!’ or, ‘Oh, sister!’
     They will not mourn for him:
     ‘Oh, for the master!’ or, ‘Oh, for his splendor!’
19 He will be buried with a donkey’s burial,
     Dragged off and thrown out beyond the gates of Jerusalem.
20 Go up to Lebanon and cry out,
     And raise your voice in Bashan;
     Cry out also from Abarim,
     For all your lovers have been crushed.
21 I spoke to you in your prosperity;
     But you said, ‘I will not listen!’
     This has been your way from your youth,
     That you have not obeyed My voice.
22 The wind will sweep away all your shepherds,
     And your lovers will go into captivity;
     Then you will certainly be ashamed and humiliated 
     Because of all your wickedness.
23 You who live in Lebanon,
     Nested in the cedars,
     How you will groan when sharp pains come on you,
     Pain like a woman in childbirth!

24 “As I live,” declares the Lord, “even if Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were a signet ring on My right hand, yet I would pull you off; 25 and I will hand you over to those who are seeking your life, yes, to those of whom you are frightened, that is, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Chaldeans. 26 I will hurl you and your mother who gave birth to you into another country where you were not born, and there you will die. 27 But as for the land to which they long to return, they will not return to it.

28 Is this man Coniah a despised, shattered jar?
     Or is he an undesirable vessel?
     Why have he and his descendants been hurled out 
     And cast into a land that they had not known?
29 O land, land, land,
     Hear the word of the Lord!

30 This is what the Lord says:

     ‘Write this man down as childless,
     A man who will not prosper in his days;
     For no man among his descendants will prosper 
     Sitting on the throne of David 
     Or ruling again in Judah.’”

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

Why Christianity is not a prosperity-name-it-and-claim-it kind of system-of-belief is because as a true believer in Jesus Christ, our focus will be on Him, and not on money.  The LOVE of money is the root of all evil.  Notice in verse 21, God says that He warned Israel in their time of prosperity, but they would not listen.  Because of their disobedience, God allowed them to lose everything.  It is typical that people will not see their need for God while they are "rich" and everything is going their way.

In verses 3-4, the Israelites are told that - IF they do justice and righteousness - THEN they would prosper.  When we become Christians and live obediently in God's righteousness, He will bless us, but we do not know if it will be monetarily.  That is not what our hope should be fixed on.  What we do know is that we will have treasures in heaven, and for here, right now, the Lord will give us (at the very least) everything we NEED.  And even better, as we allow Him to work in our lives, He will give us His peace, joy and hope, and have access to His wisdom and strength.  

We can also be content in all things when we rely on and put our trust in the Lord.  I can tell you from experience that even though we lived at poverty level for several years and were not "well off" for many more... our kids never realized that we were "poor."  And even when we went through various sorrows and struggles, those were very wonderful "rich" years as we saw how God worked things out, which helped us mature in our walk and faith in the Lord!

today's meditation (Jer.21) Extinguishing the Fire

(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word, and let it be the meditation of my heart...)

(Jeremiah 21:1-14) The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Malchijah and Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, saying, 2 “Please inquire of the Lord in our behalf, because Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is making war against us; perhaps the Lord will deal with us in accordance with all His wonderful acts, so that the enemy will withdraw from us.”

3 But Jeremiah said to them, “You shall say to Zedekiah as follows: 4 ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: “Behold, I am going to turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, with which you are making war against the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the wall; and I will gather them into the middle of this city. 5 And I Myself will make war against you with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm, and in anger, wrath, and great indignation. 6 I will also strike the inhabitants of this city, both the people and the animals; they will die of a great plague. 7 Then afterward,” declares the Lord, “I will hand Zedekiah king of Judah, his servants, and the people, that is, those who survive in this city from the plague, the sword, and the famine, over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, to their enemies, and to those who seek their lives; and he will strike and kill them with the edge of the sword. He will not spare them nor have pity nor compassion.”’

