God is on our Side

Readings for today: Jeremiah 49-50, Psalms 26

There is nothing like knowing God is on your side. With God, you can endure every hardship. You can overcome every obstacle. You can persevere through every trial. With God, the battle is already won. The power of sin is already broken. The defeat of evil has already been accomplished. With God, no weapon that is formed against you can stand. No scheme of the enemy can prevail. No attack against you will succeed. God is your strength. God is your redeemer. God is your protector. God is the strong warrior who stands at your side.

Consider all Jeremiah has gone through in his life. He has been to the mountaintop and he has lived in the valley of deep shadow and despair. He has been imprisoned. He has been beaten. He has been ostracized by society. He has been persecuted in so many ways. But as he watches his beloved city fall and his beloved people get carried off into exile, he is preserved. God protects him. God keeps him safe. Not only that but God gives him a promise. One day, the Babylonians will fall. One day, they too will be overcome. One day, the Lord will bring His judgment against them and deliver His people yet again. Why? God is faithful. He is faithful to His promises. He is faithful to His covenant. He loves Israel with an everlasting love. And He loves us the same.

How do I know the God of Israel stands at my side? Jesus Christ. He literally came to earth to show me He is with us. To show me the lengths He is willing to go to save us. Like Jeremiah, Jesus spoke the truth. Like Jeremiah, Jesus was beaten. Jesus was betrayed. Jesus was imprisoned. But unlike Jeremiah, Jesus was not saved. He went to His death in accordance with God’s perfect plan. He laid down His life in order that we might be redeemed. Listen again to how Jeremiah describes it and rejoice in God’s faithfulness to you and to His people…

“This is what the Lord of Armies says: Israelites and Judeans alike have been oppressed. All their captors hold them fast; they refuse to release them. Their Redeemer is strong; the Lord of Armies is his name. He will fervently champion their cause so that he might bring rest to the earth but turmoil to those who live in Babylon.” (Jeremiah‬ ‭50‬:‭33‬-‭34‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Readings for tomorrow: Jeremiah 51-52, Psalms 27 (No devotionals on Sundays)

The Sovereignty of God

Readings for today: Jeremiah 45-48, Psalms 25

Over the years, I’ve been blessed to have friends from many different faith backgrounds and life experiences. Some of my friends are not believers. They are agnostic or atheist. They don’t think there is anything beyond this world. Some of my friends are deists. They believe in a higher power of some sort but not necessarily a Christian one. In fact, many of them would argue all gods are the same. Some of my friends are Muslim. They believe in Allah and what the Prophet Muhammed taught. Some of my friends are Hindu. They believe in a pantheon of gods and goddesses. Some of my friends are Buddhist and their desire is to seek enlightenment. Their god isn’t personal per se though becoming one with him is the very definition of enlightenment. When we have conversations about faith, I often hear my friends say something along the lines of “that’s okay for you Christians to believe, it’s just not for me.” Essentially, you do you and I’ll do me. And while that sounds nice and the epitome of tolerance, it’s actually dangerous. Why? Because Jesus Christ isn’t just the “Christian god.” He is the God of the universe and everyone will one day appear before His judgment seat.

Consider our reading from today. God exercises His judgment over the nations. Each of these nations had their own gods. They each had their own belief systems. They each had their own religions but all of them are still subject to God. They live and move and have their being under His sovereign authority. They exist at His pleasure. They are subject to His righteous judgment. Pharaoh, Philistia, Moab…none of them shall escape. They shall all fall before the Lord. The same will be true with Babylon. It’s the same for every nation on the earth. Every nation that has ever or will ever exist. All of them are subject to the Lord of hosts. This is the mistake so many make when they pursue other religions or worship other gods. They make the same mistake the ancient pagan nations made. They fall into the trap of believing all gods are the same and belief in god is a matter of personal choice. They are wrong. There is only one God who holds all authority in heaven and earth and under the earth and all of us will one day appear before His judgment seat.

Readings for tomorrow: Jeremiah 49-50, Psalms 26

Walk by Faith

Readings for today: Jeremiah 40-44, Psalms 24

As a pastor, one of the things I get to do is help churches who find themselves in crisis. Leadership failings. Trust issues. Organizational chaos. There are lots of reasons churches struggle and when it gets to a certain point, they cry out for help. That’s often when I am called to go in. I begin working with the pastors. Working with the elders. Working with the leaders. And the biggest challenge I face in these situations is to help people who are often hurting, angry, fearful, and afraid, learn to walk by faith. 

Jeremiah faced the same challenge. The national crisis of God’s people deepens with the murder of the Babylonian governor. The people of God come to Jeremiah and ask him to pray on their behalf. What should they do? How should they respond? They are naturally afraid of the wrath of Nebuchadnezzar. Will he return and utterly destroy them? Will he seek retribution for the murder of his official? What’s going to happen? Jeremiah seeks the Lord on their behalf and the Lord graciously answers. “If you will indeed stay in this land, then I will rebuild and not demolish you, and I will plant and not uproot you, because I relent concerning the disaster that I have brought on you. Don’t be afraid of the king of Babylon whom you now fear; don’t be afraid of him’ — this is the Lord’s declaration — ‘because I am with you to save you and rescue you from him. I will grant you compassion, and he will have compassion on you and allow you to return to your own soil.’” (Jeremiah‬ ‭42‬:‭10‬-‭12‬ ‭CSB‬‬) What an amazing promise! Even now, after all their sin and rebellion, God is willing to forgive and show mercy and establish them in the Promised Land. Even now, God is willing to bless them and help them and come to their aid. Yes, it will require a step of faith. Yes, it will require them to be humble. Yes, they will have to submit to Nebuchadnezzar once again. But if they will do these things, God will be with them. 

Sadly, their fear gets the best of them. “Azariah son of Hoshaiah, Johanan son of Kareah, and all the other arrogant men responded to Jeremiah, “You are speaking a lie! The Lord our God has not sent you to say, ‘You must not go to Egypt to stay there for a while!’ Rather, Baruch son of Neriah is inciting you against us to hand us over to the Chaldeans to put us to death or to deport us to Babylon!” (Jeremiah‬ ‭43‬:‭2‬-‭3‬ ‭CSB‬‬) So they flee to Egypt. Back to the place where they were once enslaved. They begin to worship Egyptian gods. They leave the land of promise for a foreign land to serve foreign masters with the hope they will protect them and keep them safe. 

Walking by faith is not easy. It often seems illogical to our human minds. Azariah and Johanan were doing what made sense. It makes sense to run for cover when you are afraid. It makes sense to run to Egypt, the world’s only other superpower, to escape the wrath of the Babylonians. It makes sense to flee when you’ve just been conquered. It is natural to be afraid in such situations. But it is precisely in these moments, when things are at their darkest and most bleak, that we turn to God.  

