A Choice of Life or Death

O. T. #1774  "A Choice of Life or Death"
Sept. 9, 2020
Jeremiah 21
And unto this people thou shalt say, thus saith the LORD; Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death.  (verse 8)

LET IT GLOW

Jeremiah's book is not always follow a chronological order as events happened. Now we jump to the last king of Judah, Zedekiah, before Judah fell to Babylon. With that said, King Zedekiah was hoping for a word of deliverance from God as the Babylonian armies were attacking. He asked Jeremiah to pray to the LORD for them. The king desired the LORD to deal with Judah according to all His wondrous works, so God would help, do a mighty miracle, as He had done before.

There was no answer of comfort. The only hope of the rebellious people of Judah was to surrender to the Babylonians. They had a choice: life or death. (verse 8) Those who remained in Jerusalem would die from war, famine, or disease. Those who surrendered to Babylon would live. Their reward would be life. When we read in chapter 52, the number of those taken into captivity was 4,600.

Folks, we have a choice today that is set before us-choose Jesus for everlasting life or choose death, separation from Him forever.

Jesus is the only way to God. He is life. Will you believe in Jesus as your Savior today? Simply put, just ask Him to forgive you of your sins and be your Savior. Believe that He died on the cross to take your punishment for your sins. He lived a perfect life in order to meet the standards for a perfect sacrifice.

Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believest thou this? (John 11:25-26)

Christian, we have before us daily to choice of living for Jesus, choosing life, or death, which is living for the flesh. May we choose Jesus.

LET IT GROW

You know, God gave Judah so many chances to repent of their idolatry, but they refused. The time for God's judgment had come.

In verse 5, He said, And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath.

This was not the response King Zedekiah was looking for from God. The only hope for the people of Judah was to surrender to their enemy and stay alive in Babylon. God lifted up His hand to crush them, cutting off their food supply, sending the sword to kill them, and die by disease.
Here we see the omnipotent power of our God. He keeps His word. It happened as He had said. some think how cruel God was, but He had given them so many chances to repent and turn from their sinful ways, but they refused to do so.

God acts by His agenda, not ours. We're to conform to His kingdom plans, not expect Him to bless our programs. (Tony Evans)

Will we surrender to God today? Will we choose life in Jesus?
America seems to be going down this same path. Will our time come to make such a choice? Perhaps it is set before us in November.

LET IT GO
Surrender to God while there is time to receiver His amazing salvation.
Your love is amazing. Your mercy and grace is above all.
Lamb of God, Savior, Redeemer, have mercy on our souls.

Suffering

  O. T. #1773 "Suffering "
Sept. 8, 2020
Jeremiah 20-Part2
Sing unto the LORD, praise ye the LORD: for He hath
delivered the soul of the poor from the hand of evil doers. 
(verse 13)


LET IT GLOW 

Even after being ridiculed, beaten 40 times, and put in stocks, as well as loosing his friends,
Jeremiah could sing and praise his LORD. We read it in verse 13 today. And we
think we have it bad in our life. I'm not saying that your situation and
my situation isn't difficult, nor do I take circumstances, testings, or
ridicules lightly, but have we ever really and truly suffered for our
faith in Jesus? Especially those of us living in America?
So, I have been made fun of for my conservative dressing, lifestyle, and
trying to follow Jesus, as well as teach the Truth; we have even been told
we need to leave a church, but no physical beatings have I endured. They
may have been emotionally painful, resulting in discouragement, however,
Jesus heals those wounds and picks me up and sets my feet on the solid
Rock, the Rock of Ages. In comparison to the sufferings Jesus endured for
us, ours is but a tiny speck.

How about you? Are you suffering for Jesus? Keep your faith growing
dear one. It will be worth it after all when we see our Lord face to face
one day. Consider all He endured so He could be our Savior.
In the meantime, let's sing praises to Jesus.