8 “You shall also say to this people, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Behold, I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death. 9 Anyone who stays in this city will die by the sword, by famine, or by plague; but anyone who leaves and goes over to the Chaldeans who are besieging you will live, and he will have his own life as plunder. 10 For I have set My face against this city for harm and not for good,” declares the Lord. “It will be handed over to the king of Babylon and he will burn it with fire.”’

11 “Then say to the household of the king of Judah, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, 12 house of David, this is what the Lord says:

     “Administer justice every morning;
     And save the person who has been robbed from the power of his oppressor,
     So that My wrath will not spread like fire 
     And burn, with no one to extinguish it,
     Because of the evil of their deeds.

13 “Behold, I am against you, you inhabitant of the valley,
     You rocky plain,” declares the Lord,
     “You who say, ‘Who will come down against us?
     Or who will enter our dwellings?’
14 But I will punish you according to the results of your deeds,” declares the Lord,
     “And I will kindle a fire in its forest 
     So that it may devour all its surroundings.”’”

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

Interesting how people will ask that Christians pray for them that things go well, but they refuse to go to the Lord themselves.  Do they feel the heat of God's fire and are afraid?  Yet, as they choose to avoid or run away from God, they run towards an eternal fire.  

The truth to realize is that the only way to extinguish the fire that will burn against us is to humbly go to the Lord Jesus for forgiveness.  Verse 8 shows that God is loving.  He always gives us a choice, and one of them is always the way of life.  In becoming a Christian, we are not just saved from our own sins, we are saved from God's wrath.

today's meditation (Jer.20) Being Persuaded

(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word, and let it be the meditation of my heart...)

(Jeremiah 20:1-18) When Pashhur the priest, the son of Immer, who was chief overseer in the house of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things, 2 Pashhur had Jeremiah the prophet beaten and put him in the stocks that were at the upper Benjamin Gate, which was by the house of the Lord. 3 Then on the next day, when Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “Pashhur is not the name the Lord has called you, but rather Magor-missabib. 4 For this is what the Lord says: ‘Behold, I am going to make you a horror to yourself and to all your friends; and while your eyes look on, they will fall by the sword of their enemies. So I will hand all Judah over to the king of Babylon, and he will take them away as exiles to Babylon and will kill them with the sword. 5 I will also give all the wealth of this city, all its produce and all its valuable things—even all the treasures of the kings of Judah I will hand over to their enemies, and they will plunder them, take them away, and bring them to Babylon. 6 And you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house will go into captivity; and you will enter Babylon, and there you will die and there you will be buried, you and all your friends to whom you have falsely prophesied.’”

7   Lord, You persuaded me and I let myself be persuaded;
     You have overcome me and prevailed.
     I have become a laughingstock all day long;
     Everyone mocks me.
8   For each time I speak, I cry aloud;
     I proclaim violence and destruction,
     Because for me the word of the Lord has resulted 
     In taunting and derision all day long.
9   But if I say, “I will not remember Him
     Nor speak anymore in His name,”
     Then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire 
     Shut up in my bones;
     And I am tired of holding it in,
     And I cannot endure it.
10 For I have heard the whispering of many,
     “Terror on every side!
     Denounce him; let’s denounce him!”
     All my trusted friends,
     Watching for my fall, say:
     “Perhaps he will be persuaded, so that we may prevail against him 
     And take our revenge on him.”
11 But the Lord is with me like a powerful champion;
     Therefore my persecutors will stumble and not prevail.
     They will be put to great shame because they have failed,
     An everlasting disgrace that will not be forgotten.
12 Yet, Lord of armies, who tests the righteous,
     Who sees the mind and the heart;
     Let me see Your vengeance on them,
     For to You I have disclosed my cause.
13 Sing to the Lord, praise the Lord!
     For He has saved the soul of the needy one 
     From the hand of evildoers.

14 Cursed be the day when I was born;
     May the day when my mother gave birth to me not be blessed!
15 Cursed be the man who brought the news 
     To my father, saying,
     “A boy has been born to you!”
     And made him very happy.
16 But may that man be like the cities 
     Which the Lord overthrew without relenting,
     And may he hear an outcry in the morning
     And an alarm for war at noon;
17 Because he did not kill me before birth,
     So that my mother would have been my grave,
     And her womb forever pregnant.
18 Why did I ever come out of the womb
     To look at trouble and sorrow,
     So that my days have been spent in shame?