Many churches I’ve worked with over the years have sadly not been able to make this turn. They keep trying to handle things on their own. They keep turning to their own wisdom. They keep trying to operate according to their own strength. They falsely believe if they can just get another pastor…if they can just get rid of a certain leader…if they can just hit on the right program…attract the right kind of people then success will come. They turn to business principles. They go to conferences. They talk vision and values and policies and procedures. They try so hard and all the while God is in heaven reaching out to them. Calling them to slow down. Simplify. Sit with Him in prayer. Rebuild trust by spending time in the Word and just sharing life together in Him.

Thankfully, I’ve seen some wonderful successes along the way as well. Churches who finally come to the end of themselves and are ready to submit to God. Ready to walk by faith not by sight. Ready to look past attendance and budget and building issues and let God restore them. They are ready to put aside all the talk about vision and values and leadership and let the Spirit show them the way. They are ready to stop looking to organizational solutions for spiritual problems and instead rely on God. It’s a beautiful thing to watch as God builds them back up. Replants the fields and brings in a harvest. Friends, if we trust God, He will come through! 

Readings for tomorrow: Jeremiah 45-48, Psalms 25

The Power of Humility

Readings for today: Jeremiah 37-39, Psalms 23

There is a prayer I pray almost daily called the “Litany of Humility.” It’s been around for a few hundred years now and it serves as a great reminder as to the power of humility. It begins by asking the Lord Jesus - Himself meek and humble of heart - to hear the prayer. It then runs through a list of qualities for which we need deliverance. We need Jesus to deliver us from the desire to be esteemed, loved, extolled, praised, preferred to others, consulted, approved by our peers, etc. Next it turns to our fears. We need Jesus to deliver us from the fear of being humiliated, despised, rejected, forgotten, ridiculed, wronged, suspected, and having our reputation attacked. Finally, the prayer asks Jesus to grant us humility by reshaping our desires so that we would lift others up above ourselves. I thought about this prayer this morning as I read through what Jeremiah had to experience towards the end of his life.

Jeremiah has been faithful. He has faithful and boldly and courageously preached God’s Word at a tumultuous time in Israel’s history. The glory of Israel is fading. They have abandoned their faith in God. They have broken every commandment. They have become just like the pagan nations that surround them. Now the Babylonians are at the gate. Their doom is near. And Jeremiah finds himself in and out of several different prisons. His life is in danger. His enemies want to see him destroyed. He is accused of sedition and treason. But Jeremiah is humble. Gone are his protests against God. He no longer wrestles with his call. He has fully submitted to the Lord’s will at this point in his life. He will speak God’s Word no matter the cost. This is the power of humility. It’s reaching a point in your life where the world no longer has any hold on you. The powers of this world no longer have anything to offer you. You are beyond the reach of wealth, position, power, influence. You no longer desire to be esteemed, loved, or approved by others. You no longer fear for yourself. You know you are in God’s hands.

Where do you find yourself today? Are you a humble person or does pride still have a foothold in your life? I know as much I pursue humility and ask God for humility, I still have so far to go. I can always tell when I’m struggling with pride. The signs are obvious to me. I start to show off for others. I start to self-promote. I inflate my own sense of self-importance. I seek the approval of others. I look for ways to insert myself into positions of influence. These are things I must confess to the Lord but even more important is to continually ask the Spirit to set me free. To re-order my desires that I may experience the power of humility in my own life and fully surrender myself to Him.

Readings for tomorrow: Jeremiah 40-44, Psalms 24

There’s Always More Grace

Readings for today: Jeremiah 33-36, Psalms 22

God’s grace is truly amazing. No matter how bad things get. No matter how far we fall. No matter how fast we run. God is always quick to forgive. Quick to relent of the judgment our sin rightfully deserves. Zedekiah is another in a long line of evil kings. Kings who reject the will of God. Kings who worship idols. Kings who seek their own glory and power instead of humbly serving God. Judgment is coming. Jeremiah has been sent to proclaim the impending doom. The sins of Israel are many and have piled up over the years, creating a mess God intends to use Babylon to clean up. It’s going to be ugly. It’s going to be tragic. It’s going to be painful. Many will suffer. Many will die. All they hold dear will be destroyed as God’s justice rolls down on the earth. 

But even now at the eleventh hour, there is hope. God’s mercy makes one last appearance. God commands Jeremiah to speak a word of grace to the nation. To speak words of life instead of death. “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and incomprehensible things you do not knowI will certainly bring health and healing to Jerusalem and will indeed heal them. I will let them experience the abundance of true peace. I will restore the fortunes of Judah and of Israel and will rebuild them as in former times. I will purify them from all the iniquity they have committed against me, and I will forgive all the iniquities they have committed against me, rebelling against me. This city will bear on my behalf a name of joy, praise, and glory before all the nations of the earth, who will hear of all the prosperity I will give them. They will tremble with awe because of all the good and all the peace I will bring about for them.” (Jeremiah‬ ‭33‬:‭3‬, ‭6‬-‭9‬ ‭CSB‬‬) Yes, they cannot escape God’s judgment. Yes, they cannot escape the exile to come. But this is not the final word. God will not allow His eternal covenant to be broken.

"Look, the days are coming” — this is the Lord’s declaration — “when I will fulfill the good promise that I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a Righteous Branch to sprout up for David, and he will administer justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely, and this is what she will be named: The Lord Is Our Righteousness. For this is what the Lord says: David will never fail to have a man sitting on the throne of the house of Israel. The Levitical priests will never fail to have a man always before me to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings, and to make sacrifices.” (Jeremiah‬ ‭33‬:‭14‬-‭18‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Friends, Jesus is the righteous Branch God has caused to spring up out of the waste and desolation that is left of Israel. God sends His Messiah to executive justice and righteousness in the land once more. God sends His Messiah to save His people and secure His city. Jesus is the greater David. The righteous King who now sits on His throne. Jesus is our great High Priest constantly making intercession for us before the Ancient of Days. Jesus is God’s answer to all that has gone wrong in this world and Jesus is God’s solution to the perpetual problem of human sin.

Readings for tomorrow: Jeremiah 37-39, Psalms 23

A New Covenant

Readings for today: Jeremiah 30-32, Psalms 21

God is faithful. This is the bedrock belief for the Christian. No matter what life may bring. No matter what hardship comes our way. No matter how much grief and suffering we have to endure. No matter how dark the days may get. No matter how terrible and terrifying life may become. No matter how far we go astray. No matter how much we sin. God is faithful. He is faithful to discipline us, often by letting us face the consequences of the choices we have made. He is faithful to restore us, after we repent and turn from our wicked ways. He is faithful to stand by our side, drawing near the broken-hearted and crushed in spirit. He is faithful to find us and lead us back home, leaving the ninety-nine sheep to find the one who is lost.

God is faithful. I can’t tell you how often this thought has brought me comfort. God’s faithfulness comforted me when I was a teenager, wrestling with the shame over my father’s alcoholism. God’s faithfulness comforted me when I was newly married and we lost our first child. God’s faithfulness comforted me when I was in the depths of despair after the church I tried to plant imploded all around me. God has always been faithful. He has never left me or forsaken me. He heard every cry. He saw every tear. He took every harsh word I threw His way when I was angry and afraid. He descended with me into the depths of the darkness of depression. And when I had nothing left. When I was exhausted and emotionally spent. When I was physically at the end of my strength. When I had no way out. No more moves to make or schemes to hatch or ways to escape. When the walls closed in all around me and everything was taken away. He remained. He was there. He walked with me through the ruins of my shattered life and promised healing and restoration.