It is good that I have been afflicted; that I might learn Thy statutes. 
Psalm 119:71

For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: He is to be feared 
above all gods. Psalm 96:4

The LORD is my strength and song, and is become my salvation. 
Psalm 118:14

I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him
with thanksgiving.  Psalm 69:30


LET IT GROW 

Read verses 8 and 9. For sure this Prophet was discouraged again.
How did he react to all he experienced?

Then I said, I will not make mention of Him, nor speak any more in 
His name. But His Word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up
in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay. 

How did the Word of the LORD make Jeremiah feel?
It was a reproach (disappointment) and a derision (ridicule, mockery). 
(verse 8)

Jeremiah decided to not even mention God nor speak His name.
Was he low or what? Would he really turn his back on his
calling of God? Nope.

God's Word was in Jeremiah 's heart as a burning fire shut up in
his bones. His hear couldn't contain it. Jeremiah had to share it.
It was a strong raging fire inside of of him and Jeremiah had to
share God's Word. He had to continue on. No stopping now,
no returning home. His conscience accused him and his heart
condemned him.

And so Jeremiah continued to speak the prophetic words from
his God.
Paul and Silas sang praises to their God while in the dungeon.
(Acts 16)  Job really got down after loosing his children, wealth,
reputation, and respect in the community. But he never cursed
God. Although he was reprimanded by God, he passed his
testing. Then God restored all that Job had lost and then more.

Friend, we must keep the faith in our trying times. God is faithful.
God is good, all the time. Even if they slay me, I will praise Him.

LET IT GO
Sing to the Lord Jesus. 
Give thanks unto His name. 
His love endures forever. 

Persecuters

O. T. #1772 "Persecuters"
Sept. 7, 2020
Jeremiah 20
But the LORD is with me as a mighty terrible one: 
therefore my persecuters shall stumble, and they shall 
not prevail: they shall be greatly ashamed; for they shall 
not prosper: their everlasting confusion shall never be 
forgotten.  (verse 11)

LET IT GLOW 

Read our key verse. How does Jeremiah describe God?

• He is with Jeremiah;
• He is a mighty terrible (fearful, powerful, mighty) One;
• He will cause Jeremiah's persecuters to stumble and not prevail;
• He will make them greatly ashamed and not prosper;
• Their everlasting confusion shall never be forgotten. 

Jeremiah was not a hard, thick-skinned man, and it hurt him when he
was ridiculed as his people did to him. Although, he did not give up
his calling. Jeremiah lost his friends because of it, which is hard to endure.

In his heart Jeremiah knew his persecuters would eventually stumble,
not prevail, nor prosper, but would be ashamed. That is what they would
be remembered for later on.

Are there people persecuting you, making fun of you, because you are
a Christian? Do they talk behind your back when you stand up for
biblical principles? Friend, remember that God is mighty and powerful.
He can handle them. So stay faithful to Jesus.

LET IT GROW 

What happened to Jeremiah in the beginning verses of this chapter?
The chief governor, who was the chief officer of the Temple was in charge of security.
He smote (to strike, wound) Jeremiah with 40 lashes. Then, he placed the Prophet in
stocks (to confine). It was a thing in which a prisoner's hands and legs were detained
in a contorted position that resulted in cramped muscles. The next morning Jeremiah
was released.

Jeremiah told the man that he would be a terror to himself and his friends for the Lord
was sending Babylon to invade Judah. Some would be killed and some would be taken
captive. Also, this chief governor would die.
This is the first mention of who would do that-Babylon.

God can take care of our enemies so be encouraged.

The Lord is on my side; I will not fear, what can 
man do unto me?  Psalm 117:6

LET IT GROW 
Trust God.

Faithfulness

O. T. #1771  "Faithfulness"
Sept. 4, 2020
Jeremiah 19

LET IT GLOW

What good thing can be said of  this message Jeremiah had to deliver? It made me sick just reading it a couple of times.
Well, we have to give Jeremiah credit-he was faithful in saying what God told him to say to Judah. And God is faithful in His love and protection of His children and the remnant of faithful believers in Judah.

