“The days are coming”: These words introduce a prophecy
concerning the land (Jeremiah 30:3). The greatest blessing is not being
in the land. It is belonging to the Lord. This is the blessing, spoken
of by Jeremiah. When, speaking God’s Word, he writes, “You will be My
people, and I will be your God” (Jeremiah 30:22).
Saturday 24 August 2019
God loves us. We see His love in Jesus (Jeremiah 31:3 ... 33:15-16).
God says to us,
“I love you with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3). Through His love,
we have “a happy song” to sing (Jeremiah 31:7). Through His love, we
are “changed.” Our life is “turned around” (Jeremiah 31:18). The love of
God for us is revealed most powerfully in His Son, our Saviour, Jesus
Christ. He is the fulfilment of the prophecy in Jeremiah 31:31-34. When
we consider Him - how wonderful He is - and all He has done for us, we
will “give thanks to the Lord”, rejoicing in His goodness and praising
Him for “His love which endures for ever.” We see His love - supremely -
in “the righteous branch” - Jesus: “The Lord our Righteousness”
(Jeremiah 33:15-16).
A Call To Listen To The Word Of The Lord (Jeremiah 44:24)
Jeremiah’s ministry was a
call from God to the people - a call to “listen to the Word of the Lord”
(Jeremiah 44:24). Listening to what the Lord has to say to us will mean
being ready to revise our own ideas. Our thoughts, without the guiding
Word from the Lord, will be very different from thoughts which have been
shaped by the Word of the Lord.
Jeremiah was fearless in his
preaching of God’s Word. He spoke the truth. He spoke the Word which had
been given to him by the Lord. When God speaks the Word of His
holiness, the Word which exposes sin for what it really is, there is no
place to hide. When we read Jeremiah’s words about Israel’s enemies, we
must recognize that the Word of God concerning sin must be spoken
clearly. It is only when there is conviction of sin that there can be
conversion to the Saviour.
"Look, I'm standing at the door ... " (Revelation 3:20).
Are you ‘looking for a better country - a heavenly one’ (Hebrews 11:16)? ‘God has put eternity into man’s mind’ (Ecclesiastes 3:11). In every human heart, there’s ‘a God-shaped blank’. Jesus came to give us ‘life’ - ‘abundant life’, ‘eternal life’ (John 10:10; John 17:3; 1 John 5:11). Without Jesus, our lives are empty. The ‘longing for a better country’ can only be satisfied by Him. He is God’s ‘foretaste of glory divine’ (Mission Praise, 59). Jesus stands at the door of every human heart. He knocks. He waits for our answer. He says, ‘Look, I’m standing at the door and knocking. If anyone listens to My voice and opens the door, I’ll come in...’ (Revelation 3:20). Don’t ‘shrink back’ (Hebrews 10:39). Invite Him into your heart now.
Thursday 22 August 2019
Ezekiel 1
“Visions from God” (Ezekiel 1:1); “The power of the Lord came over
Ezekiel” (Ezekiel 1:3); “A bright light” (Ezekiel 1:27); “A rainbow in
the clouds” , “The Lord’s glory”, “Bowed down”, “I heard someone
speaking” (Ezekiel 1:28). In these phrases, we have some suggestion of
the kind of lines we must follow, as we think about the various elements
of divine revelation.
Ezekiel 2-3
In true ministry, there is both the Word of
God and the Spirit of God. God’s Word is spoken to us in the power of
the Spirit, so that we might speak His Word in the power of the Spirit
(Ezekiel 2:1-4). Ezekiel is described as “a watchman over the people of
Israel.” He was to speak the word of warning (Ezekiel 3:17). This is the
kind of preaching which calls its hearers back from the wages of sin -
death. The hearers are called to “change their wicked ways in order to
save their lives” (Ezekiel 3:18).
Ezekiel 4-5
God takes sin very seriously. He sends his judgment upon sin. The unleashing of His fury turns the sinful nation into a wasteland (Ezekiel 5:13-14). When we read of such things, we wonder, “Is there any hope?” When we are reading so much about sin and judgment, we must not lose sight of the love of God. In love, He calls men and women to return to Him.
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