God is faithful. This is the testimony of Jeremiah from our passage today. He is faithful to His people. Faithful to His covenant. Faithful to Himself. He will not leave us in exile forever. He will not let death and destruction have the last word. He will not let His world go to ruin. He is faithful. He is at work. He will heal. He will restore. He will redeem. He will prevail. He is God. Listen again to the beautiful words from Jeremiah, promising a new day, a new hope, and a new future. “Look, the days are coming”  — this is the Lord’s declaration — “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. This one will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors on the day I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt — my covenant that they broke even though I am their master”  — the Lord’s declaration. “Instead, this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days” — the Lord’s declaration. “I will put my teaching within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will one teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know me, from the least to the greatest of them”  — this is the Lord’s declaration. “For I will forgive their iniquity and never again remember their sin.” (Jeremiah‬ ‭31‬:‭31‬-‭34‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

These days aren’t just coming, friends, they are already here! Through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God makes a new covenant. He offers anyone who would believe in Him eternal life. He extends this offer beyond the borders of Israel to every tribe, tongue, and nation on the earth. His plan is to redeem all creation and invite every people group into His Kingdom. This is God’s plan and God is faithful. He is at work even now to bring it to pass. Will you join Him?

Readings for tomorrow: Jeremiah 33-36, Psalms 22

Reality is the Best Teacher

Readings for today: Jeremiah 23-25, Psalms 19

“Reality is the best teacher.” We talk about this all the time in my home. As each of my children has grown up, we have done our best to teach them and instruct them in the ways of the Lord. We’ve done our best to help them understand the consequences - good or bad - of the choices they make. We’ve done our best to come alongside them when they stumble and fall. But at the end of the day, each of them in their own way has had to figure some things out on their own. They’ve had to come face to face with reality and learn that the world is not very accommodating. When I take a step back, it’s a fascinating process to watch unfold. I’ve gone from being the smartest person they know when they are young to the dumbest person they know when they are teenagers back to pretty smart again when they get into their early twenties. Through it all, my wife and I’ve learned to be patient. To wait on the Lord. To wait on our children. To let them go through hard experiences and learn difficult lessons so that they will be better for it in the long run. Does it mean crying a lot of tears? Yes. Does it mean dealing with the anxieties and fears that come with parenting? Absolutely. Is it hard to watch your children go through suffering? Without a doubt. It continually keeps us on our knees before the Lord, hoping our children will relent and see the light and return to Him. Thankfully, all of them are on that journey and because we’ve loved them well, we get to be part of it.

Now step back and try to put yourself in God’s position. For generations, He has been reaching out to His people. He has sent them prophets and preachers. He has performed miracle after miracle. He has given them His Word and provided for them a Land. He has done all these things out of love but they have rejected Him. “The Lord sent all his servants the prophets to you time and time again, but you have not obeyed or even paid attention. He announced, ‘Turn, each of you, from your evil way of life and from your evil deeds. Live in the land the Lord gave to you and your ancestors long ago and forever. Do not follow other gods to serve them and to bow in worship to them, and do not anger me by the work of your hands. Then I will do you no harm. “‘But you have not obeyed me’ — this is the Lord’s declaration — ‘with the result that you have angered me by the work of your hands and brought disaster on yourselves.’” (Jeremiah‬ ‭25‬:‭4‬-‭7‬ ‭CSB‬‬) The natural consequence of the people’s rejection of God is judgment. God will send Babylon against His people and all the surrounding nations. None shall escape. The whole land will become a ruin and a waste. And lest we think God is being too harsh here, God makes it clear that His judgment is righteous and just and good. “I will repay them according to their deeds and the work of their hands.” (Jeremiah‬ ‭25‬:‭14‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Human beings have never truly grasped the depths of their sin. We have never truly understood the depths of our depravity. We were given authority and dominion by God at the beginning but we have made a complete mess of things. We want to be like God but we reign like a tyrant over a world that is suffering and tormented. We are selfish and greedy. We treat the earth like a disposable resource. We dismiss or ignore or disdain other human beings made in the image of God simply because they look different or act different or speak different or spend money different or vote different. And still God loves us. Still God reaches out to us. Still God is patient with us. God longs for us to return to Him. He longs for us to return to His ways. He longs for us to return to His love. Today is yet another opportunity to turn back to Him. Why delay any longer? Why keep holding out? Why keep running from Him? The God who loves you so much is patiently waiting for you to come home.

Readings for tomorrow: Jeremiah 26-29, Psalms 20 (No devotionals on Sundays)

Burning in the Bones

Readings for today: Jeremiah 18-22, Psalms 18

I remember when I first came to saving faith in Jesus Christ. One day my life was headed in one direction. A direction that would lead to a lot of failure and pain and suffering, mostly self-inflicted. The next day, my life was headed in a completely different direction. A direction that has led to life and blessing and success. However, it would be a lie to say this second road was not without its challenges. I have faced all kinds of hardship and suffering as I sought to follow the call of God on my life. I have had to make all kinds of sacrifices I wouldn’t have otherwise made. I have struggled a great deal at times with depression and despair and a desire to run back to my old ways. What has kept me going? In short, God. God’s Word burns in my heart and in my bones. God’s Spirit put a call on my life I simply cannot deny. Perhaps that’s why I appreciate and understand on some level Jeremiah’s words from chapter 20…

“You deceived me, Lord, and I was deceived. You seized me and prevailed. I am a laughingstock all the time; everyone ridicules me. For whenever I speak, I cry out, I proclaim, “Violence and destruction!” so the word of the Lord has become my constant disgrace and derision. I say, “I won’t mention him or speak any longer in his name.” But his message becomes a fire burning in my heart, shut up in my bones. I become tired of holding it in, and I cannot prevail...But the Lord is with me like a violent warrior. Therefore, my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. Since they have not succeeded, they will be utterly shamed, an everlasting humiliation that will never be forgotten. Lord of Armies, testing the righteous and seeing the heart and mind, let me see your vengeance on them, for I have presented my case to you. Sing to the Lord! Praise the Lord, for he rescues the life of the needy from evil people. May the day I was born be cursed. May the day my mother bore me never be blessed. May the man be cursed who brought the news to my father, saying, “A male child is born to you,” bringing him great joy. Let that man be like the cities the Lord demolished without compassion. Let him hear an outcry in the morning and a war cry at noontime because he didn’t kill me in the womb so that my mother might have been my grave, her womb eternally pregnant. Why did I come out of the womb to see only struggle and sorrow, to end my life in shame?” (Jeremiah‬ ‭20‬:‭7‬-‭9‬, ‭11‬-‭18‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Reading Jeremiah is like riding a rollercoaster. The highs are extremely high. The lows are extremely low. The shifts in perspective seemingly come without warning. One moment, Jeremiah is lashing out at God accusing Him of coercion and deceit while in the next moment, he is clinging to God as a strong, protective warrior. He praises the Lord for His salvation and then curses the day he was born. It’s exhausting to be honest. And yet, it is also why his words resonate so deeply. Jeremiah’s vulnerability before the Lord is deeply compelling. It draws us into a life of faith that is real and raw and honest. It invites us to take the same journey with God. To walk with Him through every dark valley of shadow and rejoice with Him on every mountaintop. The reality is Jeremiah simply cannot escape the call of God on his life. Nor can we. Our lives are not our own. We’ve been bought with a price. We are God’s to use as He sees fit. And the sooner we embrace this truth, the better.