Deuteronomy 7:9 says, He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him.

Psalm 9:10 reminds us, Those who know Your name will trust in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You.

Psalm 55:22 tells us to, Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall.

Psalm 57:10 says, Great is Your love, reaching to the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

Our God loves us, cares about our cares, is faithful, and never leaves us. How encouraging!

LET IT GROW

The Lord sent Jeremiah shopping for a broken potter's clay jar at the Hinnom Valley, near the entrance of the Potsherd Gate. (verses 1-2) It was the passage through which potters took their potsherds (broken pieces of potter) to be discarded. (Today it is a very deep valley called Kidron Valley on the south side of the city wall.) He brought the elders and priests to be a witness of this message so no one could plead ignorance of this prophesy.

Take a deep breath, friend, for God points out the vile sins of Judah and judgment of God:

• The ears of those hearing Jeremiah's message would tingle because God was bringing a terrible disaster upon that place. (verse 3)
• The people of Judah burned incense to foreign gods and filled this valley with the blood of innocents.  They threw their children into the fire, as sacrifices to sons of Molech. Drums were beaten to drown out the cries of the children.
• Their houses were desecrated by idolatrous worship of the sun, planets, and stars. (verse 13)
• They built pagan shrines to Baal, and burnet their sons as sacrifices to Baal. (verse 5)
• Desperate for food (enemies surrounded Jerusalem) during a long siege, some would resort to cannibalism, eating family members and friends. (verse 9)
• God would make Jerusalem desolate; people passing by it would hiss because of all the plagues. (verse 8)
• Desperate for food during a long siege, some would resort to cannibalism, eating family members and friends. (verse 9)
• As Jeremiah broke the bottle, potter's vessel that could not be made whole, he illustrated God breaking this people and this city. (verse 11)
• After hearing this prophesy, they hardened their necks, that they might not hear God's Words. (verse 15)

We know this prophesy came true. As Babylonian army came in 586 BC, they destroyed the Temple, businesses, and houses in Jerusalem. Those who were not killed were taken captive to Babylon.

May we not close up our eyes and eyes to God's Word. May we share with others the salvation Jesus has provided for us. When we repent of our sins, agree with God, and ask His forgiveness, He will save us.

LET IT GO
The God of the mountain is God of the valley.
His mercy never fails.
There is nothing better than You.

The Potter and the Clay

O. T. #1770 "The Potter and the Clay"
Sept. 3, 2020
Jeremiah 18-Part 3

LET IT GLOW

Hey ya'll, I can't move on with our study until I share some valuable lessons Jeremiah learned down at the potter's house. I ran across a message on You Tube that spoke to my heart and wanted to share the main points.

The Potter's Wheel, by Van Moody
1. The Potter's Choosing
     A. He selects the clay type to use, usable and pliable for His service and purpose. God chose us to
          be His child and for His service to fulfill His purpose.
     B. He separates the clay from everything else. God may separate us from some things, some
          people, and some places that a dedicated Christian should not have.
     C. He sanctifies the clay, washing and cleansing it. Imperfections and impurities are revealed as
          Jesus sanctifies us, setting us apart from others for His service.
2. The Potter's Cycling
     A. Clay is on the spinning wheel as the Potter is working with it and makes it stable. Our life may
          be spinning us around as the Jesus works in us. The Word of God may bring challenges in our
          life. The Holy Spirit changes us from the inside out. The Potter works on us to get us a ready  
          vessel for kingdom work.
 3. The Potter's Touch
      A. With His hands, the Potter applies an amount of pressure for molding the clay. Our decisions 
            can be different from usual. He uses situations and circumstances to influence those.
      B. The Potter uses water (Holy Spirit), His hands, and mind. His design is in His mind for our
           life. We live by faith, not by sight.. God knows what He is doing.
      C. The problem with marred clay is sin. It prevents us from doing His purposes. Call sin, sin and
           repent.
      D.  Clay can't fix itself. It can't change its blemishes, defects, and certainly can't save itself. Only
            Jesus can clean our heart of sin. If God doesn't do it, it won't get done.
4. The Potter's Choice
     A. He can destroy the marred clay and start over with another.
     B. He can reshape the clay that has flaws and mistakes. That is grace! God loves us so much that
          He doesn't give up on us, broken vessels, but continues to spin the wheel. God has our future,
          destiny, health, finances, family in His hands. The enemy wants to steal and destroy the clay.
5. Clay's Choice
      A. Stay on the wheel, allowing God to shape us into something beautiful. He wants to show the
           world what He can do with a lump of clay, a sinner that is moldable; that we are a beautiful
            lump of clay, a useful vessel, that brings Him honor and praise.
      B. Let God use us on His wheel for His will. Clay can't do things without the Potter, neither can
           we without God. Don't go off the wheel when in an uncomfortable season. Allow God to
            mold  us and shape us as He sees fit, into the vessel that He can use.

