Take 5: Jeremiah

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Jeremiah Brokenness

Week 17 Day 1

Reading: Jeremiah 2:12-13 "Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the LORD, for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water." ESV

Thought: What does it mean to be broken? Brokenness is described here as the inability to receive God. Part of the act of the Fall included with our own personal rejection of God was the inability to receive Him who is the fountain of living waters. This means that not only had we decided not to search for Him, but we became incapable of searching at all. A broken container is not capable of holding water. We were broken containers, but the Potter has reformed us making us capable of holding water, making us into vessels of mercy. Now we are vessels filled with living waters that is the life of Christ and the Holy Spirit. If then we were not able to search for Him how did we find Him? By the movement and power of the Holy Spirit which first produced the spark of faith in us. So then God has saved us by His power and by His will for His purpose so that it did not depend on human exertion but on God. We then have been saved by the power of the Holy Spirit, and so we should pray for the Holy Spirit to be fervently alive in us that He would come alive in others yielding the first fruits of the Spirit.

Prayer: Lord, let Your Spirit ever be alive in me! Overflow Your Spirit to a broken world, let Your Spirit flood out pouring over others bringing them to salvation found in Your Son. Let Your presence and Your power be evident in me for all the world to see! Save we pray Lord, save by the power of Your hand.

The Exile

Day 2

Reading: Jeremiah 24:1 "Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken into exile from Jerusalem Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, together with the officials of Judah, the craftsmen, and the metal workers, and had brought them to Babylon" ESV

Thought: In the 6th century BC Babylon captured Jerusalem and took into exile all the skilled men (such as Daniel) in accordance with the judgement upon Israel for their lack and


breach of faith; for they have trusted in the strength of men (Egypt and Syria) in their times of need, and had worshipped the Baals defiling the Temple. In the years following they took the rest of the residents of Jerusalem leaving only homeless people without food or fields. Nehemiah tells us that a large chunk of the wall, some of the gates and The Temple was destroyed, with only one wall remaining. Yet to the exiles the Lord sends a message, "Build houses, plant gardens, take wives, have sons and daughters, multiply there and do not decrease, and in seventy years I will bring you back." (Jeremiah 29 Paraphrase).

Prayer: Lord, thank You that You instruct and You correct, knowing Lord that You do so in love. And although we suffer we know that You are with us. “More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because Your love has been poured into our hearts through Your Holy Spirit who has been given to us.� Instruct us Lord, correct us Lord, teach us Lord, but continue to ever do so with grace abounding.

Persia

Day 3

Reading: Jeremiah 50:9 "For behold, I am stirring up and bringing against Babylon a gathering of great nations, from the north country. And they shall array themselves against her. From there she shall be taken. Their arrows are like a skilled warrior who does not return empty-handed." ESV

Thought: Babylon had come against God's people and had destroyed the Temple. Judgement was upon them for they had not treated God's Temple or His people with honour. We even read in Daniel that when introduced to the wonder of the Lord Nebuchadnezzar still erected a golden statue of himself to be worshipped. Therefore during their exile in Babylon the Persian empire conquered Babylon taking the skilled Jews further yet to Susa. It was during this time that the events of Esther occurred. Working through her God delivered on His promise; gaining the Jews freedom from their exile. The remnant returned to Judah and began settling back in, following this God sent Ezra and Nehemiah to rebuild Jerusalem and reinstate teaching and the work of the Temple. On their return the Jews had a renewed hope and a stronger faith in the promises of God, desperately seeking Him in the Scriptures, leading to better teaching across the entire region.

Prayer: Lord, wonderfully You have since the creation in teaching and reproof, leading Your people constantly in grace and love, holding accountable those who reject You and Your commandments. Thank You Lord that You are slow to anger and You abound with steadfast love, correcting those who walk opposed to You. May the conviction of Your Holy Spirit ever be on our hearts, leading us from sin and into Your kingdom.