Readings for tomorrow: Jeremiah 23-25, Psalms 19

Getting Real with God

Readings for today: Jeremiah 14-17, Psalms 17

There is a myth many Christians believe. If we are walking faithfully with the Lord. If we are obeying His commands and living according to His Word. If we are praying and worshipping and serving Him then we will not face hardship. We will not struggle or suffer or endure any pain. Life will be good and blessed and we will be happy. Fundamentally, we believe if we do our part, God is bound to do His and our lives should reflect His favor. 

But then we read a passage like this one from Jeremiah today...“Woe is me, my mother, that you gave birth to me, a man who incites dispute and conflict in all the land. I did not lend or borrow, yet everyone curses me…You know, Lord; remember me and take note of me. Avenge me against my persecutors. In your patience, don’t take me away. Know that I suffer disgrace for your honor. Your words were found, and I ate them. Your words became a delight to me and the joy of my heart, for I bear your name, Lord God of Armies. I never sat with the band of revelers, and I did not celebrate with them. Because your hand was on me, I sat alone, for you filled me with indignation. Why has my pain become unending, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? You truly have become like a mirage to me — water that is not reliable.” (Jeremiah‬ ‭15‬:‭10‬, ‭15‬-‭18‬ ‭CSB‬‬) Jeremiah is angry with God. He’s bitter and frustrated. He’s fulfilled the call of God. He’s been faithful. He took God’s Word and proclaimed it at great personal cost. The people beat and persecute him. They spit on him and mock him. He has no friends. No family. He sits alone. Who knows how long he has suffered? We only know he’s finally reached a breaking point. He is in anguish. He is in pain. He is depressed. He is discouraged. He accuses God of being deceitful. Lying to him. Pulling a bait and switch. 

It’s real. It’s raw. It’s honest. It’s not uncommon. I’ve been there myself. I remember well the 19 months we spent in Wisconsin. We were fully convinced God called us to go there to plant a church. We were excited. We were passionate. We couldn’t wait to get started. God had given us a vision. He had given us plenty of resources. We were confident we would do great things for Jesus. Within a few months, our dream became a nightmare. For the first time in my life, I became a man of “strife and contention” to those I worked for. I felt cursed. Afflicted. Unjustly accused. I didn’t handle it well. I complained. I grew frustrated. I got angry with God. I felt like He had let me down. I felt like He had broken faith with me. After all, I had given up a thriving ministry and uprooted my family and poured my heart and soul into this new work. All to no avail. I ended up broken. Battered. Bruised. I contemplated throwing in the towel on ministry altogether.

In the midst of our heartache, I cried out to God and this is what He said. In essence, “Should you accept good from me and not hardship? Did you think this life I called you to was only going to be up and to the right? One success after another? What if it is my will to crush you? To break your pride? To make you suffer so you learn to depend on Me? Am I not enough for you?” It was sobering and convicting and strangely...comforting. Even in our darkest moments, God was there. Though His presence was a refiner’s fire, it felt good. The kind of good one feels after a hard workout or when one has overcome something incredibly difficult. You may still bear the scars but they become badges of honor along the way. 

Such was true for Jeremiah as well. Listen to the Lord’s response to him in the midst of his pain. "Therefore, this is what the Lord says: If you return, I will take you back; you will stand in my presence. And if you speak noble words, rather than worthless ones, you will be my spokesman. It is they who must return to you; you must not return to them. Then I will make you a fortified wall of bronze to this people. They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you to save you and rescue you. This is the Lord’s declaration. I will rescue you from the power of evil people and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless.” (Jeremiah‬ ‭15‬:‭19‬-‭21‬ ‭CSB‬‬) The call on Jeremiah’s life will be a hard one. God is relentless. He will use Jeremiah as a hammer to break the nation’s pride. He will be ostracized. Isolated. Hated. Persecuted. He will suffer and struggle and endure tremendous pain. But through it all, God will be with him. God will give him the strength he needs to bear up under the burden. 

Only you know the burdens you carry in life. Only you know the source of those burdens. Sometime we suffer because of our sin. The choices we make lead us down dark paths. We have to own those choices. Take responsibility. Repent and turn back to the Lord. Sometimes the Lord leads us into suffering. To refine us. Test us. Break sinful patterns of pride and self-sufficiency in our lives. In those times, we must submit. Accept. Surrender to His sovereign will and trust even the hard times serve His purposes in our lives.  

Readings for tomorrow: Jeremiah 18-22, Psalms 18

Futility of Idolatry

Readings for today: Jeremiah 10-13, Psalms 16

Many years ago, I met a young woman in crisis. She was depressed. She was struggling with thoughts of self-harm. She was beginning to have suicidal ideation. She was not a Christian but came to me through a mutual friend, looking for help. As she shared her story with me, I asked her if she had any connection to spirituality and/or religious faith. She told me about her spirit animal, a purple fluffy dinosaur who she turned to when things really got dark and hard. I asked her if her dinosaur ever responded. She wasn’t sure. Just the thought, however, brought her comfort on some level. I told her I was glad she found comfort but asked her if it mattered that her dinosaur wasn’t real. She hadn’t given it much thought. “What if I told you I could introduce you to a God who is real, is actually with you in your suffering, and is able to heal?” I asked. She said she had never even heard such a thing was possible. So I shared the gospel with her and encouraged her to work with a licensed, professional Christian counselor who could help her address her depression and include a faith perspective.

I share this story to illustrate the futility of idolatry. One of the reasons the Bible considers idolatry so dangerous is because it is empty. It cannot deliver on what it promises. It cannot solve our problems. It cannot bind up our wounds. It cannot heal our disease. It cannot bring any real comfort or hope because it is all just wishful thinking. The gods and goddesses and spirit animals we believe in just aren’t real. They don’t exist. It doesn’t matter how many times we pray. It doesn’t matter how many sacrifices we make. It doesn’t matter how we feel. They aren’t real and will fail us in the long term.

