Category: Through the Bible Devotions

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Jeremiah’s nasty underwear sermon

Posted on by William Douthwaite

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.

Posted in productivity, Through the Bible Devotions

What have you been doing?

Posted on by William Douthwaite

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!”

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Just get up

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Matias Ilizarbe on Unsplash

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!

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Lessons from the ocean

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Sean on Unsplash

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.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Broken cisterns rather than a fountain?

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Muneer ahmed ok on Unsplash

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.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

I have a job for you

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Resume Genius on Unsplash

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.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

He’s got a footstool. Now he wants you.

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Isaiah 66.

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.

Even myself.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Sometimes all you have to do is wait

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Valentin Wallet on Unsplash

Some “through the Bible” thoughts from Isaiah 64.

From of old no one has heard
    or perceived by the ear,
no eye has seen a God besides you,
    who acts for those who wait for him.
You meet him who joyfully works righteousness,
    those who remember you in your ways. (Isaiah 64:4,5)

This description of God brings up a good question, “Should I do something or wait for God to take care of it?” After all, he “acts for those who wait for him.”

Most people probably believe that you can’t just sit around and wait for God to take care of a situation. You get to work and do what needs to be done.

And yet on the other hand, in retrospect, God takes care of a lot of things without our help.

My garden is a good example. I had high hopes for lots of home grown veggies. I made raised boxes, filled them with good soil, supplemented the soil with homemade compost, built chicken wire cages to keep the squirrels out, watered, weeded, and staked up the tomatoes. Most of the lettuce died, a got more than enough jalapenos, and found out that cherry tomatoes are the only ones that grow well in my beds.

I didn’t plant much this past spring. (In Florida you plant in February or October, when the weather is a little better.) Lots of weeds grew. But so did a pepper plant. A green bell pepper plant. Which I’ve never planted. It must have been from the compost. I walked out there one day and harvested two pretty nice peppers for my salads. All courtesy of the creator, who made fruit-bearing plants that reproduced themselves.

All I had to do was wait.

I take medicine when I don’t feel well. But for the most part, my immune system takes care of my ailments and I feel better after a few days of rest.

All I have to do is wait.

Earlier this year, I worked hard to rehab our backyard lawn that had been torn up by an energetic Great Dane puppy. Sod, sod plus, filling holes, and taking her for more walks. Then the rains came, and the yard suddenly came to life. The grass grew in nice and thick so that I had to start cutting it every 4 or 5 days.

All I had to do was wait.

God provides in lots of different ways. Parents while we’re growing up, jobs and the ability to do them, friends who help us out, a earth filled with resources, and government. So no matter how hard you work, he ultimately gets the credit. And if you choose to wait, he gets the credit as well.

To God be the glory.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Instead of

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Mariana Medvedeva on Unsplash

Some “through the Bible” thoughts from Isaiah 61.

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me…
    to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
    the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit (Isaiah 61:1,3).

What do you think of those restaurants whose menus announce, “No substitutions?”

  • “Can I get a side salad instead of the vegetable medley?”
  • “Could you give me a baked potato instead of the smashed garlic potatoes?”
  • “I’m gluten free. Can I get celery instead of the pita chips?”
  • “I’m vegan. Do you have Beyond meat?” (at a steak restaurant, lol)

Burger King was the chain who conditioned us to think we can have it our way. John Wanamaker supposedly said, “The customer is always right.” Plenty of “Karens” have led us to believe we can bully our way around a “no substitution” world.

On the other hand, God is all about “instead of.”

  • Joy instead of gloom.
  • A beautiful outfit instead of a black suit for a funeral.
  • A smile instead of a frown.
  • Life instead of death.

This world offers little. God offers so much. Grace instead of shame. Forgiveness instead of condemnation. Renewal instead of expiration. Fresh instead of stale. Victory instead of defeat. The old has gone; the new has come!