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

In a weak moment, a believer could be persuaded to stray away from God.  But understand that unbelievers do not care about us, they just want to bring us down and have things their own way.  It's good to remember that there will be suffering no matter which side we choose.  Rather choose to continue allowing God to persuade us, because God does care.  We may suffer for the sake of the gospel, but for God to have His way in us is the most excellent thing. 

Romans 8:28   And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Romans 5:1-5 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we also have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we celebrate in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only this, but we also celebrate in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

today's meditation (Jer.19) Listening to All of God's Words

(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word, and let it be the meditation of my heart...)

(Jeremiah 19:1-15) This is what the Lord says: “Go and buy a potter’s earthenware jar, and take some of the elders of the people and some of the senior priests. 2 Then go out to the Valley of Ben-hinnom, which is by the entrance of the Potsherd Gate, and proclaim there the words that I tell you, 3 and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, you kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “Behold I am going to bring a disaster upon this place, at which the ears of everyone that hears of it will tingle. 4 Since they have abandoned Me and have made this place foreign, and have burned sacrifices in it to other gods that neither they nor their forefathers nor the kings of Judah had ever known, and since they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent  5 and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, a thing which I did not command nor speak of, nor did it ever enter My mind; 6 therefore, behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when this place will no longer be called Topheth or the Valley of Ben-hinnom, but rather the Valley of Slaughter. 7 And I will frustrate the planning of Judah and Jerusalem in this place, and I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies and by the hand of those who seek their life; and I will make their carcasses food for the birds of the sky and the animals of the earth. 8 I will also turn this city into an object of horror and hissing; everyone who passes by it will be appalled and hiss because of all its disasters. 9 And I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they will eat one another’s flesh during the siege and in the hardship with which their enemies and those who seek their life will torment them.”’

10 “Then you are to break the jar in the sight of the men who accompany you, 11 and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord of armies says: “To the same extent I will break this people and this city, just as one breaks a potter’s vessel, which cannot again be repaired; and they will bury their dead in Topheth, because there is no other place for burial. 12 This is how I will treat this place and its inhabitants,” declares the Lord, “so as to make this city like Topheth. 13 The houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will be defiled like the place Topheth, because of all the houses on whose rooftops they burned sacrifices to all the heavenly lights and poured out drink offerings to other gods.”’”

14 Then Jeremiah came from Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy; and he stood in the courtyard of the Lord’s house and said to all the people, 15 “This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: ‘Behold, I am going to bring on this city and all its towns the entire disaster that I have declared against it, because they have stiffened their necks so as not to listen to My words.’”

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

In Jeremiah 17, God talks about testing every deed.  He will judge all of us according to our deeds.  For the unbelievers, they will be judged and punished for their sinful deeds.  For believers, because we have humbly gone to the Lord for forgiveness of all sins, we will be judged and rewarded for our good deeds done with right motives.

I saw a meme recently where a sheep is saying, "But the verses!" and "Jesus" replies back with, "Love over versus."   While we are to love everyone, Jesus has given us all of the verses found in the Bible!  And in this passage, we can see that the Lord (Jesus) is very serious about us listening to His words!!!  All of His words.  The Bible is God's infallible word, as He is speaking directly to us.  

I also see churches, pastors and people who "know" all the verses but take them out of context in order to control, manipulate or suit their own desires and agendas.  To hear and listen to God's words. in context, is to gain knowledge and understanding in order to live obediently in His will.  God never contradicts Himself, so we can KNOW without a doubt - that we can fully trust what He says.

today's meditation (Jer.18) Trusting God

(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word, and let it be the meditation of my heart...)

(Jeremiah 18:1-23) The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2 “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will announce My words to you.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something on the wheel. 4 But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make.

