As I’m waiting my turn at the ATM, I notice the gentleman ahead of me has his t-shirt on inside out. So naturally I wondered, “What’s going on here?”
He got up early this morning and dressed in the dark, not seeing that his shirt was inside out. Sometimes in a hurry, I’ll fold my t-shirts inside out. I can turn them right side out later. (Unless I forget or I’m not paying attention or it’s dark?)
There is something offensive on the front of his shirt. Rather than choosing another shirt, he just wore it with the image on the inside for a trip to the bank.
Perhaps he was at a restaurant and got some food on the front of his shirt. He’ll change his shirt when he gets home. But for now, inside out will do.
“I’ll bet I could wear my t-shirt inside out and no one would notice.” There’s only one way to find out.
In any event, noticing something like this prompts me to pay more attention when I’m getting dressed in the morning!
Some “through the bible” thoughts from Jeremiah 14.
The Lord said to me: “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds” (Jeremiah 14:14).
Why were there so many lying prophets at the time of Jeremiah?
On the one hand, you have the prophet Jeremiah warning the congregation of enemy invasion, starvation, and illness (sword, famine, and pestilence).
On the other hand you’ve got “prophets” who say just the opposite, that is, “There will be peace and prosperity.” Their message is nothing but worthless lies, stuff they made up on their own. They will suffer the fate they deny, death by sword and famine.
Throughout history, Satan, always opposes God. The adversary will use what ever means he can, from demons to counter the angels, lies to challenge God’s truths, and false prophets who contradict the messengers of God. Martin Luther said, “Where God builds a church, the devil builds a chapel.” Satan always imitates God for the purpose of leading a person (or a nation) astray.
In 1 Kings 9, Saul is worried about consulting with a man of God because he has nothing to bring him. Fortunately, his servant has a quarter of a shekel they can give to the prophet Samuel. One could make a living acting the part of a prophet, even if you hadn’t been called by God.
How hard is it to tell people what they want to hear? Most people preferred to hear that everything was going to be okay, rather than a real prophet’s threatening call to repentance. False prophets abounded while those who actually called by God were few and far between.
Jesus told his disciples to be on guard against false prophets. They would abound and continue to proclaim lies in the life of the New Testament church.
That is a troubling truth. We sheep better know well the genuine voice of our shepherd.
Some “through the bible” thoughts from Jeremiah 13.
Jeremiah preached with cool object lessons. In Jeremiah 13 God tells him to get a pair of your tighty-whities (a loincloth in Old Testament times), bury them under a rock in a river for a while, and then retrieve them when they were wet, dirty, moldy, rotten, stained, and smelly.
The outline of Jeremiah sermon goes like this: “You won’t listen to God’s word, you do whatever you please, and you worship idols. You are as useful as this nasty pair of my underwear!” (Jeremiah 13:10). (Hold up the boxer briefs for effect.)
It’s a vivid, concrete, offensive, clear, and memorable image. Worthy of a handshake and, “Nice message, Jerry!” How many of us picture ourselves in that way?
You prefer the “God loves me and has a wonderful plan for my life” message, don’t you? I know I do. Who wouldn’t? (Can’t I at least be a nice clean pair of underwear?)
Jeremiah was faithful, but he wasn’t a popular prophet. He cut to the chase, no matter how insulting, gloomy, and insensitive the truth was.
Some “through the bible” thoughts from Jeremiah 9.
Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 9:23,24)
Have you ever met someone who boasted, “I know and understand God”? Yeah, me neither.
Instead I hear, “I don’t understand why God would do that.” Or, “I don’t know why God would allow that to happen.”
When someone asks, “So what have you been doing lately?” I never respond, “I’ve been getting to know God.” Instead I mention what I’ve been reading, the workouts I’ve been doing, all the things I’ve been writing about, places I’ve gone and things I’ve done, plus all the cooking and baking I’ve done.
Does that qualify as boasting? I don’t like to think so. After all, you asked. But I certainly don’t want to answer, “Not much.” I still fall prey to the notion that I must be productive. So I have to make sure you know that I’ve been doing something, something worthwhile, something that justifies my taking up space on the planet.
After I’ve shared my recent activity, it feels so good to hear, “Wow, sounds like you’ve been busy!” I love to hear that. It makes my day.
In Jeremiah 9, invading armies and widespread destruction are on the way because God’s people didn’t get it. They lived their lives as if they didn’t know God at all. Everything they learned, earned, and accomplished would mean little when Jerusalem was a heap of ruins and the cities of Judah were desolate and uninhabited (9:11).
I suppose there’s a lesson to be learned here. There always is. What if I asked, “So what have you been doing lately, God?” I’ll bet I’d be amazed at his response. Maybe I would exclaim, “Wow, sounds like you’ve been busy!”
When men fall, do they not rise again? If one turns away, does he not return? Why then has this people turned away in perpetual backsliding? They hold fast to deceit; they refuse to return. (Jeremiah 8:4,5)
I’m old enough to remember LifeAlert’s 1987 television commercial that featured a woman on the floor, crying out, “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” The LifeAlert system would make sure help was on the way.
