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timewithgod.blog-city.com — December 2009
Jeremiah 1 -- My Initial "Oh, no ...." Reaction
Yesterday, when I finished Proverbs, I checked my list to see which book was next, and found that it was Jeremiah, and my next two words were, "Oh, no ..." -- the weeping prophet who's been assigned a job he sure didn't
Yesterday, when I finished Proverbs, I checked my list to see which book was next, and found that it was Jeremiah, and my next two words were, "Oh, no ..." -- the weeping prophet who's been assigned a job he sure didn't seem to care for.
I'd stayed late at work Friday trying to tackle in some meaningful and material way the huge stacks of paperwork that covered my desk, and I'd felt that I'd gained on it. But Monday came and quickly I began losing ground again. Monday night was even worse. We had to put our "stuff" away so our maid could have free reign of the house to do her every-other-week cleaning. As I looked at pile after pile of paid-but-unfiled bills, both mine and those of trusts, estates, and others I've come to have to do bookkeeping on monthly, the frustration seemed to peak. I just prayed, "God, I don't know how I'm ever going to catch up, and the last thing I want to do is to dedicate my remaining week of vacation to accomplishing it!"
It hit me this morning that God arranged for me to read Jeremiah right when I needed it. First, He comforted me with the same words He'd spoken to Jeremiah before telling him what his job was about to be:
"Before I made you in your mother's womb, I chose you. Before you were born, I set you apart for a special work. I appointed you...."
Like I felt last night, Jeremiah said he didn't think he could handle it either. God's answer? "I am with you to protect you." I noticed He didn't say, "Okay, I'll make it so that you don't have to go through this."
In fact, listen to what God did tell him: "Today, I'm going to make you a strong city .... You will be ABLE to stand against everyone in the land ...They will fight AGAINST YOU, but they will not defeat you, because I am with you to protect you!"
God tells Jeremiah outright that He is leading him into a fight, not a feast. It will seem like the whole place is against him.
My Bible's sidebar said, "There is no royal road to becoming a worker for God. The only way is to let God in His mighty providence lift the life by a great tide, or break it from its moorings in some storm, and in one way or another get the life out to sea IN RECKLESS ABANDON TO GOD. When once God's purpose has begun, He seems to put His hand upon the life and uproot it and detach it in every way, and there is darkness and mystery and very often kicking. We can be impertinent to God's providence the moment we choose; there is no punishment, we have simply chosen NOT to be workers for God in that particular situation ... The value to God of one man or woman, right out in supreme sanctification is incalculable. The value of a life can only be estimated by its spiritual relationship to God ... The greatest service we can render God is to fulfill our spiritual destiny." From God's Workmanship by Oswald Chambers.
It concluded: "The next time you are tempted to bypass an opportunity, remember God will not lead you where He cannot help you."
Father, though I may feel overwhelmed with piles of paper and projects at work and at home, there are friends of mine who are going through opportunities that are many times more agonizing and frustrating. Lead us all through them, Father. Help me to learn how better to cope by listening as You instruct Jeremiah.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
I'd stayed late at work Friday trying to tackle in some meaningful and material way the huge stacks of paperwork that covered my desk, and I'd felt that I'd gained on it. But Monday came and quickly I began losing ground again. Monday night was even worse. We had to put our "stuff" away so our maid could have free reign of the house to do her every-other-week cleaning. As I looked at pile after pile of paid-but-unfiled bills, both mine and those of trusts, estates, and others I've come to have to do bookkeeping on monthly, the frustration seemed to peak. I just prayed, "God, I don't know how I'm ever going to catch up, and the last thing I want to do is to dedicate my remaining week of vacation to accomplishing it!"
It hit me this morning that God arranged for me to read Jeremiah right when I needed it. First, He comforted me with the same words He'd spoken to Jeremiah before telling him what his job was about to be:
"Before I made you in your mother's womb, I chose you. Before you were born, I set you apart for a special work. I appointed you...."
Like I felt last night, Jeremiah said he didn't think he could handle it either. God's answer? "I am with you to protect you." I noticed He didn't say, "Okay, I'll make it so that you don't have to go through this."
In fact, listen to what God did tell him: "Today, I'm going to make you a strong city .... You will be ABLE to stand against everyone in the land ...They will fight AGAINST YOU, but they will not defeat you, because I am with you to protect you!"
God tells Jeremiah outright that He is leading him into a fight, not a feast. It will seem like the whole place is against him.
