Author: admin

One of the most common refrains in Scripture is this: don’t be afraid! We can truly be fearful creatures.

The reason we fear is because we are concerned with our safety and comfort. For those who care not whether they live or die, fear is not an issue. But to those who dread losing what they have, the world is filled with dread.

While God is continually urging His people not to fear, He always bases this confidence in something substantial: Himself. If God were not present and active in Jeremiah’s life, he would have much to fear indeed. For his nation was surrounded by enemies. But when God stood with him, Jeremiah had absolutely nothing to fear. God’s presence made all the difference.

One of the clearest ways to discern whether we are abiding in God’s presence can be seen in this one reality: are we afraid? If we are, we have not fully comprehended the amazing truth that God is with us.

How many times must God assure us that we need not be afraid? When will we trust Him and lean on Him?

God will not allow our self-centered, inaccurate statements to go unchallenged. He will always resist falsehood with truth. Without realizing what he was doing, Jeremiah was dismissing God’s truth with false assumptions. His creator had just declared what His eternal purposes were for Jeremiah. In response, the youth had declared that the One who created him was mistaken.

We are often too quick to make conclusions about what God can do with us. While God intends for us to be honest with Him, be careful you do not inadvertently downsize God’s plans for your life. When God declares His will for your life, don’t argue with Him! Don’t challenge His facts! He knows what He is doing.

Reading of this encounter, thousands of years later, we are amused at the audacity of this irreverent youth. But then we are reminded that we, too, have often challenged God’s intentions for our life. We may also have been quick to explain why we could not take the lead, or speak in public, or make a difference.

When we are God-centered, we will believe that anything is possible. When we become self-centered, we may struggle to believe God can do anything through us.

There is a noticeable difference between our conversations, and God’s. God speaks in terms of impacting nations and eternity. We tend to speak of weaknesses and limitations. God speaks about redeeming a lost and broken humanity. We talk about saving ourselves from that which troubles us.

God spoke to Jeremiah about how He had known him from before he was born. God explained how He had a heavenly purpose for Jeremiah. But Jeremiah’s conversation immediately focused on his inability and weakness.

While God spoke in exalted terms, Jeremiah quickly tried to change the focus to himself and his inability.

We tend to be like Jeremiah. God has a divine purpose for us as well. However, we tend to focus on ourselves rather than on God. Rather than God’s ability determining what we do, we allow our own, limited resources and skills to set the agenda for our life.

Had Jeremiah merely accepted what God said, the entire conversation would have been sublime. But when Jeremiah added his words to God’s, the conversation noticeably declined. What are your conversations with God like?

Young Jeremiah may have had typical youthful plans for his life. Perhaps he intended to be a great warrior in the king’s army. Maybe he thought he would live a tranquil, obscure life. Perhaps he intended to follow his father into a quiet, priestly service at the temple.

Then Jeremiah received a word from God. That one divine conversation changed everything! That is how God’s word functions. He need only speak for a moment, but his words will leave an eternal mark upon us. Half a century later, the aged prophet would look back in this youthful encounter with God and understand the profound impact that conversation exerted upon him.

Jeremiah experienced the truth that before God assigns you; He calls you. And one word from God changes everything!

Are you afraid to enter into such a conversation with your Creator? Are you anxious about what He might say?

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.