Typically, when you fall down, you get up. Babies learning to walk fall back on diaper-padded bottoms and get back up as they find their balance and learn to walk. A pile of football players get up after blocks, runs, catches, and tackles, huddling up to get the next play. My grandkids run around the yard (and house), fall a lot, laugh and get up over and over and over.
But Jeremiah preaches to people who fall and don’t get up. They fall into idolatry and sin, but never repent, never return to God, never get back on the right track. It’s not that they can’t. They won’t. They refuse.
That’s Jeremiah’s congregation. They won’t listen. They refuse to change. They are impossible to teach.
The thing is, God wants to help you get back up. He knows you’re going to disobey, fail, blow it, and make a huge mess of things. But he’s all about forgiveness and restoration. He’ll do whatever it takes to get you back on your feet, even if you come away with a few bruises and lot of hard lessons learned.
So when you fall (fail), will you take his hand, or thumb your nose at God? When Peter walked on the water with Jesus, he suddenly began sinking. Jesus took his hand and pulled him up.
That’s the kind of God he is.
Are you going to pass that up? Are you going to refuse his help when you are out of answers? Are you going to dig in your heels when you know what you should do?
Yes, you will. Yes, I do. I am so thankful for his steadfast love and daily morning mercies!
Some “through the bible” devotional thoughts from Jeremiah 5.
I placed the sand as the boundary for the sea, a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass; though the waves toss, they cannot prevail; though they roar, they cannot pass over it. But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; they have turned aside and gone away. (Jeremiah 5:22,23)
The ocean is an imposing body of water. It is powerful. A single wave can knock you over. Riptides pull you helplessly away from the shore. Offshore storms create waves that rip apart piers and wash away resort beaches. The seas toss huge ships around as if they were nothing. Pressure at the bottom of the ocean crushes the sturdiest submarines.
But the ocean obeys its creator. They can only go as far as he permits.
People? They are stubborn. They are rebellious. They disregard the barriers of God’s law. They dismiss the guardrails of God’s statutes. They ignore his warnings. They go where they want. They do what they want.
Okay, let’s be honest here. Let’s correct the pronouns. I am stubborn. I am rebellious. I disregard the barriers. I dismiss the guardrails. I ignore the warnings. I go where I want and do what I want.
Let’s get it right. I’m a piece of work. I’m a mess. I’m greedy, selfish, judgmental, prideful, insensitive, and cruel. I’m the enigma Jeremiah describes. I’m the one part of God’s creation who doesn’t honor and obey the creator.
That’s a tough confession to make, isn’t it? It’s honest though, isn’t it? It’s truthful. It’s real. It’s puzzling. It makes Jeremiah’s words come to life. Yeah, he’s talking about me.
Once I get that right, the bible starts to make sense. I need help. I need God’s help. And I have a God who helps. With love, mercy, and grace he gets my attention, draws me in, and shows me how much he still loves me.
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. (Jeremiah 2:12,13)
I love Jeremiah’s imagery here. He condemns a couple of habits that many of us can relate to. We don’t think God can fulfill our needs, so we pursue other things, people, and experiences we believe will satisfy us.
Those pursuits are just futile. They are sinful, unfaithful, and idolatrous. They reveal distrust, unbelief, and outright disobedience.
Convicted? Yeah, me too.
What are my cisterns? Approval. “Likes” for anything I write. Feeling “fit” compared to so many overweights who can barely walk into a store. A little money in the bank. 20+ likes for any blog post.
Why am I not satisfied with what God provides? Great question. I have no profound answers.
Some “through the bible” thoughts from Jeremiah 1.
Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
“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.” (Jeremiah 1:4,5)
“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
Ask that question of you’ll children and you get answers that range from ballerina to firefighter to doctor. Later on, as high school graduation approaches, you need some career aspirations so you can pock your college classes. By the end of college, you may have changed your major a number of times. But the world changes so quickly that your first job may be one that didn’t even exist when you started school.
Jeremiah was on track to be a priest. It was the family business, so to speak. But God had another career in mind for him, picket out a long time ago. Prophet. God appointed Jeremiah to speak to nations on a collision course with a Babylonian invasion, destruction, and exile.
Does God have a career in mind for everyone? That’s a great question. (Spoiler: I don’t have the answer.) He created each of us with strengths, abilities, and aptitudes that move us toward certain jobs. He knows what jobs will exist in twenty years. But I think he leaves that choice up to you and me.
Jeremiah was a special case at a unique time in Judah’s history. God knew he would need someone like Jeremiah, and put him to work at just the right time.
Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest?… But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word. (Isaiah 66:1,2)
As the book of Isaiah draws to a close, the almighty God reminds us that he’s not so interested in any temples we could build for him. Instead he’s at home with those who who don’t have it all together, who have a boatload of regrets, and take what God has to say seriously.
Sounds simple enough, until I realize I typically do the opposite. I tend to be prideful, get defensive, make excuses, and treat God’s word lightly. Why is it so easy to get so far off track?
For some reason, there’s a desire to impress others, and that includes God. I’m doing a good job, I’m staying out of trouble, and I’ve got my favorite bible verses. Not much humility, contrition, or trembling.
What a great reminder that God is a lot bigger than me and my little world. Compared to the heavens and the earth (meaning everything), I don’t amount to much. But he cares a lot about me anyway, enough to remind me to fear, love, and trust him over and above anything else.
Waite for it... 