My Bible's sidebar said, "There is no royal road to becoming a worker for God. The only way is to let God in His mighty providence lift the life by a great tide, or break it from its moorings in some storm, and in one way or another get the life out to sea IN RECKLESS ABANDON TO GOD. When once God's purpose has begun, He seems to put His hand upon the life and uproot it and detach it in every way, and there is darkness and mystery and very often kicking. We can be impertinent to God's providence the moment we choose; there is no punishment, we have simply chosen NOT to be workers for God in that particular situation ... The value to God of one man or woman, right out in supreme sanctification is incalculable. The value of a life can only be estimated by its spiritual relationship to God ... The greatest service we can render God is to fulfill our spiritual destiny." From God's Workmanship by Oswald Chambers.
It concluded: "The next time you are tempted to bypass an opportunity, remember God will not lead you where He cannot help you."
Father, though I may feel overwhelmed with piles of paper and projects at work and at home, there are friends of mine who are going through opportunities that are many times more agonizing and frustrating. Lead us all through them, Father. Help me to learn how better to cope by listening as You instruct Jeremiah.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Jeremiah 2 -- Hearing God's Sadness Over Our Sin
Wow! It's so sad to listen to God's heartache over His people! He says: "I remember how faithful you were to me ... you loved me ... you followed me ... you were holy to the Lord ... I brought you into a fertile l
Wow! It's so sad to listen to God's heartache over His people! He says:
"I remember how faithful you were to me ... you loved me ... you followed me ... you were holy to the Lord ... I brought you into a fertile land ... But you made My land unclean ... The people who know the teachings didn't know Me ... My people have exchanged their GLORIOUS GOD for idols worth nothing ... They have turned away from Me, the spring of living water ... Haven't you brought this on yourselves by turning away from the Lord your God when He was leading you in the right way? ... It is a terrible evil to turn away from the Lord your God. It is wrong not to fear Me. How can you say, ‘I am not guilty?' ... Think about what you have done ... Why do My people say, ‘We are free to wander. We won't come to You anymore?' ... My people have forgotten Me ... You do all these things, but you say, ‘I am innocent. God is not angry with me.' But I will judge you guilty of lying, because you say, ‘I have not sinned.' ... It is so easy for you to change your mind."
The sidebar in my Bible said, "Many people will profess faithfulness, but very few will demonstrate it. The virtue of faithfulness is often costly, and few people are willing to pay the price."
I just keep forgetting what it costs God when I am unfaithful to Him - when I choose to go against His teachings despite the fact that I know them. For each time I do, it costs Him His Son, who died for every sin I've committed and every sin I'll ever commit. For as God forgives and forgets, each new time it's as if I'd never sinned. With each new sin, I once again nail His Son to the cross.
Father, forgive me for the heartache and disappointment I've caused You over the years. I'm sorry that, despite knowing this, I still find myself choosing to sin against You. Please help me to do the things I should and to not do what I shouldn't. With such love and mercy and grace as You show me, I know I should strive to do no less. Help me to live as You would have me to live through Your Holy Spirit.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
"I remember how faithful you were to me ... you loved me ... you followed me ... you were holy to the Lord ... I brought you into a fertile land ... But you made My land unclean ... The people who know the teachings didn't know Me ... My people have exchanged their GLORIOUS GOD for idols worth nothing ... They have turned away from Me, the spring of living water ... Haven't you brought this on yourselves by turning away from the Lord your God when He was leading you in the right way? ... It is a terrible evil to turn away from the Lord your God. It is wrong not to fear Me. How can you say, ‘I am not guilty?' ... Think about what you have done ... Why do My people say, ‘We are free to wander. We won't come to You anymore?' ... My people have forgotten Me ... You do all these things, but you say, ‘I am innocent. God is not angry with me.' But I will judge you guilty of lying, because you say, ‘I have not sinned.' ... It is so easy for you to change your mind."
The sidebar in my Bible said, "Many people will profess faithfulness, but very few will demonstrate it. The virtue of faithfulness is often costly, and few people are willing to pay the price."
I just keep forgetting what it costs God when I am unfaithful to Him - when I choose to go against His teachings despite the fact that I know them. For each time I do, it costs Him His Son, who died for every sin I've committed and every sin I'll ever commit. For as God forgives and forgets, each new time it's as if I'd never sinned. With each new sin, I once again nail His Son to the cross.
