Weekly Protein (09/24/22)

  1Thus the LORD said to me, “Go and buy yourself a linen waistband, and put it around your waist, but do not put it in water.” 2So I bought the waistband in accordance with the word of the LORD and put it around my waist. 3Then the word of the LORD came to me a second time, saying, 4“Take the waistband that you have bought, which is around your waist, and arise, go to the Euphrates and hide it there in a crevice of the rock.” 5So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, as the LORD had commanded me. 6And it came about after many days that the LORD said to me, “Arise, go to the Euphrates and take from there the waistband which I commanded you to hide there.” 7Then I went to the Euphrates and dug, and I took the waistband from the place where I had hidden it; and lo, the waistband was ruined, it was totally worthless.
  8Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 9“Thus says the LORD, ‘Just so will I destroy the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. 10‘This wicked people, who refuse to listen to My words, who walk in the stubbornness of their hearts and have gone after other gods to serve them and to bow down to them, let them be just like this waistband, which is totally worthless. 11‘For as the waistband clings to the waist of a man, so I made the whole household of Israel and the whole household of Judah cling to Me,’ declares the LORD, ‘that they might be for Me a people, for renown, for praise, and for glory; but they did not listen.’ (Jeremiah 13:1-11, NASB 1977)

Stubbornness will ruin you and make you unfit to fulfill God's purposes. It is refusal to hear biblical truth and implement it. The work of stubbornness builds over time: the longer you refuse, the more that soul-rot takes over. As your soul unravels, you begin seeking satisfaction from sources other than the Lord.

Here is your weekly protein.

1. Answer these questions.

• Where is stubbornness evident in your life?
• Why do you continue in stubbornness? (What do you hope to accomplish by refusing to listen?)
• Do you see that stubbornness is spiritual self-sabotage?

2.  Read these Bible verses and record what each says about stubbornness.

• 1 Samuel 15:23
• Jeremiah 7:24
• Proverbs 29:1
• Acts 7:51

3.  If you have the courage, ask someone who knows you well to answer this question:  "Where do you see stubbornness in my life?" 

Flesh It Out (09/12/22)

 

"Fresh Wickedness In The Well"

Jeremiah 6:7

• The well didn't just appear.  It was dug one irresponsible, ungodly, rebellious decision at a time.
• People got bored with "old" sin.  Right now there is an insatiable thirst for fresh wickedness.  The more perverse, outrageous and accessible, the better.  Don't think to yourself, "It couldn't possibly get any worse!"  Unfortunately, yes it can.
• God loved the nation enough to warn that He was aware of what they were doing (and how they were "selling" it to the public).
• What a contrast to the well of salvation! (Isa. 12:3; Jn. 7:37).  See also Jer. 2:13.

Verse Of The Week (05/13/16)

Burrell Lake Park, Lower Burrell, PA  4-8-16

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD 

And whose trust is the LORD. 

For he will be like a tree planted by the water, 

That extends its roots by a stream 

And will not fear when the heat comes; 

But its leaves will be green, 

And it will not be anxious in a year of drought 

Nor cease to yield fruit." (Jer. 17:7-8)

Verse of The Week (1/22/16)

Aren't you glad that the answer is yes?  Yes, there is a Balm.  His name is Jesus!  Yes, there can be forgiveness, healing and restoration.  Those are Jesus' specialties.

Verse of The Week (11/6/15)

"You will seek Me and find Me when 

you search for Me with all your heart."

(Jer. 29:13)

Pierre, You Cant Hide

 

I don't have house pets.  Why?  I don't need them.  God faithfully brings wildlife in and out of my backyard.  It was 12:30 P.M. when I snapped this shot.  Pierre tried to hide.  He was no match for my zoom.

Just as Pierre couldn't hide, you and I can't hide from God.

"'Can a man hide himself in hiding places so I do not see him?' declares the Lord." (Jer. 23:24)

Treasure Seekers (Jer. 29:13)

Have you heard about the dedicated treasure seekers who discovered 50,000 ancient coins worth $15.6 million?  The story is here.  What would've happened had the treasure seekers quit prematurely?  They wouldn't have discovered the treasure.

Those seekers were after an earthly treasure.  Believers in Jesus are seeking an eternal treasure.

