Build....
Jeremiah 1:9-19 Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, "Now, I have put my words in your mouth. [10] See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant."
[11] The word of the Lord came to me: "What do you see, Jeremiah?"
"I see the branch of an almond tree," I replied.
[12] The Lord said to me, "You have seen correctly, for I am watching* to see that my word is fulfilled."
[13] The word of the Lord came to me again: "What do you see?"
"I see a boiling pot, tilting away from the north," I answered.
[14] The Lord said to me, "From the north disaster will be poured out on all who live in the land. [15] I am about to summon all the peoples of the northern kingdoms," declares the Lord.
"Their kings will come and set up their thrones
in the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem;
they will come against all her surrounding walls
and against all the towns of Judah.
[16] I will pronounce my judgments on my people
because of their wickedness in forsaking me,
in burning incense to other gods
and in worshipping what their hands have made.
[17] "Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them. [18] Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land. [19] They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the Lord.
*the Hebrew word for watching sounds similar to the Hebrew for almond tree.
Even here we find that God is looking ahead. His people have turned their backs on him, and he is getting ready to withdraw his favour from them. But He is still looking ahead, looking to the time when he will restore the people from Exile. He may be sending Jeremiah to prepare the Jews for humiliation, but he is also planning their redemption. God doesn’t destroy because of malice – he reduces and then restores, and reminds Jeremiah that through him, He will build and plant.
It is the same with us. While we were still far away from God and heading for destruction he sent us Jesus, who died for us, creating the way for us to restore our relationship with God. And in other ways too we can see God working for us. We may face pain and hardship, but very often when we come out the other side our characters have been changed or we have made life altering discipleship changes. The Bible says that God disciplines those he loves. Sometimes we have to submit to his will – if there is something in our nature that hurt us or others, and hurts the Lord, then he may ‘destroy’ us, in order to wipe the slate clean and rebuild us whole.
[11] The word of the Lord came to me: "What do you see, Jeremiah?"
"I see the branch of an almond tree," I replied.
[12] The Lord said to me, "You have seen correctly, for I am watching* to see that my word is fulfilled."
[13] The word of the Lord came to me again: "What do you see?"
"I see a boiling pot, tilting away from the north," I answered.
[14] The Lord said to me, "From the north disaster will be poured out on all who live in the land. [15] I am about to summon all the peoples of the northern kingdoms," declares the Lord.
"Their kings will come and set up their thrones
in the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem;
they will come against all her surrounding walls
and against all the towns of Judah.
[16] I will pronounce my judgments on my people
because of their wickedness in forsaking me,
in burning incense to other gods
and in worshipping what their hands have made.
[17] "Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them. [18] Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land. [19] They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the Lord.
*the Hebrew word for watching sounds similar to the Hebrew for almond tree.
Even here we find that God is looking ahead. His people have turned their backs on him, and he is getting ready to withdraw his favour from them. But He is still looking ahead, looking to the time when he will restore the people from Exile. He may be sending Jeremiah to prepare the Jews for humiliation, but he is also planning their redemption. God doesn’t destroy because of malice – he reduces and then restores, and reminds Jeremiah that through him, He will build and plant.
It is the same with us. While we were still far away from God and heading for destruction he sent us Jesus, who died for us, creating the way for us to restore our relationship with God. And in other ways too we can see God working for us. We may face pain and hardship, but very often when we come out the other side our characters have been changed or we have made life altering discipleship changes. The Bible says that God disciplines those he loves. Sometimes we have to submit to his will – if there is something in our nature that hurt us or others, and hurts the Lord, then he may ‘destroy’ us, in order to wipe the slate clean and rebuild us whole.
And for my cell group....
1 Thes. 5:16-18 Be joyful always; [17] pray continually; [18] give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
If Joy is not the absence of the pain, but the presence of God, then that must be what it is like to pray contiunually, to be always in his presence. We know that God is always around us, but it must be the allowing his love to permeate into every decsion and thought, a constant knowledge that nothing is secret from him, so we try to hide nothing, and give thanks for every breath.
posted by Gordon at
8:18 am
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home