Father, forgive me for the heartache and disappointment I've caused You over the years. I'm sorry that, despite knowing this, I still find myself choosing to sin against You. Please help me to do the things I should and to not do what I shouldn't. With such love and mercy and grace as You show me, I know I should strive to do no less. Help me to live as You would have me to live through Your Holy Spirit.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Proverbs 3 -- The REAL Cause Of Global Warming?
Amid all the hype the last few days about the global warming researchers who have now been caught with evidence that they discarded evidence which didn't fit their model and that the research is tainted by their actions, I wondered this mo
Amid all the hype the last few days about the global warming researchers who have now been caught with evidence that they discarded evidence which didn't fit their model and that the research is tainted by their actions, I wondered this morning about how they'd howl if and when God finally shows us the real reason all creation is tainted - He says it in verses 2 & 3:
"You made the land unclean because you did evil .... So the rain has not come .... You refuse even to be ashamed of what you did ... You did as much evil as you could!"
He's not talking about pollution. He's talking about SIN.
Judah had the advantage of seeing all of this happening to Israel, yet despite this clear example, Judah did not heed God's warning. They didn't come back to God with their whole heart, but only pretended, it says in verse 10.
God still cried out, "Come back ... I will stop being angry with you, because I am full of mercy ... All you have to do is admit your sin - that you turned against the Lord your God ... and didn't obey Me," God says in verse 13.
He pleads again in verse 22, "Come back to me, you unfaithful children, and I will forgive you for being unfaithful."
They'd practiced pretended repentance. They'd refused to even admit that they'd sinned. They failed to see the vital link that somehow, in ways we'll probably never understand, our sin even affects the land.
Father, help us to see that we're not nearly as intelligent as we think we are ... We look to fix the blame on everyone but ourselves. Help me to admit my sin, repent of it with my whole heart, and obey You in every aspect of my life. Sometimes that's really hard for me to do, Father. Please empower me to decide and do what is needed to bring me closer to You.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
"You made the land unclean because you did evil .... So the rain has not come .... You refuse even to be ashamed of what you did ... You did as much evil as you could!"
He's not talking about pollution. He's talking about SIN.
Judah had the advantage of seeing all of this happening to Israel, yet despite this clear example, Judah did not heed God's warning. They didn't come back to God with their whole heart, but only pretended, it says in verse 10.
God still cried out, "Come back ... I will stop being angry with you, because I am full of mercy ... All you have to do is admit your sin - that you turned against the Lord your God ... and didn't obey Me," God says in verse 13.
He pleads again in verse 22, "Come back to me, you unfaithful children, and I will forgive you for being unfaithful."
They'd practiced pretended repentance. They'd refused to even admit that they'd sinned. They failed to see the vital link that somehow, in ways we'll probably never understand, our sin even affects the land.
Father, help us to see that we're not nearly as intelligent as we think we are ... We look to fix the blame on everyone but ourselves. Help me to admit my sin, repent of it with my whole heart, and obey You in every aspect of my life. Sometimes that's really hard for me to do, Father. Please empower me to decide and do what is needed to bring me closer to You.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Jeremiah 4 -- He Bids Us, "Come"
What an insidious thing sin is! It is tantalizing to us. It appears to offer something for nothing. Like country bumpkins at the fair, we are suckered by the hucksters on the midway and we fall for it hook, line, and sinker e
What an insidious thing sin is! It is tantalizing to us. It appears to offer something for nothing. Like country bumpkins at the fair, we are suckered by the hucksters on the midway and we fall for it hook, line, and sinker every time.
The people of Jeremiah's time had fallen for it once too often. God is already bringing their enemies in to remove them from the land. In a challenging way, He says, "If you will return, then return.... Decide to obey God ... clean the evil from your hearts so that you can be saved. Don't continue to make evil plans ... The way you have LIVED AND ACTED has brought this trouble to you ... My people are foolish. They do not know me ... they don't understand. They are skillful at doing evil, but they don't know how to do good."
In the middle of all this, verse one contained what first was a confusing if-then statement: "If you will throw away your idols that I hate, then don't wander away from Me." Usually we see a potential cause in the if section followed by a potential outcome in the then section. This sentence has a desired action followed not by a benefit, but by a command. God showed me that is seems to be saying, "if you will throw away that which separates you from Me and steals your heart away, then remain CLOSE to Me."
It's a royal invitation. Royalty much invite one to draw near. Otherwise, commoners are not allowed to approach. God is acknowledging that He will not abide spiritual adultery. Only when we are ready to remain faithful to Him will He allow us to draw near Him. But, once near Him, we are jealously guarded by His love for us.
