Jeremiah 35:1-36:32 ~ 1 Timothy 5:1-25 ~ Psalm 89:14-37 ~ Proverbs 25:25-27
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Old Testament - Jeremiah chapter 35 today is a fantastic example of obedience from the Recabites! Interestingly, the Recabites are being obedient to a human's word... This stands in stark contrast to the Israelites disobedience to God's Word... Do we do this sometimes in our lives? Obey human words and disobey God's Word?
Jeremiah 36 is a great chapter. It is awesome to read about the writing down of God's words to Jeremiah on a scroll by Baruch! Unfortunately, that first scroll gets burned. Pretty crazy to think about King Jehoiakim listening to God's words in the scroll and then burning it as he listens... I love how today's readings end in verse 32: "Then Jeremiah took another scroll and dictated again to his secretary Baruch. He wrote everything that had been on the scroll King Jehoiakim had burned in the fire. Only this time, he added much more!" You better believe God had Jeremiah add much more to the 2nd scroll after King Jehoiakim cut up and burned the first scroll!
New Testament - First Timothy 5:8 is a powerful teaching from Paul today: "But those who won't care for their own relatives, especially those living in the same household, have denied what we believe. Such people are worse than unbelievers." This is such a great reminder to care for our parents as they get older! I have seen some family members and friends do this for their parents - and uncles and other relatives - and it is such a blessing to see in action. This reminds me of the commandment of "Honor your father & mother." What a blessed way to honor your father and mother by caring for them when they are older!
First Timothy 5:24 is so important: "Remember, the sins of some people are obvious, leading them to certain judgment. But there are others whose sins will not be revealed until later." There is so much I could say about this verse. First and foremost, I think each of us needs to consider this verse in our own lives. Are there sins in our life that no one else knows about? Do you think that God knows about these secret sins? Do you think those secret sins will indeed eventually be revealed? I recently heard Dennis Prager (radio talk show host) talking about secrets. And basically he made the point that none of us should have secrets in our life because if we do those secrets will not "keep" - they'll spoil us inside and, worst case, someday they could explode in horrendous ways. Prager made the comment that someone in our life needs to know absolutely everything in our life. (not that everyone in our life needs to know everything - but at least one person does) He ranked this in order of who he thought should know everything about us: 1. your spouse 2. a good trusted friend. 3. a clergy or professional counselor. It was interesting that Prager did make the point that he didn't think that your child(ren) need to know absolutely everything - but someone does... Obviously, we all know that God knows everything about us. But, I think there is so much truth in that one of the key ways to rid ourselves of a secret sin is to bring it out of the dark and into the Light by sharing that secret with someone else. And if it's a continuing sin, ask that person for help and accountability. Let us not wait until we meet the Lord face to face for us to rid ourselves of the rotten burden of secrets! Let us shine a Light on the secrets now for healing & peace!
Psalms - I love Psalm 89:15 today! "Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship, for they will walk in the light of your presence, Lord." Do you hear the joyful call to worship in your life? Do you worship God with a community of believers each week? (i.e. at a church... be it a house church or regular church or some church...) Will you choose to walk in the light of God's presence each week?
Proverbs - Proverbs 25:6 today is strong: "If the godly compromise with the wicked, it is like polluting a fountain or muddying a spring." Is there an area in your life where you might be compromising? Will you return to the pure spring water of life? Where can you find the pure spring water of life? Will you stop polluting in your own life?
Proverbs 25:7 is strong too - "Just as it is not good to eat too much honey, it is not good for people to think about all the honors they deserve." Do you think we sometimes focus too much on honors and recognition? Can this cloud our sight of God? Why are we sometimes so attracted to all the honors "we deserve..."? What do these honors gain us in the end? Can these honors even become idols in our lives?
YouTube - Proverbs 25:7 in today's readings reminds me of a sermon about pursuing humility that I recently listened to from Pastor Mark Driscoll with Mars Hill Church in Seattle. Who, by the way just embarked on a 3-year journey through the book of Luke! Are there any other Mark Driscoll fans out there? I listen to his podcasts frequently. Here's a brief snippet of the pursuing humility sermon (don't let the skull & bones / graveyard intro to this video scare you off from watching it...):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Are you pursuing humility in your life? Click here to receive true humility!
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on two verses of Scripture this week: "Train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." First Timothy 4:7-8 (NIV)
Comments from You: What verses or insights stand out to you from today's readings? Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!
Grace, love, peace, and joy!
Mike
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