Read the Bible in a Year (23AUG19)

DAILY REMINDER – Today, August 23’s Bible reading is Jeremiah 38-41.

NEXT DAY REMINDER – Tomorrow, August 24’s Bible reading is Jeremiah 42-45. May God bless you with the reading of His WORD.

JEREMIAH MOMENT – (23AUG19) “So the officials took Jeremiah from his cell and lowered him by ropes into an empty cistern in the prison yard. It belonged to Malkijah, a member of the royal family. There was no water in the cistern, but there was a thick layer of mud at the bottom, and Jeremiah sank down into it” (Jeremiah 38:6). The king’s officials thought that Jeremiah was a nuisance to the people and were fed up with his warnings of judgment. They were even more disgusted at his attempts to get the king and people to surrender to Babylon. They viewed him as being bad for the morale of the nation, and wanted to silence him permanently. Therefore, they petitioned the king for relief, so that they could keep him from convincing the people to surrender to Babylon. With King Zedekiah not opposing whatever they decided, they lowered Jeremiah into a cistern (storage tank for water) which was full of mud, so that he could be silenced. But when Ebed-Melek, a Cushite, heard what the officials had done, he petitioned the king to rescue Jeremiah from the cistern and to be place in the royal prison instead, which the king granted.

Just as Jeremiah endured persecution for delivering the Word of God, we too will endure persecution when we speak what the Lord says. The world does not want to hear the things of God and they will call it “hate speech” when we stand against things that are detestable to the Lord. Yet, we must be like Jeremiah and proclaim the message from the Lord even during times of trials and persecution. Jesus said, “If the world hates you, keep this in mind that they hated me first” (John 15:18). Jesus was telling the disciples that they were not going to be well received when it came to preaching the gospel, and because the world first rejected Him, they too were to expect to be rejected. This is not always an easy concept to embrace, but when we love the Lord, we know that we must carry our cross just as He carried His. Therefore, proclaiming the truth will not always be easy in a world that is in love with deception, but we must keep in mind who we are doing it for, and that is for the glory of God. Something to ponder….

QUESTION OF THE DAY - (23AUG19) Why do people bother to ask for a Word from the Lord when they are not going to heed His counsel? “One day King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah and had him brought to the third entrance of the Lord’s Temple. ‘I want to ask you something,’ the king said. ‘And don’t try to hide the truth.’  Jeremiah said, ‘If I tell you the truth, you will kill me. And if I give you advice, you won’t listen to me anyway’” (Jeremiah 38:14-15). King Zedekiah had been told several times by Jeremiah that Babylon was going to capture the city and burn it down. He also told Zedekiah that he was going to be taken by the king of Babylon as well if he did not voluntarily surrender to him. The Lord had given Zedekiah and the people a way of escape from death, which some did adhere to. Zedekiah, however, was not willing to go down in defeat, but he was still anxious to hear what Jeremiah said because there was a inner battle going on in his mind. Unfortunately, Zedekiah did not heed Jeremiah’s warnings and everything that the prophet prophesied regarding him and Babylon came to past.

It can sometimes be frustrating when you try to give people Godly counsel and they fail to follow it. Just as Jeremiah told the king that he knew that he would not heed his warnings, we oftentimes know that what we tell others will not be given heed to as well. The devil has deceived the masses into thinking that they are wise in their own eyes, and they cannot see that the enemy has plotted a trap for them. Many of us have preached, taught, and warned for people to repent, and to get their houses in order because the day of the Lord is near, but our warnings are often ignored, mocked, and ridiculed. Even some who claim to be in the body of Christ are driving down the road to destruction along with their leaders. King Zedekiah lived to regret his choices when King Nebuchadnezzar killed his sons in front of him and gorged out his eyes. Likewise, many people will suffer destruction at the hands of the enemy if they fail to heed the warnings that are going out across the world. We must, however, continue to warn even if people fail to listen, and pray that their hearts, minds, and eyes will be open before it’s too late. The Bible says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9). Something to ponder….

JEREMIAH MOMENT – (23AUG19) “The captain of the guard called for Jeremiah and said, “The Lord your God has brought this disaster on this land, just as he said he would. For these people have sinned against the Lord and disobeyed him. That is why it happened. But I am going to take off your chains and let you go. If you want to come with me to Babylon, you are welcome. I will see that you are well cared for. But if you don’t want to come, you may stay here. The whole land is before you—go wherever you like” (Jeremiah 40:2-4). The king of Babylon had heard about the Prophet Jeremiah and his prophecies for the people to surrender to avoid destruction at his hand. He also knew that it was because of their disobedience that the Lord’s hand of protection was no longer upon them. Therefore, King Nebuchadnezzar had given orders for Jeremiah to be well taken care of and released. The captain of the guard did as the king commanded and Jeremiah was free to go either with him, or wherever he wanted to go.

The Lord is faithful in His promises to us when we are faithful to him. Jeremiah’s obedience to the Lord allowed for him to be heard about even in the foreign nations where his name was respected by the fierce nation at that time. Jeremiah’s message was not received by his own people, but it was respected by those who did not serve nor honor God. Isn’t it funny how sometimes the world can be more accepting of the truth than those who call themselves believers? Jeremiah went back to his home, but his prophetic messages were not over by far. God still used him and just as the Lord used Jeremiah as a vessel for his time, He wants to use us as well. We never know who will hear our message and receive Christ from our steadfastness in Him. Something to ponder….