Father, I often forget that You are so high and mighty and that I should consider it an incredible privilege just to get to approach You. I cannot demand an audience and hold on to my sin. You want me to remove the evil from my heart. Help me to see that I make myself a spiritual pauper when I want to hold onto that which pulls me away from You.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
The people of Jeremiah's time had fallen for it once too often. God is already bringing their enemies in to remove them from the land. In a challenging way, He says, "If you will return, then return.... Decide to obey God ... clean the evil from your hearts so that you can be saved. Don't continue to make evil plans ... The way you have LIVED AND ACTED has brought this trouble to you ... My people are foolish. They do not know me ... they don't understand. They are skillful at doing evil, but they don't know how to do good."
In the middle of all this, verse one contained what first was a confusing if-then statement: "If you will throw away your idols that I hate, then don't wander away from Me." Usually we see a potential cause in the if section followed by a potential outcome in the then section. This sentence has a desired action followed not by a benefit, but by a command. God showed me that is seems to be saying, "if you will throw away that which separates you from Me and steals your heart away, then remain CLOSE to Me."
It's a royal invitation. Royalty much invite one to draw near. Otherwise, commoners are not allowed to approach. God is acknowledging that He will not abide spiritual adultery. Only when we are ready to remain faithful to Him will He allow us to draw near Him. But, once near Him, we are jealously guarded by His love for us.
Father, I often forget that You are so high and mighty and that I should consider it an incredible privilege just to get to approach You. I cannot demand an audience and hold on to my sin. You want me to remove the evil from my heart. Help me to see that I make myself a spiritual pauper when I want to hold onto that which pulls me away from You.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Jeremiah 5-6 How Does God View YOU?
The feeling I came away with after reading these chapters was solemn wariness. God forgives, .... God forgets .... But, for His covenant people who do not show repentance, who laugh at their sin, and who fail to heed His warnings to retu
The feeling I came away with after reading these chapters was solemn wariness. God forgives, .... God forgets .... But, for His covenant people who do not show repentance, who laugh at their sin, and who fail to heed His warnings to return to Him, there can only be disaster. He cried, "They have eyes, but they don't really see. They have ears, but they don't really listen. SURELY you are AFRAID of Me. You should shake with fear in My presence."
All this sinful behavior was going on and God marveled: "My people love it this way! ... They don't even know how to blush about their sins! ... They are like bronze and iron that became covered with rust." He turned up the heat, but "the lead does not melt. The pure metal does not come out; the evil is not removed from my people ... The Lord has rejected them."
What a terrifying thought. God rejecting me?? My commentary said, "God marveled at the obtuseness of His foolish people. The sea obeys Him, but they do not." It continued, "Perhaps some day we may see clearly how unattractive, how loathsome, how useless sinful men are in the sight of a holy God. How we need to look objectively at ourselves to see the miserable emptiness that is so clearly visible to God! Can it be that God has already marked off as valueless many who consider themselves useful?"
Father, this makes me all the more want to rid my life of sin. I went so long without hearing from You, and now that You've been speaking to me for so long, I could never return to that deadly silence. Help me to think before I act or speak. Guard me from habitual sin. Purify me so that You won't need to later turn up the heat again. I want to remain in Your presence.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
All this sinful behavior was going on and God marveled: "My people love it this way! ... They don't even know how to blush about their sins! ... They are like bronze and iron that became covered with rust." He turned up the heat, but "the lead does not melt. The pure metal does not come out; the evil is not removed from my people ... The Lord has rejected them."
What a terrifying thought. God rejecting me?? My commentary said, "God marveled at the obtuseness of His foolish people. The sea obeys Him, but they do not." It continued, "Perhaps some day we may see clearly how unattractive, how loathsome, how useless sinful men are in the sight of a holy God. How we need to look objectively at ourselves to see the miserable emptiness that is so clearly visible to God! Can it be that God has already marked off as valueless many who consider themselves useful?"
Father, this makes me all the more want to rid my life of sin. I went so long without hearing from You, and now that You've been speaking to me for so long, I could never return to that deadly silence. Help me to think before I act or speak. Guard me from habitual sin. Purify me so that You won't need to later turn up the heat again. I want to remain in Your presence.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Jeremiah 7 -- Wow, Right Between The Eyes!