You are my strength when I am weak
You are the treasure that I seek
You are my all in all
Seeking You as a precious Jewel
Lord, to give up I'd be a fool
You are my all in all
         -- Dennis Jernigan

Treasure-seeking requires commitment, discipline, consistency.  While seeking earthly treasure can be a part-time hobby, seeking Jesus requires 100% investment.  Here is the promise:  "You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart" (Jer. 29:13).  God wants you to find Him.  He's waiting to be "discovered."  Go after Him.

God's Everlasting Love (Jer 31:3)

1. I can describe it, but I can't understand it. I can give you the dictionary definitions of "eternity," "everlasting" and "love." Talking about God's love isn't so difficult as understanding it. Because I am finite and limited, so is my understanding. So take anything I say about God's love as a starting point, not the end-all.
2. I can experience it, but I can't duplicate it. God loves me with an everlasting love. He loves you with an everlasting love. He had no beginning and will have no end. God is defined as love (1 Jn 4:8). What I can't do is love someone else with an everlasting love, since both my love and my existence have starting points. If I choose to start loving someone, then there was a time when I didn't love. So much for "everlasting" love.
3. I can receive it, but I can't reciprocate it. How can I, the finite creature, return everlasting love to my Creator? Because of my creature status, I cannot love everlastingly. I can only go forward in love after a starting point. God loved me before I ever knew Him or knew about Him. He loved me before I was created.
4. I can celebrate it, but I can't cancel it. I did nothing to deserve God's love and I can do nothing to earn it. This everlasting love is sent to me compliments of God. I can run from God's love or reject it, but I can't remove it.

Consequences for Rejecting God's Word in Your Life (Jer 39:3-10)

These seven consequences came to Zedekiah because he wouldn't submit to the clearly-revealed, often-repeated word of the Lord.

1. Breach (v. 3) > vulnerability, access, threat
2. Brokenness (vv. 4-5) > chased, caught, arrested, sentenced, humiliated
3. Bereavement (v. 6) > death of something good; separation from family, friends and colleagues
4. Blindness (v. 7) > can't see; no new vision; can't erase the old failure
5. Bondage (v. 7) > bound in chains; led along as a slave
6. Burning (v. 8) > dismantling and destruction of your security, surroundings and safety
7. Banishment (v. 9) > deportation; exile; end up in a situation or place you said you'd never go

Do I even have to ask? Isn't it worth it to obey God's Word?

Demolition -- Isn't It Wonderful! (Jer 33:1-6)

Read Jeremiah 33:1-6 in the Christian Standard Bible.

God told Jeremiah to call to Him, so that he would be shown "great and wondrous things" (v. 3). Then came a message of demolition and destruction (vv. 4-5). How can that be "great and wondrous"? We'd prefer to skip down to verse 6 about health and healing, or to verse 9 about "joy, praise and glory," or to verse 11 about restored fortunes. God's restoration plan begins with demolition. His building us up starts with tearing us down. His plan for our prosperity starts with poverty. He doesn't merely re-use what's there (renovation); He starts all over again (re-creation). Read Jer. 1:10; Eccl. 3:1-3; Hos. 6:1-2; 2 Cor. 5:17.

1. Things might get worse before they get better.
2. What God demolishes He replaces.
3. Whether or not you understand any of what God's doing, affirm that He only does "great and wondrous things."

Notes on Jeremiah Chapter 24

Read Jeremiah chapter 24.

• Figs are symbolic of prosperity and success.
• The prophet Amos was a keeper of figs (Amos 7:14). He also had a vision about fruit (Amos 8:1-3).
• There are only two kinds of figs. Sorry, but that means no middle category and no mixture. You can't have good-ish bad figs or bad-ish good figs. What you do with the revealed will of God determines which kind of "fig" you are.
• God's will doesn't always consider your preferences. Surely some of the residents were thinking, "How can it be God's will for us to surrender to the enemy and live in exile?" It is clear, however, that was exactly what God wanted.
• Some of what happens to you in life you brought upon yourself through disobedience. In those instances, stop blaming God.
• The baskets of figs were presented before the temple (v. 1). Is your character acceptable to God? He is the fruit inspector. He sees who you are. Does that trouble you at all?
• Character has consequence. Good figs (good character) incur God's favor and promise. He always rewards submission, conformity and obedience. Bad figs (bad character) incur God's displeasure.
• God alone can give you the heart you need to have. Change my heart, O God! He will give you a curious heart (Jer 24:7), a clean heart (Psa 51:10) and a compassionate, compliant heart (Ezek 36:26).