Sadly, this isn’t a new problem. It’s a persistent one throughout the history of humanity, including among the people of God. Listen again to how the prophet Jeremiah talks about it, “This is what the Lord says: Do not learn the way of the nations or be terrified by signs in the heavens, although the nations are terrified by them, for the customs of the peoples are worthless. Someone cuts down a tree from the forest; it is worked by the hands of a craftsman with a chisel. He decorates it with silver and gold. It is fastened with hammer and nails, so it won’t totter. Like scarecrows in a cucumber patch, their idols cannot speak. They must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them for they can do no harm  — and they cannot do any good.” (Jeremiah‬ ‭10‬:‭2‬-‭5‬ ‭CSB) The imagery is striking. Scarecrows in a field? Trees turned into totems by craftsmen? Pagan customs that are worthless? This is why God speaks so strongly against the ways of the nations. Do not learn them. Do not copy them. Do not adopt them. Hold yourself apart from them. These gods didn’t make the heavens and the earth. They have no real impact on the world. They cannot affect a person’s life.

So what should we do? Seek the Lord while He may be found. Call on Him while He may be heard. Why? Because there is no one like the Lord. Jeremiah 10:6, “Lord, there is no one like you. You are great; your name is great in power.” God is great and God is powerful. Unlike the false gods we surround ourselves with, God is the Creator of the heavens and the earth. He rules over all He has made. His impact on the world is real. His work in a person’s life is transformative. He can meet all our needs and address all our issues and heal all our hurts. Most of all, His love is real. We can have an actual relationship with Him. Furthermore, He wants to be with us. He laid down His life for us. His life and death and resurrection is a fact of human history. So let me encourage you to turn from your futile idolatry and turn back to the Living God.

Readings for tomorrow: Jeremiah 14-17, Psalms 17

A Life God Blesses

Readings for today: Jeremiah 7-9, Psalms 15

The Psalmist asks and answers a great question in our reading for today. “Lord, who can dwell in your tent? Who can live on your holy mountain?” (Psalms‬ ‭15‬:‭1‬ ‭CSB‬‬) The holy mountain, of course, is Jerusalem. Even more specifically, the holy mountain refers to the Temple Mount where Solomon’s Temple originally stood. This is the very place the people of Israel look for hope in the midst of their suffering and affliction. Sadly, however, they fix their eyes on the wrong thing. Instead of lifting their eyes above the hills to look to the One who actually brings help, they keep looking at the Temple, treating it like a sacred totem or talisman that will keep them safe. How often do we do the same? How often do we take the worship of God and turn it into an idol? Particular instruments? Particular spaces? Particular styles of worship? Particular buildings or properties? It’s so easy for us to place our trust in the blessings of God rather than God Himself.

God is clear. He wants obedience over sacrifice. It’s far more important to God that we follow His Word than go through the motions of worship. This is why He tells Jeremiah to prophesy against the Temple. The people of God are neglecting the very things that are supposed to set them apart. They neglect justice and mercy. They neglect truth and righteousness. Instead, they pursue selfishness and greed and then come to worship, assuming they can placate God. God will not be mocked. He is not some pagan deity who can be appeased. He is jealous for us. Jealous for a true, authentic relationship with us. He refuses to share our devotion or settle for a divided heart. He will not rest until He is first and foremost in our hearts.

Readings for tomorrow: Jeremiah 10-13, Psalms 16

The Surprising Impact of Repentance

Readings for today: Jeremiah 4-6, Psalms 14

What’s your first thought when you hear the word, “repentance?” I bet it has something to do with personal confession. Asking for forgiveness. Saying you are sorry for something you have done. Feeling bad about a sin you committed. Something like that. Certainly there is an aspect to repentance that is personal. It definitely involves sorrow over sin and asking for forgiveness and confession to God or to those we’ve hurt along the way. It also takes the next step to effect a change in behavior. You may have heard the word literally means “turn around.” Make a U-turn. Go the opposite way. Refuse to continue walking in the path of sinners. I love all of this about repentance but Jeremiah introduces yet another aspect to it in our reading today. The impact of repentance on others.

“If you return, Israel — this is the Lord’s declaration — you will return to me, if you remove your abhorrent idols from my presence and do not waver, then you can swear, “As the Lord lives,” in truth, justice, and righteousness, and then the nations will be blessed by him and will boast in him.” (Jeremiah‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭CSB) Israel’s “return” is another way of calling Israel to “repent.” They have wandered far from the Lord and He is calling them back home through the prophet Jeremiah. As if to sweeten the deal, God makes Israel a promise. If they return in faith to God, if they will return in truth and justice and righteousness, then God will use their repentance to bless the nations surrounding them and they, in turn, will also come to saving faith. The point God is trying to make here is that repentance is a powerful witness. It’s a demonstration of the grace of God in action. It shows the world what true, humble faith looks like and it is incredibly compelling.

As a pastor, I’ve been given the opportunity to speak across the nation and around the world. One of the things I always do when I am speaking to a new group of people is share my testimony. I want them to know a bit of my story and I always make sure to share the many times God has called me to repentance. The response I get when I share openly and vulnerably about my own struggles with sin is powerful. People feel drawn to those who are authentic and humble and who don’t pretend to have all the answers. Repentance opens doors that might otherwise remain closed. It softens hearts. It draws people in rather than push them away. It levels the playing field. It’s almost like God has hard-wired human beings to respond to it.

When was the last time you shared your testimony? Openly? Honestly? Authentically? When was the last time you were vulnerable with another person about your own struggles with sin and how the Holy Spirit has helped you along the way? Have you ever shared your story with another person? Friends, sharing about our struggles isn’t embarrassing or shameful if it points people to Christ. Sharing about the difficulties we’ve had in life or our “thorns in the flesh” and how God has met us and sustained us and transformed us along the way gives people hope that it can happen to them. Humbling ourselves, confessing our sin, and asking for forgiveness builds deep intimacy as we relate to other people which makes sharing our faith even more compelling and profound. Let me encourage you to begin sharing your story with others today!

Readings for tomorrow: Jeremiah 7-9, Psalms 15

False Gods

Readings for today: Jeremiah 51, Psalm 137

The human race is haunted by the primordial memory of a relationship with God. It’s coded into our DNA. It’s like a hole in our souls. We simply cannot deny it nor can we dismiss it or ignore it. It’s arguably what makes Homo Sapiens unique among all other animal species. And it’s why we crave transcendence. It’s why we engage in worship. It’s why we feel the way we do when we see a beautiful sunrise or breathe the air on the summit of a mountain or feel the power as we swim in the depths of the ocean. There is a sense of awe and wonder embedded deep within all of our hearts. This is why we are so adept at making our own gods. We have a desperate need to connect with the divine. We make them out of wood, stone, and precious metals. We give them all kinds of names. We associate them with all sorts of activities. Some of them are very human-like. Others are quite other-worldly. Some of them even represent a combination of species. All of them represent power and control to us on some level which is why we seek to appease them. But they are false. They are not real. They carry no weight. They have no authority. They are empty and lifeless which is why God, the True God, hates them so very much.