God pulls no punches in this chapter! Speaking to the nation of Judah (and just as surely to me), He says: "Change your lives and do what is right! ... You must change your lives and do what is right... Don't follow other
God pulls no punches in this chapter! Speaking to the nation of Judah (and just as surely to me), He says: "Change your lives and do what is right! ... You must change your lives and do what is right... Don't follow other gods [sinful practices] or they will ruin your lives ... You are trusting in lies ... If you do that, do you think you can come before Me and stand in this place where I have chosen to be worshiped? Do you think you can say, ‘We are safe!' when you do all these hateful things? ... I have been watching you ... I spoke to you again and again, but you did not listen to Me. I called you, but you did not answer ... I will push you away from Me [no wonder we can feel disconnected from God]... I am not the one you are really hurting ... You are only hurting yourselves and bringing shame upon you ... I will pour out My anger ... My anger will be like a hot fire that no one can put out ...Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be My people . Do ALL that I command so that good things will happen to you ... These people do nothing when I correct them ..."
WOW ... it didn't stop there. My sidebar said:
"Habits are thought and emotional patterns engraved on our minds ... As unbelievers, we formerly gave ourselves to developing habits of unholiness - what Paul calls ‘ever increasing wickedness.' Every time we sinned - every time we lusted, coveted, hated, cheated, or lied - we were developing habits of ever increasing wickedness. These repeated acts of unrighteousness became habits that made us, in fact, slaves to sin... Though we are to deal with these habits of unholiness, we must not try to do it in our own strength. Breaking sinful habits must be done in cooperation with the Holy Spirit and in dependence upon Him. The determination that ‘I'll not do that anymore,' based upon sheer human resolve, has never once broken the shackles of sin. But there are practical principles which we can follow to train ourselves in godliness. The first principle is that habits are developed and reinforced by frequent repetition ... this is the principle underlying the fact that the more we sin the more we are inclined to sin. But the converse is also true. The more we say no to sin, the more we are inclined to say no. Therefore, in dependence on the Holy Spirit, we must systematically work at acquiring the HABIT of saying no to the sins that so easily entangle us. We all know what these sins are: the sins to which we are particularly vulnerable. We begin by concentrating on saying no to these. Then God will lead us to work on other sins, which we may not even be aware of at this time. The more we succeed in saying no to our sinful desires, the easier it becomes to say no." From The Pursuit Of Godliness by Jerry Bridges
Wow, Father. I'm left speechless..... I've probably read this five times now. I hope I haven't felt this way five times before, because that would also mean that I've begun this pursuit of holiness four times already and eventually forgotten what I was doing. I'm just as busted as the people of Jeremiah's time. I'm sorry. My nagging little sins look the same to You as idolatry, and I'd never want to do that. Thank You for knocking me off my feet this morning and leaving me on my knees. That's the only real position I should be in before You anyway.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
WOW ... it didn't stop there. My sidebar said:
"Habits are thought and emotional patterns engraved on our minds ... As unbelievers, we formerly gave ourselves to developing habits of unholiness - what Paul calls ‘ever increasing wickedness.' Every time we sinned - every time we lusted, coveted, hated, cheated, or lied - we were developing habits of ever increasing wickedness. These repeated acts of unrighteousness became habits that made us, in fact, slaves to sin... Though we are to deal with these habits of unholiness, we must not try to do it in our own strength. Breaking sinful habits must be done in cooperation with the Holy Spirit and in dependence upon Him. The determination that ‘I'll not do that anymore,' based upon sheer human resolve, has never once broken the shackles of sin. But there are practical principles which we can follow to train ourselves in godliness. The first principle is that habits are developed and reinforced by frequent repetition ... this is the principle underlying the fact that the more we sin the more we are inclined to sin. But the converse is also true. The more we say no to sin, the more we are inclined to say no. Therefore, in dependence on the Holy Spirit, we must systematically work at acquiring the HABIT of saying no to the sins that so easily entangle us. We all know what these sins are: the sins to which we are particularly vulnerable. We begin by concentrating on saying no to these. Then God will lead us to work on other sins, which we may not even be aware of at this time. The more we succeed in saying no to our sinful desires, the easier it becomes to say no." From The Pursuit Of Godliness by Jerry Bridges
Wow, Father. I'm left speechless..... I've probably read this five times now. I hope I haven't felt this way five times before, because that would also mean that I've begun this pursuit of holiness four times already and eventually forgotten what I was doing. I'm just as busted as the people of Jeremiah's time. I'm sorry. My nagging little sins look the same to You as idolatry, and I'd never want to do that. Thank You for knocking me off my feet this morning and leaving me on my knees. That's the only real position I should be in before You anyway.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Jeremiah 8-10 What A Sorry Lot We Are
Man, the people of that time sound so much like the people in our world today. In God's own words: "They believe their own lies and refuse to turn around and come back ... they do not say what is right ... They do not feel
Man, the people of that time sound so much like the people in our world today. In God's own words:
"They believe their own lies and refuse to turn around and come back ... they do not say what is right ... They do not feel sorry about their wicked ways, saying ‘What have I done?' ... My people don't know what the Lord wants them to do .... They don't even know how to blush about their sins ... I WILL TAKE AWAY WHAT I GAVE THEM ... They go from one evil thing to another. THEY DO NOT KNOW WHO I AM ... The people refuse to know Me ... I have no other choice, because My people have sinned ... They quit following My teachings that I gave them. They have not obeyed Me or done what I told them to do. Instead, they were stubborn ... The wise must not brag about their wisdom. The strong must not brag about their strength. The rich must not brag about their money. But if someone wants to brag, let him brag that he understand and KNOWS Me. Let him brag that I am the Lord, that I am kind and fair, and that I do things that are right on earth. This kind of bragging pleases Me."