Foreknowledge

Day 4

Reading: Jeremiah 29:10-14 "For thus says the LORD: 'When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and


a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.'" ESV

Thought: To the Lord all things are known, nothing is hidden. Yes, he evens knows about that. There is nothing that can avoid the eyes of the Lord, neither past, present or future, for He knows all that has been, all that is and all that will be, and He prepares for Himself a plan to bring people to repentance and to justice. There are no mistakes in God's plan, there is no Plan B, there are no changes, but it is all set forth from the beginning to reveal Himself in Christ. Notice the use of "I will be found by you" God is not speaking of them actually finding Him, but Him revealing Himself to them to find Him. God hides Himself from those who reject Him and reveals Himself to those who are searching. Man cannot find God on his own, and cannot prove God on his own, but God must reveal Himself, otherwise man is glorified for his intelligence.

Prayer: Lord, thank You that You know the course of my life, and that You have already put in place plans to bless me and plans to lead me. Each day Lord please be visible in my life, reveal Yourself that I would see Your working and that others would also testify to it. Ever be known to me Lord I pray.

Words With Power

Day 5

Reading: Jeremiah 23:29 "Is not my word like fire, declares the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?" ESV

Thought: There are four recognized demonstrations of the Word of God. His spoken Word, His written Word - the Bible, the Word become flesh - Jesus, and through humans; that is the prophets. The Word of God is the most powerful force in the whole Universe, it created it (Genesis 1), it upholds it (Hebrews 1:3), and it will call the world to judgement. Yet it also saves by "hearing the Word with faith" (Galatians 3:2). The writer of Hebrews speaks eloquently of the Word of God; "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12). There is nothing hidden from the Word of God and it is a most powerful force, therefore we must be focused on it. If we do not regard the very Word of God as the authority on how to live our lives, and as a focus point in evangelism then the message is not shared. The Word is to spoken so that others would hear.

Prayer: Lord, You have spoken powerfully, You have lived powerfully, and You lead us pouring out Your power. Help us Lord to make Your Word a priority in our lives since from it we have heard You, and in it others will hear You also. Never let us cease speaking Your Word so that others would hear with faith also.


Cling to the Lord

Day 6

Reading: Jeremiah 13:11 "For as the loincloth clings to the waist of a man, so I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, declares the LORD, that they might be for me a people, a name, a praise, and a glory, but they would not listen." ESV

Thought: There is no simpler commandment to understand than "Love the Lord God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might, and with all your mind" (Deuteronomy 6:5). Yet this simplest of commandments to understand is the most difficult of all to perform in its full capacity. We were made in creation to be with God, to be in loving relation with God. Yet we chose to make gods of our own; drugs, money, sex, music, pleasure, possessions, and ourselves. Yet in the death of Christ we undergo a changing in heart, in soul, in strength and in mind, away from the desires of the flesh that we should put off all sin to be joined once more with God, to His praise. Therefore let us put off all sin, that with His name upon us we might be His people, to His praise and to His glory.

Prayer: Lord, for once I was separated from You, yet by Your Son You made a way. Help me Lord, send Your Spirit, that I would continue to strive to love You with all of my being, that You would be my first joy. Continue to change me Lord until that day when I am united with Christ in glory, having been fully transformed into His likeness.

Calling

Day 7

Reading: Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations." ESV

Thought: Before we were even conceived God had a plan for righteousness, a plan for mercy and for grace, to give to those called according to His purpose salvation in the name of Jesus. And not only was our salvation set in motion before we were even created but He even put in place a plan for our lives that we should live for Him. "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10). God has a wonderful plan for our lives, started at creation, a plan for salvation, a plan for righteousness and a plan for glory, lifting up the name of the Lord, by bringing others to salvation. We then must walk in His plan, seeking His calling upon our lives, the good works He has prepared us for. How then do we find it? Consider what we have passion doing. What stirs our emotions. What could we talk about for ages. What kind of people inspire us. And most of all, what sets us on fire for Jesus. When we seek God's plan and we pursue that plan we create opportunity for God to work dramatically through us, bringing Him glory, even to the point of being able to see Christ come alive in others.

Prayer: Lord, reveal to me I pray the plan You have for my life. Lead me according to Your purpose that Your glory would be seen in my life and in the lives of those You are leading me to. Give me the strength to persist in the good works You have prepared me for, and


may Your name ever be praised through the revealing of Your grace in my life.


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