The Harmoniously Committed

Scripture: Jeremiah 32:40

"I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me.

Insights: Today’s verse brings us to the very practical aspect of this week’s passage.  God has called us to be His children and to be faithful to Him.  This commission is something we are absolutely incapable of accomplishing in our own strength, power, thought, activity, etc.  As sinful human beings we are always going to falter on the side of self and sin, but because of that new heart and new way we learned about yesterday, we now have a heart that will not turn away from God.  That truth is the message of today’s verse.  Because of the everlasting covenant we have with God because of Jesus’ work at Calvary, we are able to live life victoriously because of His Spirit that indwells us.  We now are capable of living out this proper fear of the Lord in our daily lives.  In John 15:5 Jesus tells us, “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”  Today’s verse is stating this same truth just from an Old Testament perspective.  This truth is the key to a flourishing and growing Christian life.  Every aspect of the Christian life is about a relationship with the Lord.  God has done us good (as this passage indicated) by giving us His Spirit.  The problem with the Church of America is we are anemic because we are not abiding in the Vine.  We are faithful to an organization we call the Church, but we are not actively alive in the Body of Christ because we fail to abide.  The average church attender does not have a quiet time each day with the Lord.  The average church attender does not have a deep and devoted prayer life with the Lord.  The average church attender is not reproducing new babies in Christ because they are not abiding with the Lord.  Today’s verse, however, tells us we can have all of those things in our life if we abide in Jesus, because then we will not turn away from Him.  Beloved, pursue Jesus.  Start by worshipping Him this coming Sunday which is Easter and celebrate the remembrance we have in Jesus’ resurrection.  To God be the glory!

Questions:

1. Are you actively abiding with Jesus?
2. What in your life is preventing you from remaining faithful to the Lord?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, because of the Spirit You have given me I am able to rest in Your grace and live a life of obedient faithfulness to You.  Keep me sensitive and pliable in Your hands throughout this pilgrimage of faith.  Amen.

The Daring Campaign

Scripture: Jeremiah 32:39

and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me always, for their own good and for the good of their children after them.

Insights: Today’s verse takes us to the crux of this week’s devotional thoughts.  We have been looking at prophetic words that have had historical significance and yesterday we so the main thrust of the verse dealt with the second coming of Jesus.  Today’s verse dealt with the first coming of Jesus.  If Jesus had not come and paid our sin debt on the cross of Calvary and proven His victory over sin and death in His resurrection, then there would not have been a way for God to give us a new heart and a new way.  Today’s verse tells us God is going to give us one heart and one way.  John 14:6 informs us that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father but by Him.  Jesus is the one way to God.  2 Corinthians 5:17 communicates this truth, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old is gone, the new has come.”  We are new because we have been given this one heart and it is new.  Before the foundations of the earth God knew this was the only plan to bring about redemption for His creation.  He chose to send His Son to die in our place in order for us to have an abiding love relationship with Him.  God did not desire for that relationship to just last through one generation of people.  He desired for us to share the love of God with those we come in contact and to our children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren, etc.  God made a daring plan when it concerned His Son.  Beloved, we must also be willing to be daring for Him and share the love of Jesus with those around us.  Christ-followers are ALL commissioned to share the love of Jesus with others.  Every born again believer ought to know how to share the gospel with lost people.  In fact, every truly redeemed individual ought to have that experience under their belt (especially if they have been in church for a while).  We then ought to disciple those we have led to the Lord and help them become disciple makers as well.  Inviting someone to church is not the same as sharing the gospel, but it is a start.  Why not start this week by inviting someone this Sunday to an Easter service at your church.

Questions:

1. Have you received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?
2. Are you actively investing in the next generation of believers by making disciples?

Prayer: Father, let my life reflect Your glory and allow me the grace to point people to Your Son Jesus.  Let them become men and women who share their faith and lead others to that saving relationship found in Jesus.  Amen.

The Holy Consummation

Scripture: Jeremiah 32:38

"They shall be My people, and I will be their God;