We are guilty as charged. Even after thousands of years of having Your words, we have not improved. We've only gotten worse. So much for evolution. How fitting to pray Jeremiah's prayer at the end of chapter 10:
"Lord, I know that a person's life doesn't really belong to him. No one can control his own life. Lord, correct me, but be fair. Don't punish me in Your anger, or You will destroy me." Jeremiah asked God to correct him. He desired correction. He didn't want to be left in his sin.
Father, correct me, too - even if I don't seem to want it. Father, You know what's best for me - better than I know myself. I too had begun to believe my own lies, and I'm sorry that they took me away from You for awhile. Please purge any parts of my old life that still struggle for control of me. Put sin to death in me through what my Savior did for me on the cross. Thank You for loving me enough not to leave me the way that I am.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
"They believe their own lies and refuse to turn around and come back ... they do not say what is right ... They do not feel sorry about their wicked ways, saying ‘What have I done?' ... My people don't know what the Lord wants them to do .... They don't even know how to blush about their sins ... I WILL TAKE AWAY WHAT I GAVE THEM ... They go from one evil thing to another. THEY DO NOT KNOW WHO I AM ... The people refuse to know Me ... I have no other choice, because My people have sinned ... They quit following My teachings that I gave them. They have not obeyed Me or done what I told them to do. Instead, they were stubborn ... The wise must not brag about their wisdom. The strong must not brag about their strength. The rich must not brag about their money. But if someone wants to brag, let him brag that he understand and KNOWS Me. Let him brag that I am the Lord, that I am kind and fair, and that I do things that are right on earth. This kind of bragging pleases Me."
We are guilty as charged. Even after thousands of years of having Your words, we have not improved. We've only gotten worse. So much for evolution. How fitting to pray Jeremiah's prayer at the end of chapter 10:
"Lord, I know that a person's life doesn't really belong to him. No one can control his own life. Lord, correct me, but be fair. Don't punish me in Your anger, or You will destroy me." Jeremiah asked God to correct him. He desired correction. He didn't want to be left in his sin.
Father, correct me, too - even if I don't seem to want it. Father, You know what's best for me - better than I know myself. I too had begun to believe my own lies, and I'm sorry that they took me away from You for awhile. Please purge any parts of my old life that still struggle for control of me. Put sin to death in me through what my Savior did for me on the cross. Thank You for loving me enough not to leave me the way that I am.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Jeremiah 11-13 How We Approach God
God had already examined His beloved Judah and found their hearts to be unrepentant. He'd said, "You cannot change and do good, because you are accustomed to doing evil." They'd done evil for so long that it had b
God had already examined His beloved Judah and found their hearts to be unrepentant. He'd said, "You cannot change and do good, because you are accustomed to doing evil." They'd done evil for so long that it had become a habit that would be impossible to break.
He shows His tough love for them as well: "I have left Israel; I have left My people. I have given the people I love over to their enemies." He hasn't ceased loving them though: "I will feel sorry for them again. I will bring each person back... " But as it was, Judah had become useless to Him in their sin. Those people were at an end and didn't know it.