As Christians, we worship the True God. How do I know? I know because He has revealed Himself in the Person of Jesus Christ. He actually entered human history and became one of us. His suffering and death is a matter of historical record as is His resurrection. The tomb was empty and hundreds of eye-witnesses saw Him face to face. They touched Him. They ate with Him. They spoke with Him. In Christ, God made Himself known. No other religion can make this kind of claim. No other god or goddess has revealed him/herself in this way. This is what sets us apart. It’s what gives us confidence that when we pray and when we obey and when we place our faith in God, we are not just engaging in wishful thinking. Our hopes are not blind. Our faith is not just a wild guess. We believe in the One True and Living God who created all things, redeemed all things, and one day will make all things new. I love how Jeremiah describes it in today’s reading…

“By his power he made earth. His wisdom gave shape to the world. He crafted the cosmos. He thunders and rain pours down. He sends the clouds soaring. He embellishes the storm with lightnings, launches the wind from his warehouse. Stick-god worshipers look mighty foolish! god-makers embarrassed by their handmade gods! Their gods are frauds, dead sticks— deadwood gods, tasteless jokes. They’re nothing but stale smoke. When the smoke clears, they’re gone. But the Portion-of-Jacob is the real thing; he put the whole universe together, With special attention to Israel. His name? God-of-the-Angel-Armies!” (Jeremiah‬ ‭51‬:‭15‬-‭19‬ ‭MSG‬‬)

Why does our God hate false gods so much? It’s because they are frauds. They are nothing but smoke and hot air. They offer nothing because they have no power or authority. Those who place their trust in false gods end up bitterly disappointed. They end up wounded and in pain. They receive no strength to overcome their challenges, no wisdom to help address the complex issues life often throws our way, and no power to help us endure any suffering. They are left alone and it’s not good for human beings to be alone! I think of a conversation I had with one of my kids several years ago. She had a friend who was suffering from all kinds of mental, emotional, and physical health issues. She had no one to talk to. No support from her family. No friends to speak of besides my daughter. No trust in her teachers at school. She felt very much alone. Not only that but she had placed her faith in false gods. Spirit animals who were not real and so had no spiritual resources to draw on to help her make it through. I encouraged my daughter to share Christ with her. To help her connect with a God who is real and alive and active in our world. A God who loved her with an everlasting love and who promised to be there for her no matter what challenges she might be going through. A God who is with us in good times and bad. A God who is faithful to walk us through every dark valley. This is why what we believe matters, friends! If we are counting on false gods to get us through life, we will be let down. We will live lives of fear and anxiety and quiet desperation. But if we place our faith in the true God, we will never be forsaken.

Readings for tomorrow: None

The Miracle of God’s Chosen People

Readings for today: Jeremiah 49-50

History is littered with the ruins of empires. Civilizations come and go. Kings rise and fall. Even the most powerful like Rome or Egypt or China or the Ottoman Empire eventually succumb to Father Time. He truly is undefeated with one notable, miraculous exception. For thousands of years, God has preserved a people for Himself. For centuries, God has protected His people, guided His people, and prevented their annihilation. Has there ever been a group more oppressed than the Jewish people? Has there ever been a group more targeted by more pagan empires than the people of God? Egypt tried to wipe them out. Assyria, Babylon, and eventually the Persian Empire tried to bring an end to the Jewish people. Those empires gave way to the pogroms of Europe, the Crusades and Inquisition of the Roman Catholic Church, and eventually the Final Solution in Germany. Even in our time, there has been a marked rise in anti-semitism. Synagogues have been attacked. Jewish homes and businesses targeted. It is happening in America as well as across Europe and, of course, the Middle East. Many of the nations surrounding modern-day Israel still make her complete destruction the cornerstone of their foreign policy though, thankfully, there are signs that may be changing.

The reading from Jeremiah for today seems to highlight this reality. Jeremiah lists the number of nations who will rise and fall while Israel endures. Ammon. Edom. Damascus. Kedar. Elam. Even Babylon herself! The names may not mean much to us but these were the tribal and even global powers of their day. All of them thrown on the trash heap of history by God Himself. All of them consigned to the dustbin of history by the Lord. Their gods have been forgotten. Their cities lay in ruins. Their glory forgotten. Meanwhile, Israel endures. Though she has been consistently oppressed and persecuted. Though she has been beaten down and chased from seemingly every nation on earth. Though she has had to endure so much, she remains. She is still here. She still finds ways to not just survive but even to thrive. Surely, one can see the hand of the Lord in this?

Does this mean Israel is perfect? Absolutely not. Jeremiah and the rest of the prophets catalog her sins. What was true for ancient Israel holds true for modern day Israel as well. She continues to perpetuate the sins of her past in many ways. In many ways, she looks just like the ungodly nations around her. She acts just like the ungodly nations around her. The same is true for the church as well. Those of us who’ve been “grafted in” as part of the people of God as the Apostle Paul puts it in Romans 11. We too look far too much like the world. We’ve adopted the ways and means of the world to try and accomplish Kingdom ends and it never seems to work out well. Quite the opposite, in fact. Thankfully, God is faithful in the face of our unfaithfulness. God is loyal in the face of our betrayal. God is good in the face of our evil. God is righteous in the face our unrighteousness. He preserves and protects us even from ourselves. Though we are “lost sheep” and our “shepherds lead us astray.” Though we “wander aimless through the hills and lose track of home.” Though we “can’t remember where we came from and everyone tries to take advantage of us.” Though we “abandoned our True Pasture and the hope of our ancestors”, God will never let us go. He is the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep. He will make us lie down in green pastures. He will lead us beside still waters. He will restore our souls if we but turn to Him.

Readings for tomorrow: Jeremiah 51, Psalm 137

God’s Personal Attention

Readings for today: Jeremiah 45-48

Sometimes I wonder why God is interested in my life. Of all the billions of people who live or who have lived on this earth, why in the world would God take time for me? I’m not all that important. I’m not all that significant. My life is pretty mundane as a general rule. I get up. Brush my teeth. Take a shower. Go to work. Come home. Eat dinner. Spend time with my family. Watch a show or read a good book. God has a cosmos to run. He has a universe to rule. He’s got nations to raise up and take down. Why would He take an interest in me?

Then I read this Word today for Baruch in Jeremiah 45. In the middle of one of the major prophetic books of the Bible which details the future empires and nations, God takes time out to address Baruch. Jeremiah’s scribe. His secretary. A man who barely makes a blip on the radar screen. We don’t know much about Baruch other than he was devoted to Jeremiah. He served as his scribe. His disciple. His faithful friend. He sticks with Jeremiah through thick and thin. Through all the ups and downs. He must have loved Jeremiah very much to share in his sufferings. According to Josephus, an ancient Jewish historian, Baruch was a member of the Jewish aristocracy. A chamberlain in King Zedekiah’s court. He was clearly a courageous man as he often acted as Jeremiah’s messenger and mouthpiece. He risked all kinds of danger to make known the Word of God. And God recognized his efforts.

“These are the words of God, the God of Israel, to you, Baruch. You say, ‘These are bad times for me! It’s one thing after another. God is piling on the pain. I’m worn out and there’s no end in sight.’ “But God says, ‘Look around. What I’ve built I’m about to wreck, and what I’ve planted I’m about to rip up. And I’m doing it everywhere—all over the whole earth! So forget about making any big plans for yourself. Things are going to get worse before they get better. But don’t worry. I’ll keep you alive through the whole business.” (Jeremiah‬ ‭45‬:‭2‬-‭5‬ ‭MSG‬‬) Baruch clearly went through times of depression. Times of deep discouragement. I am sure he despaired as he looked around at what was happening to his country. But God was faithful. He let Baruch know how and why these things would come to pass but also promised to preserve his life. No matter where Baruch went, God would be with him. He would protect him and provide for him. He would be blessed. (By the way, Baruch literally means “blessed” in Hebrew.)