Insights: This particular verse today is one of those that fit into all three prophetic categories, but finding its fulfillment in the third part (if confused, read Monday’s post The Human Condition).  In other words, when God brought Judah back from their exile they became God’s people again and He became their God again.  Now mind you, it was not perfect after all the generations after them rejected Jesus as their Messiah.  What did occur, however, is after their return from exile, they never again worship foreign gods like Baal.  Instead they made the Law their god and fell into a completely different form of false worship.  The second part of this prophetic word comes on the scene with Jesus’ first coming.  Because of the work of Jesus on the cross of Calvary and His resurrection on that Sunday morning we have access to God in a relational way like never before.  The temple veil was torn and made a way for us all to have access to God anytime and anywhere.  All we have to do is to receive that free gift of eternal life found in Jesus through faith.  When we become born again, then God becomes our God and we become His people.  We, however, just like the Jewish remnant returning from the exile do not live this union out perfectly.  It is for this reason that the New Testament tells us about the Wedding Feast of the Lamb that is going to occur in the third part of the prophetic word (Jesus’ second coming).  In this final part, the Church (those born again) becomes the bride of Jesus and we enter into a marriage relationship with Him.  A perfect union that is no longer hindered by the sinful nature of humanity will be entered into on that day.  We then experience today’s verse in ultimate fulfillment.  We are really His people, untainted by sin, and He really is our God, forever enjoyed.  Beloved, I am so looking forward to that day.  It will be an amazing day of God’s grace.  If you are not certain of your invitation to that blessed event, then all you have to do is receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.  He stands at your heart door knocking and is asking for you to let Him into your heart.  He makes you a new creation and this relationship with Him begins.  Glory to God in the highest!  Glory to His name!

Questions:

1. In your engagement to the Lord Jesus, do you find yourself looking forward to your wedding day with anticipation?
2. If you are not looking forward to that day, why not?

Prayer: Father, You have the perfect Son and are raising up a precious bride for Him.  Do whatever is necessary for me to be molded into the type of person You deem appropriate for the Church, Your Son’s Bride.  Amen.

The Divine Consolation

Scripture: Jeremiah 32:37

"Behold, I will gather them out of all the lands to which I have driven them in My anger, in My wrath and in great indignation; and I will bring them back to this place and make them dwell in safety.

Insights: Yesterday I wrote briefly about Old Testament writings and how they can have historical implications, prophetic words about Jesus’ first coming, or prophetic words about Jesus’ second coming.  Today’s verse falls into that first category.  As I stated yesterday, Jeremiah was the prophet who wrote these words and he ministered before the exile to Babylon, but verse thirty-seven was written about after the exile.  So, it is a prophetic word, but one of those with historical implications. God did gather his people back to Jerusalem after His anger, wrath and indignation were appeased.  He did bring them back to Jerusalem and sent men like Ezra, Haggai and Nehemiah to have the temple and the walls rebuilt so that the people could dwell in safety.  In other words, God was providing relief to the children of Judah.  I am so grateful God is still a God of mercy.  As we mentioned yesterday, we all have a sin nature and if we will repent of our sins, God is faithful to forgive us.  At the same time, there may still be consequences to the sin.  For example, if a young boy and girl have sexual relations before they are married, then they have sinned.  If the girl happens to get pregnant, but then asks for God to forgive her of the sin, He will, but the consequences still remain.  Now, God can transform that consequence, in this case the child, into something beautiful, just like He turned the cross into something beautiful.  Let’s return back to the text: Judah sinned against God and the consequences were exile.  God, however, returned them from exile and made it beautiful with a new temple, wall and safety.  God brought relief when there seemed to be no aid coming.  God brought restoration, when no savior seemed present.  God still works like this today.  He will still bring salvation and relief.  All we have to do is cry out to Him and recognize by faith our need for a Savior and Lord.  This truth is amazing grace in its fullness.

Questions:

1. Are you grateful the God of history is still the God of today?
2. What relief are you needing from the Lord today?

Prayer: Father, thank You that You are still active and involved in this world.  You continue to provide relief and comfort to those that belong to You when the turn their face to You.  Thank You.  Amen.

The Human Condition

Scripture: Jeremiah 32:36

"Now therefore thus says the LORD God of Israel concerning this city of which you say, 'It is given into the hand of the king of Babylon by sword, by famine and by pestilence.'

Insights: Let me make some preliminary remarks about the Old Testament.  The words possibly can have multiple meanings.  There may be a word specifically for the people right then or in the near future.  There could also be a word regarding Jesus’ first coming (His Pascal Lamb appearance) or His second coming (His Lion of Judah appearance).  The verses we are going to look to this week have an immediate context for the children of Judah (the southern kingdom of Israelites), but later in the week we will also see them pointing to Jesus.  So, without further delay let’s look at today’s verse for a moment.  Jeremiah was the writer of these verses and he prophesized before Judah was taken into captivity by the Babylonians.  This verse, therefore, was prophetic for the near future.  The king of Babylon was going to come and take the people by sword, famine and pestilence.  Why was this judgment from God going to fall on the people of Judah?  The answer was, and is still today the same, a simple three letter word—SIN.  Judah had sinned against the LORD God of Israel over and over and over again.  God had warned them and sent prophets to them over and over and over again, but the people refused to repent and turn from their wicked ways.  As a result there were consequences they had to face.  In Judah’s case the consequence was being taking into captivity by the Babylonian Empire.  The sad news is the human condition has not changed.  We, like the children of Judah, are just as sinful.  The reality for us is also the same.  We will be judged and there will be consequences for our sin.  In the case of Judah it was exile.  In our case, I do not know.  What I do know, however, is that at any point Judah would have repented from their sin, God would have forgiven them.  The same truth is present today.  All we need to do is honestly repent and humble ourselves before the Lord our God and He will forgive us our sin.  The consequence of our sin may still occur, but the restoration with the Father will be present.  The best practice is to remain in a healthy love relationship with our Savior and Lord, King Jesus, and let Him empower you against sin.