Oswald Chambers writes in my sidebar today: "I indeed am at an end. I cannot do a thing: But He BEGINS just there - He does the thing no one else can ever do ... Jesus cannot come as long as there is anything in the way either of goodness or badness. When He comes, am I prepared for Him to drag into the light every wrong thing I have done? ... Wherever I am unclean, He will put His feet ... Repentance does not bring a sense of sin, but a sense of unutterable unworthiness. I know all through me that I am not worthy even to bear His shoes. Have I repented like that? Or is there a lingering suggestion of standing up for myself?"
My sidebar also said: "God's demands are not unreasonable. He does not destroy us every time we sin. He shows patience with our human frailty, but He cannot tolerate repeated, rebellious sin."
Father, I don't want to be standing up for myself in any way before You. I truly am utterly unworthy before You. There is never any excuse for my sin. Let me never come before You trying to claim any excuses. Instead, remind me that I must approach You on my knees. Help me to obey, Father.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
He shows His tough love for them as well: "I have left Israel; I have left My people. I have given the people I love over to their enemies." He hasn't ceased loving them though: "I will feel sorry for them again. I will bring each person back... " But as it was, Judah had become useless to Him in their sin. Those people were at an end and didn't know it.
Oswald Chambers writes in my sidebar today: "I indeed am at an end. I cannot do a thing: But He BEGINS just there - He does the thing no one else can ever do ... Jesus cannot come as long as there is anything in the way either of goodness or badness. When He comes, am I prepared for Him to drag into the light every wrong thing I have done? ... Wherever I am unclean, He will put His feet ... Repentance does not bring a sense of sin, but a sense of unutterable unworthiness. I know all through me that I am not worthy even to bear His shoes. Have I repented like that? Or is there a lingering suggestion of standing up for myself?"
My sidebar also said: "God's demands are not unreasonable. He does not destroy us every time we sin. He shows patience with our human frailty, but He cannot tolerate repeated, rebellious sin."
Father, I don't want to be standing up for myself in any way before You. I truly am utterly unworthy before You. There is never any excuse for my sin. Let me never come before You trying to claim any excuses. Instead, remind me that I must approach You on my knees. Help me to obey, Father.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Jeremiah 14-16 America Today??
Jeremiah was praying for people who did not want to be prayed for, to a God who had already told him not to pray for them! He also tried to pray for the NATION, saying "Lord, we admit that we are wicked ... We have sinned against Yo
Jeremiah was praying for people who did not want to be prayed for, to a God who had already told him not to pray for them! He also tried to pray for the NATION, saying "Lord, we admit that we are wicked ... We have sinned against You." He could not pray something that was not truly felt by his fellow countrymen. God would not accept it. Until the hearts of the people were broken, his prayers would be ineffective. Unfortunately, Jeremiah wasn't sent to stir up repentance. He was sent to announce doom for disobedience and stubbornness of heart.
I believe we're close to that in America today. Despite millions of Christians praying, the nation as a whole is turning its back on God. In my bible's sidebar today, Charles Colson speaks of our "moral exhaustion." He says our sensibilities have been dulled by TV and the Internet. Unable to turn them off, we turn off our minds instead. We come to accept and expect the garbage that's thrust upon us. The bizarre becomes commonplace. "Morally exhausted, we lose our CAPACITY to discern good from evil."
Colson also quotes Charles Krauthammer, who's often seen on Fox News - "The inability to make moral distinctions is the AIDS of the intellectuals: an acquired immune deficiency syndrome ... moral blindness of this caliber requires practice. It has to be learned."
Colson continues: "When words lose their meaning, it is nearly impossible for the Word of God to be received. If sin and repentance mean NOTHING, then God's grace is irrelevant. Our preaching falls on deaf ears ... Certainly evil is to be expected in a fallen world. What is not expected is for a holy people to accept it. If Christ is Lord of all, Christians must recapture their sense of moral outrage.
Father, our prayers can be just as ineffective as Jeremiah's if the people of our nation remain morally blinded. Yet we seem to give our minds a steady diet of trash on TV and the Internet. Give me wisdom and discernment in what I watch and in what I allow my boys to watch. Don't let us become morally exhausted. Don't let us accept evil among us.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
I believe we're close to that in America today. Despite millions of Christians praying, the nation as a whole is turning its back on God. In my bible's sidebar today, Charles Colson speaks of our "moral exhaustion." He says our sensibilities have been dulled by TV and the Internet. Unable to turn them off, we turn off our minds instead. We come to accept and expect the garbage that's thrust upon us. The bizarre becomes commonplace. "Morally exhausted, we lose our CAPACITY to discern good from evil."
