Author: admin

God’s word always has a context. It does not occur in a vacuum. God speaks to people as a result of what He is doing and how people are behaving.

Jeremiah had a long, rich ministry. His life overlapped the steady decline of his nation. Jeremiah began his ministry under one of the godliest kings in his nation’s history. The prophet ended his ministry under some of its worst. As a youth, Jeremiah could have had no inkling of what would happen to his nation over the course of his lifetime. Yet God knew.

When God speaks to us, it is within the context of what is happening in our world. He does not merely give us a devotional thought for our own benefit. God’s word is spoken for the benefit of others.

Our world is in decline. People are turning away from God. Dangers are everywhere. We must expect that in such a time, God will speak to His servants, just as He has in times past. It is crucial that we hear what He is saying. Our world desperately needs a fresh word from God.

Hilkiah the priest could never have imagined that as he raised his family in Anathoth, he was rearing one of his nation’s greatest prophets. He may well have recognized a tender sensitivity to the Lord in his youngster, and he might have been aware of his keen mind. But he could never have dreamed that thousands of years later, his son’s writings would continue to be preached and taught and studied by people around the world.

Jeremiah did not emerge as a solitary figure. He descended from a family that served the Lord. He had a godly heritage. Hilkiah may never have known that his single greatest contribution to humanity was the son he ushered into the world. But that is often the case.

At times we may wonder if our service for the Lord is of any consequence. It may seem that we are making little progress for God’s kingdom, despite our best efforts. Yet we must always be aware that, if we have children, there are eyes observing us. They see how quickly we turn to God when we are in distress. They watch our faith and confidence in our Lord. They know if we are a hypocrite. And, one day, they might choose to take what they saw in our life, and go to an entirely new level in their service of our God.

Jesus never misses anyone. The weakest, smallest, and least powerful are all of inestimable value to God. Heaven is fully aware of how the most helpless person on earth is treated by others.

The news headlines may trumpet the activity of kings and prime ministers, but Jesus alerted His followers to what it is He focuses upon. When we show kindness to children or to the marginalized of society, God has promised that we will not go unrewarded. God has provided every incentive for us to be kind to to others.

The key is to demonstrate kindness in Jesus’ name. Our acts of kindness are not to build our name, but to exalt Christ. It is not enough merely to show kindness. Our actions must be purposeful. Certainly, we ought to be kind, because we are kind people. But we also ought to seek every opportunity to represent Christ well.

How are your acts of kindness causing people to think more highly of Jesus?

Our divine rewards generally do not include a rebate or a new car. But there are benefits.

God has His own unique way of honoring His servants. Should you minister in His name, God will repay you. If you bless another of God’s servants, it will not go unnoticed.

The key is to appreciate the reward of a righteous man. Greedy people seek greedy rewards. Lustful people seek lustful pleasures. Vindictive people pursue the satisfaction of revenge. But a righteous person seeks a righteous reward.

Our problem at times is that a reward of righteousness can seem inadequate to us. We want to be righteous, but we also want much more! Yet, the reward of a prophet as well as that of a righteous man, are priceless. They will bring great joy not only in this life, but also in the life to come.

Few words of Jesus are any more empowering than these! We are Christ’s ambassadors. We represent Him. When people see us, they are to see Christ. When we speak, they are to hear the words of Jesus.

Likewise, how people treat us, is how they are treating our Lord. If they reject us; they have scorned Christ. If they gladly welcome us, they have embraced Christ.

Our life should be so like that of Christ, that to be offended at us, is to be offended at Christ. To reject our values, or ethics, or behavior is to reject the standards set by Christ.

We must also be mindful that the world was so scandalized by Christ that it murdered Him. We ought not expect any less than to be treated in the same manner as our Lord. Yet also remember, that even as you have identified your life with Christ, He has identified Himself with you.

We can be so busy trying to save our life that we fail to properly lose it. Jesus said we could not properly follow Him if we were continually preoccupied with our own comfort and security. A fully committed disciple of Jesus immediately obeys, regardless of the cost.

Losing our life does not mean we treat our life carelessly. It involves surrendering ourselves fully to Christ. We are His. He is free to do with us what He wants. He can spend our life in whatever way is most advantageous to His kingdom.

We have only one life to give to Christ. If it is held back, or overly protected, or driven by comfort, we may never know what we might have done, or become, if we had yielded ourselves fully to Christ.

Our words, regardless of how pious sounding they are, are inconsequential compared to our actions. It is easy to say that our walk with God is a priority, but then we must examine our actions to determine the value of our speech.

There are many people who claim that following Christ is their life’s priority. However, every time their parents disagree with what they are doing, these same people compromise what God told them. Or there are those who want to go with Jesus, but they are concerned about how it will affect their children. So they don’t go.

Sadly there are many self-professing Christians who would adamantly proclaim their loyalty to Christ, yet they continually compromise their faith every time a family member disagrees with them.

To truly be “worthy” of Christ means He is your priority at all times, in all places, under every circumstance, regardless of what other people say. Even if your chief critics are your family.

Christians can sometimes be naive. We still believe that when we do “nice” things, people will naturally like and appreciate us. That is often far from the truth! Jesus, with all of His love and grace, always spoke the truth, however unpleasant it might be to hear.

Jesus assured His followers that He was extremely divisive. You could not be lukewarm in your opinion of Jesus. This means that even our own families may come into disagreement with us over our beliefs and actions.

This has been the Waterloo for many a Christian. We recoil at the thought of conflict with our family over issues concerning our faith. Few things have the potential to bring us so much pain as family members who oppose our beliefs and actions.

We have been forewarned. Following Jesus will not be easy! Are you still ready to get out of your boat?

One of the most sobering truths Jesus shared with His disciples is this: the eagerness with which you identify with Christ will be reflected in how readily Jesus will be to identify His life with you.

There are some who are embarrassed of their walk with Christ. They keep it a private, secret affair. They never speak up for Christ. They do not identify themselves with His cause. They never speak up for His righteousness sake.

Yet when these same people face needs in their own lives, they anxiously expect Christ to rush to their aid. They fully expect Christ to embrace them upon their entry into heaven.

Jesus was sending His twelve disciples out as sheep among wolves. He knew they would face opposition and criticism. Jesus understood it would be tempting to remain silent and to blend in with the darkness around them. So Jesus gave this strong warning. The passion with which they identified with Christ would be reflected in the way Jesus identified with them.

For some that is a sobering thought.

While it is true that we ought to maintain a holy reverence for almighty God, we must also remember one other important truth. It is that God loves us infinitely. He values us greatly. He knows us intimately.

Jesus pointed out some ordinary sparrows to His disciples. He noted that they were considered preeminently ordinary and lacking in value. Yet God knew every one. God saw when they suffered harm. He cared about the humblest of His creatures. If God, Jesus explained, cared about a tiny, ordinary bird, then how much more did He care for us? God knows the number of hairs on our head. He knows when we are hurting and when we are experiencing need.

In times of want, we can forget just how much God cares for us. We can be tempted to assume that God must have overlooked us, or be preoccupied with more urgent, important matters. But God’s own Son made certain to express to us His Father’s heart: God loves you! He knows you. He is always aware of what you are experiencing. You can trust Him.