Questions:

1. What sin are you harboring in your heart?
2. Are you aware that there will be consequences for such sin?

Prayer: Father, I am a sinner.  Reveal to me the specific areas in my life that hinder our relationship so that I can repent and turn back to You.  Lord, forgive me when I return and let me experience the joy found in Your mercy.  Amen.

Encouraged by Joy

Scripture: Hebrews 12:3

For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Insights: After Wednesday’s Thoughts by Scott I think it would be safe to say no one has ever experienced what Jesus did.  To take that statement a little further, we have not even come close to experiencing the pain, hardship, difficulties and assaults that Jesus did.  It would also be safe to say that through it all Jesus did not grow weary and lose heart.  Taking on the sins of the world was the most painful thing Jesus could have done, but He did not falter or fail to finish the assignment given to Him by God the Father.  Beloved, how many assignments has the Lord God given to you that you have grown weary and lost heart and in the end quit?  If it has only been one, then that is one too many, and unfortunately, we all have at least one failure in our lives.  Today’s verse, however, gives us encouragement.  Jesus endured the hostility and if we are born again He comes and lives within us in the form of God the Holy Spirit.  Where we were incapable of not growing weary and losing heart, the Savior in us, never does.  What we born again Christ-followers must do is stop relying on our strength and power and start trusting in Jesus.  Whatever circumstance you are facing stop trying to bear the load.  Trust in Jesus and your heart will be encouraged and you will proceed successfully for Your King.  Cast all of your cares on Him.  Let Him carry the weight of your predicament.  Let Him fill you full of His grace.  If you will do that, then you will be able to press on and not give up because of weariness and heavy heart.  Let your life glorify God as you continue on this journey of faith.

Questions:

1. Are you almost to the point of giving up?
2. Are you willing to turn it, whatever it is, completely over to Jesus and trust Him no matter how the situation works out?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You and You alone are my hope and strength.  Let me trust in You and not grow weary as I trudge through this world.  Continue to encourage men heart, Lord.  Amen.

Enduring for Joy, Part 2

Scripture: Hebrews 12:2c-d

who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Insights: Yesterday we looked at the HIStory past part of this verse.  Today we are going to look at the HIStory present and future.  Presently Jesus is indeed seated at the right hand of the throne of God and in this place He is experiencing perfect joy.  It is impossible for us finite thinking humans to fully comprehend the vastness, beauty, splendor and perfection of God’s throne room, but let me assure you of this—the all-pervasive radiance of Christ Jesus’ joy floods that room like the sun bursting awake at dawn.  Literally nothing, no one, and no place can hide from this glorious certitude.  As if it were possible to fill Jesus with more joy (and I am not certain that is possible), the HIStory future also points to the joy set before Him.  Because of the death He died, Jesus paid the price to ransom us from God’s wrath.  If we have truly been born again, if we are truly filled with the Spirit because of an encounter with this risen Lord, then one day we will be gloriously presented to the Son as His bride.  Think a moment about weddings and the joyous expressions that so often radiate from the bride and groom.  Those amazing earthly twinkles and satisfaction found in these creations of God will in no way compare to the glorious joy exuding from Jesus on His wedding day.  His death paid the dowry for His bride and she, the Church, will fully understand that day the true extent and cost her Lover paid for her.  Beloved, I am not capable of truly expressing in words the fullness and depth of this joy.  It is an impossible task.  I hope, however, you are beginning to understand a little bit more of Jesus’ love for you.  For His joy to be fully experienced, He endured the cross and despised the shame to sit down next to His Father and be married to His bride.  WOW!  Love so amazing!  Glory and praise be to our Father and to His Son and to the Holy Spirit.  Let us exalt and lift His name on high and declare to the world His love for them.

Questions:

1. Have you ever thought about the joy Jesus experiences?
2. What about that thought surprises, intrigues, astonishes, etc. you?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I am incapable of understanding Your joy and the totality of its perfection.  Yet You tell me You give me Your joy.  Let it truly flow from the well springs of my life.  Amen.