What about you? How are you feeling as you survey the landscape of our nation today? What emotions rise up in your heart as you watch the news or scroll through social media? How have the issues of the past few years impacted you? Have you found yourself - like Baruch - crying out to God saying, “These are bad times for me! It’s one thing after another. God is piling on the pain. I’m worn out and there’s no end in sight.” I know my own feelings of despair as I consider the mountain of gospel work that must be done in my church family, in my community, in our nation, and around the world. It is daunting to say the least! I believe God is breaking down what He has built and plucking up what He has planted in order to draw the world to Himself. In the midst of all that is happening, do I trust God to be faithful? To protect and preserve my life for as long as He wills? Do I trust God to be with me as I walk through the valley of the shadow of death? Do I see myself as blessed? Am I willing to put the work in to be a blessing even if that means confronting the powers and principalities of our own world just as Baruch confronted the powers and principalities in his?

Readings for tomorrow: Jeremiah 49-50

Fear vs. Faith

Readings for today: Jeremiah 41-44

As a pastor, one of the real challenges I face is to help people make decisions based on faith rather than fear. Fear is a powerful emotion that is difficult to resist. It warps how we think. It makes what might otherwise seem irrational rational on some level. It activates the adrenal glands in our body, creating a physical response of fight or flight that often drives us to make rash decisions. It elicits strong emotions like anger, frustration, deep heartache, and pain. When we allow fear into our lives, it almost always results in suffering on some level. The suffering could be relational, emotional, spiritual, or physical. Fear is the root of so much evil in the world which is why we must resist it at all costs and instead, choose to walk by faith.

Tragically, the people of Israel continue to walk in fear. After the assassination of the Babylonian governor, the people come to Jeremiah to ask how they should respond. Should they stay in the land or should they flee to Egypt? Jeremiah seeks the Lord and the Lord graciously responds. “This is the Message from God, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your prayer. He says, ‘If you are ready to stick it out in this land, I will build you up and not drag you down, I will plant you and not pull you up like a weed. I feel deep compassion on account of the doom I have visited on you. You don’t have to fear the king of Babylon. Your fears are for nothing. I’m on your side, ready to save and deliver you from anything he might do. I’ll pour mercy on you. What’s more, he will show you mercy! He’ll let you come back to your very own land.” (Jeremiah‬ ‭42‬:‭9‬-‭12‬ ‭MSG‬‬) The message is clear. Choose faith over fear. Trust the Lord rather than your own feelings. Look to God and not to Egypt for protection. Sadly, the people’s hearts are too hard. They cannot hear the Word of the Lord. They reject His counsel and they flee to Egypt with the hope of escaping the coming judgment. Judgment will follow them, however, and the very thing they fear most - death - will come to pass.

I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve seen this happen over the course of my pastoral career. People come to me from all walks of life, dealing with all kinds of issues, trying to avoid all kinds of consequences for their decisions. The message I have for them is the same message Jeremiah had for the people of Israel. Place your trust in God. Hold fast to His Word. Walk in integrity before Him. Refuse to give into your fear. Resist the temptation to take the path of least resistance. I wish I could I say I had more success than Jeremiah. Sadly, I do not. Most walk away and give into their fears and the very thing they were hoping to avoid - divorce, addiction, the breakdown of their family, loss of their job, etc. - comes to pass. Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way that seems right to a person, but its end is the way to death.” Choose the way of Jesus. It’s the only way that leads to abundant life.

Readings for tomorrow: Obadiah, Psalms 82-83

Believing the Lie

Readings for today: Jeremiah 38-40, Psalms 74, 79

As a pastor, I meet with a lot of people. Most of the time, it’s to catch up or get to know each other better. However, a significant portion of my time is spent with people in crisis. The problem could be physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual. It could involve a spouse, a parent, or a child. It might be job-related. It could be about broken relationships. Whatever the issue - and they are legion - what I have found is that if I drill down far enough, I eventually get to a lie they have believed. A falsehood that has framed their thinking. And a huge part of my counseling approach is to help them identify the lies they believe and exchange them for the truth of the gospel. After all, it is the truth that sets us free according to Christ. And the sad reality is far too many believers make bad decisions based on lies they’ve been fed or told themselves for so many years.

The same was true for Zedekiah. He believed the lie that he could withstand the might of Babylon. he believed the walls of Jerusalem could never be breached because God was her protector. He believed in the false prophets he surrounded himself with and often persecuted true prophets like Jeremiah. The consequences of his decision to believe the lies are horrific. His own sons are captured, paraded in front of him, and then executed. His officials and nobles are killed before him as well. Every single person he knows and loves loses their life as a result of the choices he made along the way. These are the last images he will ever see because Nebuchadnezzar blinds him and hauls him off to Babylon in chains. Imagine how different things could have been if he had just listened to Jeremiah? Imagine how much pain and suffering he could have avoided had he listened to God and surrendered peacefully? Imagine how much bloodshed would have been avoided if he had placed his trust in the truth of God’s Word?

Now imagine these same dynamics are in play in your life. What lies do you believe? About your spouse? Your child? Your parents? Your co-workers? Your friends? What falsehoods have you allowed to take root in your heart that cause you to devalue yourself and others? How have you been deceived into thinking God doesn’t care or doesn’t hear your prayers? Friends, don’t believe the lies! Immerse yourself in Scripture and cling to the promises God offers us in His Son Jesus Christ. Discern what is true and noble and good and righteous and fill your mind with these things. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you God’s perspective on your life and lives of those around you. As you cling to the truth, you will find yourself being set free.

Readings for tomorrow: None

Amazing Grace

Readings for today: Jeremiah 33-37

God’s grace is truly amazing. No matter how bad things get. No matter how far we fall. No matter how fast we run. God is always quick to forgive. Quick to relent of the judgment our sin rightfully deserves. Zedekiah is another in a long line of evil kings. Kings who reject the will of God. Kings who worship idols. Kings who seek their own glory and power instead of humbly serving God. Judgment is coming. Jeremiah has been sent to proclaim the impending doom. The sins of Israel are many and have piled up over the years, creating a mess God intends to use Babylon to clean up. It’s going to be ugly. It’s going to be tragic. It’s going to be painful. Many will suffer. Many will die. All they hold dear will be destroyed as God’s justice rolls down on the earth. 