The Potter wants to put us back together again, even when we mess up and are a broken vessel. So go down to the Potter's house. Don't resist the working of the Potter in our life. Remember, He sees the finished product.

LET IT GROW

Poor Jeremiah. He was a faithful prophet, speaking the messages that God gave him to say to Judah. They devised devices (verse 18), slandered him, and plotted to take his life. They put Jeremiah into the bottom of a dungeon, a pit of mire. We can read about his rescue in chapter 38.

Jeremiah did not pray for his enemies, for God told him not to do so. Their destiny had already been determined because they would not repent of idolatry.

Jesus taught us to forgive our enemies, to love our enemies, and to do good to them. That would burn them up in attitude. (Heap coals of fire upon their heads.) In doing so, we show the forgiveness of Jesus, His grace and mercy.

LET IT GO
                    ... and let God mold us into vessels of honor.
                              ... and let Him put our broken life back together again.
Have Thine own way, Lord.
Father, You are the Potter and we are the clay.
Mold us and make us after Thy will, while we are waiting, yielded and still.
Have Thine own way, Lord.

Destroy or Build and Plant

O. T. #1769  "Destroy or Build and Plant"
Sept. 2, 2020
Jeremiah 18-Part 2

LET IT GLOW

We last studied about Jeremiah going down to the potter's house. He saw the potter molding the clay into a jar, but it became flawed. So he remade the jar; as it seemed right for him to do. (verse 4) The potter had the right to make whatever he chose from his clay, a do over with the same clay or throw it away.

In the Hebrew language, the word potter means to mold into a form; frame; purpose.

This illustrated that God has the right to save or destroy any individual or nation, since He is their Creator and Potter. He can remake any vessel as it seems right to Him, to send blessing or doom. An example was the Ninevites repenting of their sins when Jonah finally preaching to them.

Jeremiah was sent by God to deliver His message of repentance and spell out the options to Judah. However, God warned him ahead of time what the response of the people would be-rejection. (chapter 12).

LET IT GROW

And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it. And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it. (verses 7 and 9)

God had the right to remold His people. In His sovereignty He could:

• pluck (to tear down; forsake) up what He planted;
• pull (tear, beat, break, or throw down) down what He built;
• destroy (perish, break);
• or build,
• and plant.

Judah still had the responsibility of choosing righteousness, turn from their evil, or sin, doing evil. Judah would be the nation that would be molded by the Exile. God would rebuild and replant them again. And Judah would worship the Only True Living God, then.

Sin is the great mischief-maker between God and a people; it forfeits the benefit of His promises and spoils the success of their prayers. It defeats His kind intentions concerning them and baffles their pleasing expectations from Him. It ruins their comforts, prolongs their grievances, brings them into straits, and retards their deliverances (Is. 59:1-2).

Time and again we have seen families destroyed by sin. It comes with such a high price-reputation and trust. But God will forgive our sins. He will rebuild and plant good things in our lives after we repent.
We must continue to pray for our nation and her sins, interceding for others.

