Read the Bible in a Year (18AUG19)

DAILY REMINDER – Today, August 18’s Bible reading is Jeremiah 23-25.

NEXT DAY REMINDER – Tomorrow, August 19’s Bible reading is Jeremiah 26-29. May God bless you with the reading of His WORD.

JEREMIAH MOMENT – (18AUG19) “ ‘What sorrow awaits the leaders of my people—the shepherds of my sheep—for they have destroyed and scattered the very ones they were expected to care for,’ says the Lord” (Jeremiah 23:1). Israel’s shepherds were useless. They had scattered the flock with their lies and abominations. The priests did not honor the Lord in His temple and the prophets prophesied lies out of their own imaginations. They abused their authority and prophesied peace when the true prophets were preaching repentance and destruction. They were idolaters, adulterers, thieves and liars. They not only committed evil acts themselves, but they led the people to feel comfortable in their debauchery. They claimed to have had visions from the Lord, which He did not give, dreams which were of their own creation, and words that did not come from the Lord’s council. Therefore, the Lord was going to punish them for their wicked deeds and none of them would escape. Nevertheless, He promised to one day send the Good Shepherd who would bring His scattered flock back to the fold. The Bible says, “I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd” (John 10:14-16).

Jesus, as the Good Shepherd, does not want any of His sheep to be led astray. Today, we have many charlatans and shysters in many of today’s pulpits, on television, radio, and social media platforms masquerading around as anointed men and women of God. They do it for greed, power, money, fame, and to appease their narcissistic egos. They do not have the heart of a servant, but they seek to be like the Pharisees, whom Jesus often rebuked, and be worshiped, praised, and honored as the gods they are not. Jesus, however, did and still is exposing them everywhere. The Bible says, “Meanwhile, the crowds grew until thousands were milling about and stepping on each other. Jesus turned first to his disciples and warned them, “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees—their hypocrisy. The time is coming when everything that is covered up will be revealed, and all that is secret will be made known to all. Whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be shouted from the housetops for all to hear!” (Luke 12:1-3).

Be careful of the shepherds who do not point you to Jesus. Be careful of those who do not call you to repentance. Be careful of those who tell you what is contrary to the Word of God. Be careful of those who are always asking for money. Be careful of those who are caught up in scandals. Be careful of the prophets who only prophesy houses, cars, job promotions, money, and material possessions. Most importantly, be careful of just following any man or woman, but allow the LORD first and foremost to lead you in ALL things. Any leader who does not lead you to Christ above themselves is NOT a leader called by God. And any prophet who prophesies lies is NOT a prophet of the Lord, but they are a prophet for profit. The Bible says, “But you may wonder, ‘How will we know whether or not a prophecy is from the Lord?’  If the prophet speaks in the Lord’s name but his prediction does not happen or come true, you will know that the Lord did not give that message. That prophet has spoken without my authority and need not be feared” (Deuteronomy 18:21-22).

QUESTION OF THE DAY - (18AUG19) “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: ‘Take from my hand this cup filled to the brim with my anger, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink from it. When they drink from it, they will stagger, crazed by the warfare I will send against them’ ” (Jeremiah 25:15-16). The Lord had shown Jeremiah a vision where he had to take the Lord’s cup of wrath and give it to the nations. He was going to bring disaster upon all the nations who drank of the cup because of their wickedness. Even if they did not want to drink it, symbolizing their refusal to acknowledge the warnings from the Lord, disaster would come on them anyway. They would not go unpunished for their wicked deeds and no one could escape. The Lord had given them time to repent, but just as some would refuse to drink the cup, and think that they would get away by ignoring the warnings in Jeremiah’s vision, so is it today with those who have been presented with the truth, but fail to listen.  

We often see the wicked committing all sorts of abominations against the Lord in their desire to follow Satan’s motto of “Do as thou wilt.” He has promised many of them wealth, security, fame, status, and unlimited success. Those who do not get these things are promised unlimited fun, popularity, freedom of expression, excessive self-indulgences, and more to appease their appetites for greed, lust, power, and control. Unfortunately, the devil’s benefit package, which many have sold their souls for, will lead them to seeing that they were a part of the biggest scam in history. Insider trading on Wall Street, the Lehman Brothers, and Bernie Madoff scandals combined will have nothing on this. The Lord has given the nations time to repent, but one day, there will be no more time. The Lord will allow the nations to be drunk off of His righteous wrath and indignation. The Bible says, “One of the seven angels who had poured out the seven bowls came over and spoke to me. “Come with me,” he said, “and I will show you the judgment that is going to come on the great prostitute, who rules over many waters. The kings of the world have committed adultery with her, and the people who belong to this world have been made drunk by the wine of her immorality” (Revelation 17:1-2). The nations are going to be judged for all the wickedness that they have done. Will America escape this judgment? Will she repent and turn from her wicked ways? Will a president or politician help her to escape what’s coming to this land? Unfortunately, the answer to all of the questions is no. If only America would repent, then God would forgive, but the nation as a whole will not turn back to God. Therefore, we as a nation will suffer the same fate as Judah and Jerusalem did one day, and it will be by our own doing. But God has a righteous remnant that He will keep His hand of protection over. Something to ponder….