But even now at the eleventh hour, there is hope. God’s mercy makes one last appearance. God commands Jeremiah to speak a word of grace to the nation. To speak words of life instead of death. “Call to me and I will answer you. I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own.’ “But now take another look. I’m going to give this city a thorough renovation, working a true healing inside and out. I’m going to show them life whole, life brimming with blessings. I’ll restore everything that was lost to Judah and Jerusalem. I’ll build everything back as good as new. I’ll scrub them clean from the dirt they’ve done against me. I’ll forgive everything they’ve done wrong, forgive all their rebellions. And Jerusalem will be a center of joy and praise and glory for all the countries on earth. They’ll get reports on all the good I’m doing for her. They’ll be in awe of the blessings I am pouring on her.” (Jeremiah‬ ‭33‬:‭3‬, ‭6‬-‭9‬ ‭MSG‬‬) Yes, they cannot escape God’s judgment. Yes, they cannot escape the exile to come. But this is not the final word. God will not allow His eternal covenant to be broken.

"Watch for this: The time is coming’—God’s Decree—‘when I will keep the promise I made to the families of Israel and Judah. When that time comes, I will make a fresh and true shoot sprout from the David-Tree. He will run this country honestly and fairly. He will set things right. That’s when Judah will be secure and Jerusalem live in safety. The motto for the city will be, “God Has Set Things Right for Us.” God has made it clear that there will always be a descendant of David ruling the people of Israel and that there will always be Levitical priests on hand to offer burnt offerings, present grain offerings, and carry on the sacrificial worship in my honor.” (Jeremiah‬ ‭33‬:‭14‬-‭18‬ ‭MSG‬‬)

Friends, Jesus is the righteous Branch God has caused to spring up out of the waste and desolation that is left of Israel. God sends His Messiah to executive justice and righteousness in the land once more. God sends His Messiah to save His people and secure His city. Jesus is the greater David. The righteous King who now sits on His throne. Jesus is our great High Priest constantly making intercession for us before the Ancient of Days. Jesus is God’s answer to all that has gone wrong in this world and Jesus is God’s solution to the perpetual problem of human sin.

Readings for tomorrow: Jeremiah 38-40, Psalms 74, 79

The Faithfulness of God

Readings for today: Jeremiah 29-32

God’s anger lasts but a moment but His favor for a lifetime. God abounds in steadfast love and faithfulness even as He is committed to holding the guilty accountable. Though His judgment extends to the third and fourth generations, His grace far exceeds it, extending to a thousand generations. This is who God is. This is who God has revealed Himself to be. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He always stays true to Himself.

The people of Israel learned this lesson. They refused to turn from their sin and they were judged. God exiled them to Babylon. They became a strange people living in a strange land, weeping as they sang the songs of Zion. They were uprooted from the Promised Land. They lost their Holy Temple. Their entire way of life was destroyed. Their covenant with God seemingly irretrievably broken. So what now? “Build houses and make yourselves at home. Plant gardens and eat what grows. Marry and have children. Encourage your children to marry and have children. Thrive in the country where I have sent you. Make yourselves at home there and work for her welfare. Pray for her well-being. Your well-being is intrinsically tied up to her well-being. Most of all, trust Me. I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out. I will bring you back home. I will not abandon you. I will take care of you. I will you give you the future you hope for. So call on Me and I will listen. Look for Me and I will make Myself known. I won’t disappoint you. I won’t let you down if you get serious about finding Me and want it more than anything else.” (Adapted from Jeremiah 29:5-14 MSG)

Do we have the faith to believe these words are as much for us as they were for the people of God in Jeremiah’s day? Do we trust God enough to let go of our ego, let go of our need for control, let go of our need for power and let Him direct our paths? Do we have the courage to live the quiet life? Go about our daily business? Build homes? Plant gardens? Marry and have children? Bless our town? Pray for our community’s leaders? Let God work out His plan in His way according to His timing? This is the essence of faith. It’s living our lives with complete trust in God’s sovereign plan and, more importantly, God’s unchangeable character. God is trustworthy. God is true. God is dependable. God is loyal. God is faithful. God is good. Because of all these things and more, we have nothing to fear. Because of all these things and more, we can cast all our anxieties on Him. Because of all these things and more, we don’t have to push so hard or hold on so tight. God is in control. God knows what He’s doing. God has a plan. He will bring it to pass. He has not abandoned you. He has plans to take care of you. He will give you the future you hope for if you surrender to Him.

Readings for tomorrow: Jeremiah 33-37

Saved

Readings for today: Jeremiah 25-28

What does it mean to be saved? Salvation is multi-faceted to be sure but at a baseline level, it means we are saved from something. So what are we saved from? What doom awaited us apart from Christ? What judgment had we earned? What punishment did we deserve? What fate did we escape through Christ’s atoning sacrifice? The reality is I don’t ponder these questions near enough. My sinful baseline understanding of myself is that I’m a pretty good guy who makes poor decisions every now and again. The reality is far worse. Apart from Christ, I am a slave to sin. I love myself more than I do those around me. I prefer myself to anyone else. I will seek to satisfy myself before I stretch out a hand to help others. My entire life is oriented around my own wants, needs, and desires.

This is the human condition and it’s why we find ourselves in the mess we’re in. It’s why some people starve in our world while others feast. It’s why some people barely survive each day while others store up great wealth for the future. It’s why some people live under monstrous oppression while others are free. It’s why power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. It’s why vast inequalities exist and we can’t muster up the political and social will to make a change. It’s why violent people take what they want by force. Force of will. Force of arms. Force of strength. Force of emotional manipulation. This was as true in Jeremiah’s day as it is for us and listen again to the righteous response of God.

“God roars like a lion from high heaven; thunder rolls out from his holy dwelling— Ear-splitting bellows against his people, shouting hurrahs like workers in harvest. The noise reverberates all over the earth; everyone everywhere hears it. God makes his case against the godless nations. He’s about to put the human race on trial. For the wicked the verdict is clear-cut: death by the sword.’” God’s Decree. “Prepare for the worst! Doomsday! Disaster is spreading from nation to nation. A huge storm is about to rage all across planet Earth. Laid end to end, those killed in God’s judgment that day will stretch from one end of the earth to the other. No tears will be shed and no burials conducted. The bodies will be left where they fall, like so much horse dung fertilizing the fields. Wail, shepherds! Cry out for help! Grovel in the dirt, you masters of flocks! Time’s up—you’re slated for the slaughterhouse, like a choice ram with its throat cut. There’s no way out for the rulers, no escape for those shepherds. Hear that? Rulers crying for help, shepherds of the flock wailing! God is about to ravage their fine pastures. The peaceful sheepfolds will be silent with death, silenced by God’s deadly anger. God will come out into the open like a lion leaping from its cover, And the country will be torn to pieces, ripped and ravaged by his anger.” (‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭25‬:‭30‬-‭38‬ ‭MSG‬‬)

There is only one way to escape this fate. Place your faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ. On the cross, Jesus suffered the doom we deserved. Jesus atoned for the sins of the world. Jesus took the judgment of God on Himself. He poured out His life. Suffered in our place. Died so that we may live. Let your soul rest in the shadow of the cross. Let your heart rest knowing your Savior stands over you still. Let your mind rest in the sure and certain knowledge that Jesus’ death was sufficient to cover all your sin. Past. Present. Future. Rest and rejoice in all Christ has done for you and won for you today.

Readings for tomorrow: Jeremiah 29-32