5 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 6 “Am I not able, house of Israel, to deal with you as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, house of Israel. 7 At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to uproot it, to tear it down, or to destroy it; 8 if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I planned to bring on it. 9 Or at another moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to build up or to plant it; 10 if it does evil in My sight by not obeying My voice, then I will relent of the good with which I said that I would bless it. 11 So now, speak to the men of Judah and against the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Behold, I am forming a disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Now turn back, each of you from his evil way, and correct your ways and your deeds!”’ 12 But they will say, ‘It’s hopeless! For we are going to follow our own plans, and each of us will persist in the stubbornness of his evil heart.’

13 “Therefore this is what the Lord says:
     ‘Just ask among the nations,
     Who ever heard anything like this?
     The virgin of Israel 
     Has done a most appalling thing.
14 Does the snow of Lebanon leave the rock of the open country alone?
     Or is the cold flowing water from a foreign land ever dried up?
15 For My people have forgotten Me,
     They burn incense to worthless gods.
     And they have stumbled in their ways,
     In the ancient roads,
     To walk on paths,
     Not on a highway,
16 To make their land a desolation,
     An object of perpetual hissing;
     Everyone who passes by it will be astonished 
     And shake his head.
17 Like an east wind I will scatter them
     Before the enemy;
     I will show them My back and not My face 
     In the day of their disaster.’”

18 Then they said, “Come and let’s devise plans against Jeremiah. Certainly the Law is not going to be lost by the priest, nor advice by the wise, nor the divine word by the prophet! Come, and let’s strike at him with our tongue, and let’s pay no attention to any of his words.”

19 Give Your attention to me, Lord,
     And listen to what my opponents are saying!
20 Should good be repaid with evil?
     For they have dug a pit for me.
     Remember how I stood before You 
     To speak good in their behalf,
     So as to turn Your wrath away from them.
21 Therefore, give their children over to famine 
     And turn them over to the power of the sword;
     And let their wives become childless and widowed.
     Let their men also be slaughtered to death,
     Their young men struck and killed by the sword in battle.
22 May a cry be heard from their houses 
     When You suddenly bring raiders upon them;
     For they have dug a pit to capture me 
     And hidden snares for my feet.
23 But You, Lord, know 
     All their deadly schemes against me;
     Do not forgive their wrongdoing 
     Or wipe out their sin from Your sight.
     But may they be overthrown before You;
     Deal with them in the time of Your anger!

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

God sometimes gives us visual aids for us to understand things better, like the example of the potter and the clay.  While this example is more about how God, as Creator, has the right and the ability to judge, guide and change people, I thought of an analogy which is about our response throughout the process (not about how we "appear" but how we trust Him and behave towards Him)...

When our kids were toddlers, they needed our help entirely in order to be ready to go anywhere, to be fully dressed and looking presentable.  There was washing up, brushing and fixing the hair, as well as dressing them.  If at any time they would have decided to be difficult or run away from us, this task would have taken a much longer time.  If they would have decided to play in a mudpuddle, they would have been even less presentable, things would have become more difficult, and it would have required even more time.  They might have even missed out on having a fun adventure.

In order for God to mold and shape us into something beautiful, we must put ourselves in His hands and allow Him to guide us in life.  Disagreeing with God and His word is the same as being difficult and running away from our heavenly Father; and we know He will discipline us because He loves His children and wants the best for us.  Being obedient to God's will allows Him to mature us and equip us into being useful vessels of service, in order to be a blessing to Him and others.  In return, God will bless and reward us.  

today's meditation (Jer.17) Trusting in the Lord

(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word, and let it be the meditation of my heart...)

(Jeremiah 17:1-27) 

1   The sin of Judah is written with an iron stylus;
     With a diamond point it is engraved on the tablet of their hearts 
     And on the horns of their altars,
2   As they remember their children,
     So they remember their altars and their Asherim 
     By green trees on the high hills.
3   Mountain of Mine in the countryside,
     I will turn over your wealth and all your treasures as plunder,
     Your high places for sin throughout your borders.
4   And you will, even of yourself, let go of your inheritance
     That I gave you;
     And I will make you serve your enemies 
     In the land which you do not know;
     For you have kindled a fire in My anger 
     Which will burn forever.

