“Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.” Jeremiah 6:16 More than any other prophet, Jeremiah preached a message of repentance, calling upon the people to turn from their wickedness and return to the God of their fathers. He reminded them of how God had delivered them in the past and blessed them when they served Him with all their hearts. Now they were facing the consequences…
“For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.” Jeremiah 2:13 Daily Bible reading this month has been in the Book of Jeremiah. This book is filled with prophecies of doom and destruction, because of Judah’s rebellion against God. But as we read it there are nuggets of truth that we can apply to our lives today. The nation of Israel had already been taken into captivity because of their rebellion and disobedience, and now Judah was facing the same situation. Jeremiah was a young man when the Lord gave him a great responsibility, which he did not want to accept. Jeremiah 1:16-17 “Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.” He has been called the Weeping Prophet because his heart was tender. His message was one of warning and hope. God showed him that Judah had not only forsaken the God of their…
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8–9. When Things Don’t Turn Out How You Expect Have you ever prayed and felt like God was going to give you exactly what you wanted? Yeah, me too. I have cried out to God and asked, “Why me?” “Why now?” I am learning that asking questions can be very different than seeking answers. Asking questions can sometimes, not always, come from a place of desperation but seeking answers can lead us to a deep understanding of why God is doing something in our life. I want the motive of every question I ask God to lead me to understand His plan and purpose in my life. We may not understand everything that happens in our life, but we can gain understanding. Speak Faith Maybe you are facing a serious situation in your life and you are not receiving the answers you desire. It can be difficult to put our worries, needs, marriage, children, jobs, etc., in God’s hands because we do not know what He is…
As I stood in my friend’s doorway, chatting, one of her neighbors walked by. Instinctively, she dodged behind the door, whispering, “I’m hiding; I’m not in the mood to talk to her today.” I smiled sweetly and said, “You know I’m never letting you live this down, right?” The look on her face was priceless when she realized she was hiding—behind a screen door! Though funny, this moment pierced my heart with great conviction, revealing a spiritual truth. I realized that I’ve also been hiding, avoiding people I should be witnessing to while God sees all, finding no humor in…
As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding, in it with thanksgiving. Colossians 2:6-7 Planting For Growth When I was about four years old I remember planting flower seeds on the side of my house. There was an innate awareness to nurture a living thing inside of me, even as a young child. I distinctly remember checking on my plants several times a day, expecting growth to happen instantaneously. I was disappointed when they did not bloom overnight. I remember the first moment I saw small, green stems began to rise from the earth—I ran in the house to tell my family with a shrill of excitement in my voice. The plants I had been checking on and watering religiously have finally made their appearance. A few weeks later when they were showing signs of blooming, our landlord mowed right over them while cutting the grass. As tears ran down my rosy cheeks, my mom held me in her arms, trying her best to comfort my broken heart. That year nothing grew in my tiny plot of dirt.…
After yesterday’s post about Gomer, I really felt to repost a devotion I wrote a few years ago about shame. Shame is such a debilitating feeling, and it makes you want to hide from the people you love and from the love of God. The First Account Of Shame After Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, they hid from the presence of God. They also tried to hide their shame by covering their nakedness with leaves. God knew where they were in the garden, but He is a gentleman and desires for us to come to Him when we are burdened down, feel shame, and have sinned. God is calling out to Adam, “Where are you?” Adam and his wife were hiding, not because they didn’t want to be with the Lord, but because they felt the shame of their mistake. Adam cried out, “I hid myself because I was naked.” Genesis 3:11 says, “Who told you that you were naked?” Shame has a voice Shame is the voice of the enemy that says, “you are not good enough.” Shame is the voice that says, “run from God, you have too many problems.” Shame says, “You’ve sinned too…