LET IT GO
Jesus has overcome sin. We must turn to Him for strength to resist temptations.

Do Overs

O. T. #1768  "Do Overs"
Sept. 1, 2020
Jeremiah 18

LET IT GLOW

Sixth Message

The Lord sent Jeremiah to the potter's house for an object lesson, as we read in this chapter. There, God spoke to Jeremiah with the sixth message to give Judah. (This probably occurred during the reigns of King Josiah and King Jehoiakim.) This pictures God's grace toward us.

Here is some helpful information on the potter and the clay as found in Liberty Bible Commentary:

Pottery-making was a familiar sight throughout the ancient Near East. Probably, the potter's house was located in the southern section of the city, or perhaps in the potter's field south of Jerusalem, just beyond the Valley of Hinnom. Wheels were two circular stones connected by a vertical shaft. the potter could sit at the wheel, spinning the lower stone with his feet and causing the upper disc to rotate. This enabled both hands to be free in order to work the clay. should the vessel become marred or any impurity detected, the potter would not discard the clay, but simply remold it into another vessel.

God is the Potter.

• A Person: Our lives are in the hands of a Person-Almighty God. He is our Creator, Father, and has a personal concern for our lives. He is the Potter. (Isa. 64:8)
• Power: Only God has the power to guide our lives. He is sovereign over all people. We cannot be blessed if we argue with Him or try to tell Him what to do (Rom. 9:20-24).
• A plan: God has a perfect plan for the clay (Rom. 12:1-2; Eph. 2:10: Phil. 1:6).  He sees the finished product in His mind. We cannot see the finished product, but He promises us that it is wonderful ( 1 Cor. 2:9).
• Patience: The potter patiently works the clay, tenderly molding its shape. God patiently directs in our lives, seeking to fulfill His will. Often He uses the hands of others to help shape us. It takes time to make a worthwhile product, and God is willing to wait. (Warren W. Wiersbe)

God knows how to bring salvation to our family, friends, community, and world. He looks for people who are willing to allow Him to shape them into the instruments He requires to do His divine work. He knows our strengths and weaknesses, as well as our abilities and spiritual gifts.

Just as a potter has freedom to make what he chooses from his clay, so the sovereign Lord has freedom to save or destroy any nation based on its response to His pronouncement of doom or blessing. (Tony Evans)

Jeremiah saw the potter shaping a vessel or jar. Do we see how God is shaping our life for His kingdom work? Are we a willing vessel, or does He have to break us in order to make us pliable to do His will?

LET IT GROW

We are the clay.

• We are clay, dust mixed with water; water of the Holy Spirit has given us life through faith in Christ.
• Clay has no great value in itself; but it can become something beautiful if molded by the right hands for the right purpose. When we yield to God's shaping our heart and life, we become something beautiful to be used for His purpose.
• The most important quality of clay is that it yields. If it fails to yield to the potter, then it is spoiled. If we fail to surrender to what God wants for us, He doesn't throw us away.
• It cannot mold itself, for it needs the potter. There are no self-willed Christians in the will of God. God wants us to pray, meditate, obey His will, and yield to His tender touch.
• A marred lump of clay, hard heart, can be changed into a vessel of great honor. If we have failed God, He graciously forgives us of our rebellion and sin, then remakes us again.
• Useful vessels do not manufacture anything; it only receives, contains, and shares. We receive His blessings and share them with others.
• God asks us to be available, clean, and empty. If we are too full of self, God cannot fill us, and if we are not filled, we cannot share anything with others. So may we yield to God and He will fills us with His love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, and faith.

The soft clay became misshapen, but the potter shaped it back into a good vessel. God will so do with Judah, if she repents, and us. God gave do overs, second chances, to David, Jonah, and Peter. Where ever we are in life, God can still use us in kingdom work, sharing what He has done for us.

LET IT GO
Be compliant, moldable, yielded clay.
Submit to His agenda and allow God to shape us like clay.