Colson also quotes Charles Krauthammer, who's often seen on Fox News - "The inability to make moral distinctions is the AIDS of the intellectuals: an acquired immune deficiency syndrome ... moral blindness of this caliber requires practice. It has to be learned."
Colson continues: "When words lose their meaning, it is nearly impossible for the Word of God to be received. If sin and repentance mean NOTHING, then God's grace is irrelevant. Our preaching falls on deaf ears ... Certainly evil is to be expected in a fallen world. What is not expected is for a holy people to accept it. If Christ is Lord of all, Christians must recapture their sense of moral outrage.
Father, our prayers can be just as ineffective as Jeremiah's if the people of our nation remain morally blinded. Yet we seem to give our minds a steady diet of trash on TV and the Internet. Give me wisdom and discernment in what I watch and in what I allow my boys to watch. Don't let us become morally exhausted. Don't let us accept evil among us.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Jeremiah 17 & 18 -- Kicked Right In The Teeth
My heart breaks this morning as I listen to God speaking through Jeremiah, describing how we as humans in general, and Israel specifically, have such corrupt hearts that make it so difficult for us to follow Him: "Their sins were cu
My heart breaks this morning as I listen to God speaking through Jeremiah, describing how we as humans in general, and Israel specifically, have such corrupt hearts that make it so difficult for us to follow Him: "Their sins were cut with a hard point into the stone that is their hearts ... You will lose the land I gave you, and it is your OWN fault ... More than anything else, a person's mind is evil and cannot be healed. No one truly understands this ... Lord, heal me and I will truly be healed. Save me, and I will truly be saved ... Don't be a terror to me [Don't let me have sinned so much that I fear You that much] ... You must be careful to obey Me, says the Lord ..."
Jeremiah describes going to a potter's house at God's insistence: "He was using his hands to make a pot from clay, but something went wrong with it. So he used that clay to make another pot the way he wanted it to be. Then the Lord said, ‘Can't I do the same thing with you? You are in My hands like the clay in the potter's hands."
My commentary said more about our hearts. Matthew Henry said: "There is that wickedness in our hearts which we ourselves are not aware of and do not suspect to be there... The heart, the conscience of man, in his corrupt and fallen state, is deceitful above all else ... It cheats men into their OWN ruin; and this will be the aggravation of it, that they are self-deceivers and self-destroyers ... The case is bad indeed ... if the conscience which should rectify the errors of the other faculties is itself a mother of falsehood and a ringleader in the delusion. What will become of a man if that in him which should be the candle of the Lord gives a false light, if God's deputy in the soul, that is entrusted to support his interests, betrays them?" Someone else said, "The real test of the heart's relation to God is obedience to His Word." Israel hadn't done that. So many times I haven't either.
Father, it grieves me that my heart in its natural state is so set against me. It's almost inconceivable that I can't trust it, but it's true. What would I do without the steady pressure of Your Holy Spirit, remolding me daily, keeping me pliable to be used in Your hands? Remold me when I fail to let you do that, Father. Start again. Please keep me ever aware of the mistrust I must have of my own heart. It's the only way to be sure that I'm being honest with You.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Jeremiah describes going to a potter's house at God's insistence: "He was using his hands to make a pot from clay, but something went wrong with it. So he used that clay to make another pot the way he wanted it to be. Then the Lord said, ‘Can't I do the same thing with you? You are in My hands like the clay in the potter's hands."
My commentary said more about our hearts. Matthew Henry said: "There is that wickedness in our hearts which we ourselves are not aware of and do not suspect to be there... The heart, the conscience of man, in his corrupt and fallen state, is deceitful above all else ... It cheats men into their OWN ruin; and this will be the aggravation of it, that they are self-deceivers and self-destroyers ... The case is bad indeed ... if the conscience which should rectify the errors of the other faculties is itself a mother of falsehood and a ringleader in the delusion. What will become of a man if that in him which should be the candle of the Lord gives a false light, if God's deputy in the soul, that is entrusted to support his interests, betrays them?" Someone else said, "The real test of the heart's relation to God is obedience to His Word." Israel hadn't done that. So many times I haven't either.
Father, it grieves me that my heart in its natural state is so set against me. It's almost inconceivable that I can't trust it, but it's true. What would I do without the steady pressure of Your Holy Spirit, remolding me daily, keeping me pliable to be used in Your hands? Remold me when I fail to let you do that, Father. Start again. Please keep me ever aware of the mistrust I must have of my own heart. It's the only way to be sure that I'm being honest with You.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
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