5   This is what the Lord says:
     “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind 
     And makes flesh his strength,
     And whose heart turns away from the Lord.
6   For he will be like a bush in the desert,
     And will not see when prosperity comes,
     But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness,
     A land of salt that is not inhabited.
7   Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
     And whose trust is the Lord.
8   For he will be like a tree planted by the water 
     That extends its roots by a stream,
     And does not fear when the heat comes;
     But its leaves will be green,
     And it will not be anxious in a year of drought,
     Nor cease to yield fruit.

9   “The heart is more deceitful than all else 
     And is desperately sick;
     Who can understand it?
10 I, the Lord, search the heart,
     I test the mind,
     To give to each person according to his ways,
     According to the results of his deeds.
11 As a partridge that hatches eggs which it has not laid,
     So is a person who makes a fortune, but unjustly;
     In the middle of his days it will abandon him,
     And in the end he will be a fool.”

12 A glorious throne on high from the beginning
     Is the place of our sanctuary.
13 Lord, the hope of Israel,
     All who abandon You will be put to shame.
     Those who turn away on earth will be written down,
     Because they have forsaken the fountain of living water, that is the Lord.
14 Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed;
     Save me and I will be saved,
     For You are my praise.
15 Look, they keep saying to me,
     “Where is the word of the Lord?
     Let it come now!”
16 But as for me, I have not hurried away from being a shepherd following after You,
     Nor have I longed for the disastrous day;
     You Yourself know that the utterance of my lips 
     Was in Your presence.
17 Do not be a terror to me;
     You are my refuge in a day of disaster.
18 Let those who persecute me be put to shame, but as for me, let me not be put to shame;
     Let them be dismayed, but let me not be dismayed.
     Bring on them a day of disaster,
     And crush them with double destruction!

19 This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and stand at the public gate, through which the kings of Judah come in and go out, as well as at all the gates of Jerusalem; 20 and say to them, ‘Listen to the word of the Lord, you kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all inhabitants of Jerusalem who come in through these gates. 21 This is what the Lord says: “Take care for yourselves, and do not carry any load on the Sabbath day or bring anything in through the gates of Jerusalem. 22 You shall not bring a load out of your houses on the Sabbath day nor do any work, but keep the Sabbath day holy, just as I commanded your forefathers. 23 Yet they did not listen or incline their ears, but stiffened their necks so as not to listen or accept discipline.

24 “But it will come about, if you give your attention to Me,” declares the Lord, “to bring no load in through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, but to keep the Sabbath day holy by doing no work on it, 25 then there will come in through the gates of this city kings and officials sitting on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their officials, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and this city will be inhabited forever. 26 They will come in from the cities of Judah and from the areas surrounding Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the lowland, from the hill country, and from the Negev, bringing burnt offerings, sacrifices, grain offerings, and frankincense, and bringing sacrifices of thanksgiving to the house of the Lord. 27 But if you do not listen to Me, to keep the Sabbath day holy by not carrying a load and coming in through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will set fire to its gates, and it will devour the palaces of Jerusalem and not go out.”’”

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

Cursed are those who trust and rely on mankind and their own strength.  And blessed are those who trust and rely on the Lord.  It all comes down to what is in one's heart.  And only the Lord can look into our hearts to examine and judge our motives.  

To pass the Lord's test, our hearts must be pure and holy.  Only the Lord can purify our hearts and make us holy.  Our good deeds must be done with God's love and strength.  Only the Lord can fill our hearts with His love and strength.  This might sound like God is controlling, but He has given us a free will, and even as believers, we must decide for each step - to do things on our own and in our own way - or - to do things God's way and in His love and strength.  

It just makes sense... just like when we have a best friend and/or a loving spouse, we want to get closer to that person and do things with that person and give wonderful, thoughtful gifts to that person...  God wants to bless all of us because He loves us and wants to have a personal relationship with each and every one of us.  If we think we want His blessings, it should be because we love Him in return and want to keep serving Him and growing closer in our personal relationship with Him.  

today's meditation (Jer.16) Seeking Restoration

(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word, and let it be the meditation of my heart...)

