JEREMIAH

I have my coffee besides me, I've read 20 chapters in Jeremiah, and now I have a few things to write down.  Jeremiah has so many things that speak to my heart, I can only choose a few of them.  God took Israel out of Egyptian captivity, and now God has to put Israel into Babylonian captivity because of disobedience, idolatry, and plain ole wickedness.  Jeremiah is the lone voice in the city prophesying judgment.  The large group of false prophets and priest stand against him.  (Not a lot has changes there.)  Let me share some thoughts: 1) GOD MADE ALL THINGS FOR HIS PURPOSES- Jeremiah 27:5 says:  "I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me."  God made it all and now decides to give it's control to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon.  Let us never forget that God is the creator and has the right to do as He well pleases!  Our job is to humbly follow and love He, who loves us with an everlasting love. 2) MY SERVANT- Jeremiah 27:6 says:  "And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the bests of the field have I given him also to serve him. (7) And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son's son, until the very time of his land come:"  I know that God used Nebuchadnezzar to be His servant to carry out His purposes, but what speaks to me most is that here is a heathen King (at this time.... later he will acknowledge God with Daniel's influence), and yet... he is called God's servant.  Here I am saved, sealed, blood bought and washed, and my prayer is that I too would be called a servant of God.  It convicts me that a heathen king could be God's servant and so few Christians desire to be called the same by God.  O dear Lord, let me be your servant all the days of my life, and may I strive to be a servant that serves you very humbly and dutifully.  Please dear God in Heaven, please let me serve you with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength; and not for reward or blessing, but because I love thee who first loved me.  May it be so dear Jesus..Amen. 3) CAN YOU FIND YOUR WAY BACK HOME?  Jeremiah 31:2 says:  "Set thee up waymarks, make thee high heaps:  set thine heart toward the highway, even the way which thou wentest:  turn again, O virgin of Israel, turn again to these thy cities."  A waymark is used to show you how to get back to where you were before.  A boy scouts learns to mark trees when out in the forest to find his way back out of the woods.  He takes his knife and makes a cut on a tree trunk to mark his way so he can find his way out of the forest.  Years ago, Billy Sunday was preaching in the Northwest and saw the loggers carrying a pail of sawdust into the woods and dropping a hand full from time to time.  This was their "waymark".  They would go so deep into the woods, they had to follow the sawdust trail back out of the woods.  That evening, at the large preaching service, Billy Sunday made a path of sawdust down the aisle to the altar, and during the invitation, said:  "Hit the sawdust trail back to God!"  Do you have waymarks in your life to get you back to God?  We all need them.  The Bible is my waymark.  Prayer is my waymark.  Church is my waymark.  Preaching is my waymark.  All of these things will get me back close to God quickly.  Do you have some waymarks?  Set thee up waymarks! Well, I've only begun and my time is gone.  I have to get to the office soon.  May God richly bless you today and let us be God's servants throughout the day! Pastor Mike Mutchler