Wednesday, June 9, 2010

JEREMIAH

Yesterday, I read for almost two hours and then wrote for another 35 minutes, only for the internet to go down and me have to reboot the computer.  I lost everything.  I saved it, but did not put it down in a document, so I lost the saved draft.  Anyway, today is another pretty day, and I just spend another hour reading in Jeremiah.  I'm on my second cup of coffee, so all is good.  Here are a few thoughts:

1) AN EXPECTED END -  God has a future for us that He is working on.  Despite all of the ups and downs and bruises of life, God does has a planned future for us.  Here is what the Jer. 29:11 says:  "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end."  **Have I told you that in the O.T. when it says: "LORD", that is because the word used is "Jehovah", and the name was so sacred that they just wrote LORD most of the time.  God loves us so much that He has thoughts of peace towards us... to give us an expected (His expectant) end.  Let us trust Him each day with our lives, our present, our future.


2) EVERLASTING LOVE - Jer. 31:3 "I have loved thee with an everlasting love:"  WOW!  God sure loves us! God is so good to love us, and He loves us eternally!


3)DIVINE FORGIVENESS!  Jer. 31:34 "... for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."  I'm glad that God not only forgives, but chooses to forget our sins.  Praise God!!


4) HERE IS A QUESTION:  Jer. 32:27- "... is there any thing too hard for me?"  God is asking.  What is our answer?  Well, the right answer is "no"!  Nothing is too hard for our God to do or have accomplished.  Therefore we can go to Him with great confidence no matter what the situation. 


5) INSPIRATION - DESTRUCTION - PRESERVATION  Jer. 36:18- God gave the words to Jeremiah and Jeremiah had Baruck pen them down.  When asked how it all happened, Baruck says: "He pronounced all these words unto me with his mouth, and I wrote them with ink in the book."  (Inspiration) Several thoughts: He pronounced... you do that to get the right spelling, not just the right word.  Every jot and tittle is important to God. The right spelling and the right words!!  Don't you dare change translations lightly... the words are different!  I wrote them with ink.... not pencil.  God's words were meant to last... not to be erased and changed!  Jer. 36:23 "he cut it with the penknife, and cast into the fire..."   (Destruction) We have no original manuscripts, just copies of copies... the paper was not inspired, but the words were.  The paper is destroyed, but the words live on.  How many Bible have you gone through in your lifetime?  I have had well over two dozen.  They wear out, but not the words!!  Jer. 36:32 "Then took Jeremiah another roll, and gave it to Baruck the scribe, .... who wrote therein from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the Book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire;..."   (Preservation) HA!!  The king thought he could destroy the Word of God, but God keeps the Originals and speaks them once again to have them penned down.  "forever thy Word is settled in Heaven".  Hope this sheds some light on why we preach and teach the Word of God with confidence!!


6) WHOSE WORDS SHALL STAND? - Here is the last thought... too many to mention them all.  Jer. 45:28.  Jeremiah says that the remnant shall escape the coming judgment, as small number of them, but these will know "whose words shall stand, mine or theirs."  Whose Words Shall Stand.  God's or mans?  The false prophets were saying that Israel would not go into captivity, but God said, yes they would!  Whose words shall stand?  We see that God's words stood firm.  Notice what Jeremiah asked the King in Jeremiah 37:19:  "Where are now your prophets which prophesied unto you, saying, The King of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against the land?"  (They all ran away and hid!) Today, we face the same things.  The world says one thing, and God's Word says another... the question is:  "Whose words shall stand?"  I'm putting my trust in God's!!!


Hope to see you tomorrow!!   Pastor Mike Mutchler.... have a blessed day!!


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