(Jeremiah 16:1-21) The word of the Lord also came to me, saying, 2 “You shall not take a wife for yourself nor have sons or daughters in this place.” 3 For this is what the Lord says concerning the sons and daughters born in this place, and concerning their mothers who give birth to them, and their fathers who father them in this land: 4 “They will die of deadly diseases, they will not be mourned or buried; they will be like dung on the surface of the ground. And they will perish by sword and famine, and their dead bodies will become food for the birds of the sky and for the animals of the earth.”

5 For this is what the Lord says: “Do not enter a house of mourning, or go to mourn or to console them; for I have withdrawn My peace from this people,” declares the Lord, “and My favor and compassion. 6 Both great people and small will die in this land; they will not be buried, people will not mourn for them, nor will anyone make cuts on himself or have his head shaved for them. 7 People will not break bread in mourning for them, to comfort anyone for the dead, nor give them a cup of consolation to drink for anyone’s father or mother. 8 Moreover, you shall not go into a house of feasting to sit with them to eat and drink.” 9 For this is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “Behold, I am going to eliminate from this place, before your eyes and in your time, the voice of rejoicing and the voice of joy, the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride.

10 “Now it will happen that, when you tell this people all these words, they will say to you, ‘For what reason has the Lord declared all this great disaster against us? And what is our wrongdoing, or what is our sin that we have committed against the Lord our God?’ 11 Then you are to say to them, ‘It is because your forefathers have abandoned Me,’ declares the Lord, ‘and have followed other gods, and served and worshiped them; but they have abandoned Me and have not kept My Law. 12 You too have done evil, even more than your forefathers; for behold, each one of you is following the stubbornness of his own evil heart, without listening to Me. 13 So I will hurl you off this land to the land which you have not known, neither you nor your fathers; and there you will serve other gods day and night, because I will show you no compassion.’

14 “Therefore behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when it will no longer be said, ‘As the Lord lives, who brought up the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ 15 but, ‘As the Lord lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of the north and from all the lands where He had banished them.’ For I will restore them to their own land which I gave to their fathers.

16 “Behold, I am going to send for many fishermen,” declares the Lord, “and they will fish for them; and afterward I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them from every mountain and every hill and from the clefts of the rocks. 17 For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, nor is their wrongdoing concealed from My eyes. 18 I will first repay them double for their wrongdoing and their sin, because they have defiled My land; they have filled My inheritance with the carcasses of their detestable idols and their abominations.”

19 Lord, my strength and my stronghold,
     And my refuge in the day of distress,
     To You the nations will come 
     From the ends of the earth and say,
     “Our fathers have inherited nothing but falsehood,
     Futility, and things of no benefit.”
20 Can a person make gods for himself?
     But they are not gods!

21 “Therefore behold, I am going to make them know—
     This time I will make them know 
     My power and My might;
     And they will know that My name is the Lord.”

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

When a person doesn't get their way, a typical response can be, "What have I ever done to deserve this?"  Or when a parent has passed away and there's the reading of the will, a typical response can be, "That's it?  That's all I get?"  Or when someone makes a bad investment and loses money, a typical response in attempts to recover can be to invest in more of the same.

The questions we need to ask ourselves is:  Am I investing wisely?  Am I putting my hope and trust in the right person or in the right thing/s?  Have I done anything wrong that needs to be changed and/or resolved? 

God's perfect answers are:  Search our hearts and confess any sin that might be there, because sin not only brings consequences to our lives, but sin also impedes our prayers, AND disrupts our own relationship with the Lord.  Continue to put our hope and complete trust in the Lord and in Him alone, because only He is eternal, almighty, and all-knowing.  He will be our strength, stronghold and refuge.  When we invest in the building up of the Lord's kingdom, we will lay up treasures in heaven.  And while here on earth, only the Lord can satisfy and bring peace and contentment to our lives!