Week 32 Devotions

August 6 - - The Lord told the prophet, Jeremiah, “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my spokesman to the world” (Jeremiah 1:5). God’s truth is persuasive. Jesus said that if we know God’s truth, His truth would set us free (John 8:32). And because God’s truth is so persuasive, God’s truth is also very powerful. The messages God told Jeremiah to share with the people of Judah got him in trouble, time after time. God’s people simply didn’t want to hear about impending destruction, or God’s judgment which would soon be visited upon them because of their sinful stubbornness. And even if Jeremiah had not wanted to share God’s messages of impending doom just to protect his own life from the anger of the people, he couldn’t bring himself to remain silent. “If I say I’ll never mention the Lord or speak in His name, His word burns in my heart like a fire. It’s like a fire in my bones! I am weary of holding it in!” (20:9). Soon after, Judah was conquered by Babylon. And many of the Jews were transported to Babylon, including four young men named Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. We know the latter three by their Babylonian names; Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 1:6&7). God gave these four “an unusual aptitude for learning the literature and science of the time. And God gave Daniel special ability in understanding the meanings of visions and dreams” (1:17). When asked for advice, they shared what the Lord laid on their hearts and for a time, the king “found the advice of these young men to be ten times better than that of all the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom” (1:20). But, we know the rest of the story. In time, what God would inspire these four individuals to share would not coincide with what the King of Babylon or his people wanted to hear. And then, they would have the same choice as Jeremiah whether to share what God was saying and be ridiculed and persecuted, or remain silent and be popular with the king and the people. It’s not really much different for us today. When we find ourselves armed with the truth of God’s Word and we find God’s truth coming in conflict with Satan’s lies that are often promoted through people of this world, we, too, find ourselves with a choice. Do we remain quiet and not upset the powers to be? Or, do we open our mouths and be faithful to God while also experiencing the wrath of human beings? We are no where required to be mean with the truth. We are commanded to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). May God grant us all the grace to do exactly that, whatever the consequences to ourselves. August 9 - - Why does it sometimes seem like evil people flourish without punishment? Why do those who harm others seem like they suffer no consequences for their wrongdoing? Jeremiah asked that question and God’s answer was that it only seemed that way because of how evil His people had been. God is patient far beyond what any of us can comprehend and far beyond what any of us deserve (II Peter 3:9). The patience demonstrated by God toward those who are evil, is the same patience God demonstrates toward His own people who are evil. And at some point, God uses those who don’t know Him, to bring about punishment upon those who profess to know Him but show by their actions they really don’t. “I have abandoned my people, my special possession. I have surrendered my dearest ones to their enemies” (Jeremiah 12:7). “How will you feel when the Lord sets your foreign allies over you as rulers?....You may ask yourself, ‘Why is all this happening to me?’ It is because of your many sins! That is why you have been raped and destroyed by invading armies. Can an Ethiopian change the color of his skin? Can a leopard take away it’s spots? Neither can you start doing good, for you always do evil” (13:21-23). The worst offenders seem to be God’s prophets who were telling God’s people lies and things that were not true. Instead of warning the people to repent and turn from their wicked ways or be punished, as Jeremiah was doing, all the other prophets were telling the people lies in God’s name. They were saying that all was well, that God would send His people peace (14:13-16). To the people of Jerusalem, God said, “You have forsaken me and turned your back on me. Therefore, I will raise my clenched fists to destroy you. I am tired of always giving you another chance” (15:5&6). Ask the people of Noah’s day, and the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. God’s patience can and will come to an end, and will give way to God’s wrath. What’s even more amazing is those of us who have seen these many examples and we still refuse to learn from them (Romans 15:4). We still insist on making the same mistakes as our ancestors. We still think we know better how to live than does God. And consequently, we still receive the same consequences for our disobedience they did. God has called us from the moral darkness we once lived in, to His wonderful light for a reason (I Peter 2:9), so that we might declare His praises. God says to us the same thing He said to Jeremiah, “If you speak words that are worthy, you will be my spokesman. You are to influence them; do not let them influence you!” (15:19). Darkness always seems to corrupt good people much quicker than good people positively influence those living in the dark. That is why God warned the apostle Paul to be wary of who we spend the bulk of our time with. “Bad company will ruin good morals” (I Corinthians 15:33). Stand firm in the truth. Don’t waver or follow the crowd. “The highway to hell is broad, and it’s gate is wide for the many who choose the easy way. But the gateway to life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it” (Matthew 7:13&14). Determine to influence others for the Lord, rather than being influenced by others to run from the Lord. Commit yourself to letting your light shine for Him, rather than having His light be extinguished in you.