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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Thursday, 13 July 2023:
Jeremiah 4:1-3 – “If you return, O Israel, declares the Lord, to me you should return. If you remove your detestable things from my presence, and do not waver, and if you swear, ‘As the Lord lives,’ in truth, in justice, and in righteousness, then nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.” For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: “Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to the Lord; remove the foreskin of your hearts, O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn with none to quench it, because of the evil of your deeds.”
“If you return, O Israel, declares the Lord, to me you should return. If you remove your detestable things from my presence, and do not waver….” You are either going to follow Jesus or not. If you have decided to be a follower of Jesus, then do it; remove the things in your life that are compromising and do not waiver.
- James 4:4-8 — You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. We make light of sin. We make excuses for sin. We act like God doesn’t really care about sin. We think the grace of God makes sin a non-issue. We view sin as uncontrollable. But God’s word in Jeremiah holds us accountable for sin and challenges us to take a hard look at what is really in our hearts. We must choose between friendship with the world or friendship with God. If you are a Christian and choose to “love” the world, the Bible calls that adultery! In grace, we are to submit ourselves to God, resist the devil, and make the choice to draw near to God – this is an action. We must make the choice to cleanse our hands and purify our hearts. To call yourself a Christian and live in casual sin is to be double-minded. “Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to the Lord; remove the foreskin of your hearts, O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn with none to quench it, because of the evil of your deeds.”
Jeremiah 4:9, 10 – In that day, declares the Lord, courage shall fail both king and officials. The priests shall be appalled and the prophets astounded. Then I said, “Ah, Lord God, surely you have utterly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘It shall be well with you,’ whereas the sword has reached their very life.”
God holds BOTH religious leaders and political leaders accountable for the sins of the nation. We have much to say today about the state of our political leaders, but what about our religious leaders?
The nation who has turned from God has filled itself with religious and political leaders who tell them what they want to hear instead of the truth and therefore are surprised when judgment comes.
Jeremiah 4:19 – My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain! Oh the walls of my heart!
God is pained by your sin and punishes in anguish.
Jeremiah 4:22; 5:2, 5, 6, 12, 21, 22-24, 30, 31 — “For my people are foolish; they know me not; they are stupid children; they have no understanding. They are ‘wise’—in doing evil! But how to do good they know not…. Though they say, ‘As the Lord lives,’ yet they swear falsely…. They know the way of the Lord, the justice of their God. But they all alike had broken the yoke; they had burst the bonds…. their transgressions are many, their apostasies are great…. When I fed them to the full, they committed adultery…. They have spoken falsely of the Lord and have said, ‘He will do nothing; no disaster will come upon us, nor shall we see sword or famine….’ Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes, but see not, who have ears, but hear not. Do you not fear me? declares the Lord. Do you not tremble before me…. But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; they have turned aside and gone away. They do not say in their hearts, ‘Let us fear the Lord our God….’ An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land: the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their own direction; my people love to have it so, but what will you do when the end comes?
The ways of the world appear wise to the ungodly. They are out of touch with the wisdom of God. Many ‘religious’ people see themselves as good when God sees them as evil. Statistically, when looking at unbiblical social trends, those who sit in pews on Sunday, don’t look much different than those who don’t.
God says that only fools don’t have a love relationship with Him.
Jeremiah was not prophesying about non-believers, people who didn’t believe in God, didn’t have God’s word, or didn’t have the ability (spiritual eyes and ears) to understand God’s word. He was prophesying judgment upon God’s “people” and “children” who claimed to be godly but were living as they pleased rather than in love and obedience to God. They were committing spiritual adultery and telling themselves that God was good with it. There was no genuine reverence for God, and the church leaders were all preaching what made the people feel good about themselves rather than preaching repentance. What should we do in times like these? James says, “My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins (James 5:19, 20).” Again, James’ comments are not directed at people outside of the faith but rather those who have the truth and have wandered from it. We desperately need Christians who are willing to bring lost sheep back into the flock where the Shepherd leads.
1 Thessalonians 2:4-6, 13 — …just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others…. And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.
Trust God enough to be willing to share the Gospel with others, and trust God to convict hearts through His sovereign power, not through your eloquence. God has charged us and entrusted us to share the Gospel and to “walk in a manner worthy of God” as evidence of our testimony (v. 12). However, the spiritual battle is not ours but rather God’s. Speak the truth of the Gospel to all in love, and watch God work. Some will treat you shamefully (v. 2), and some will receive the word of God (v. 13). Trust God with and through the outcomes. Faithfully share the Gospel, and this will be your glory and joy upon Christ’s return. “For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy.” (1 Thessalonians 2:19, 20)
- Colossians 1:24-29 — Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.
- 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 — And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
- Romans 1:16 — For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
- 2 Timothy 1:8-14 — Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me. Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.
- 1 Peter 4:16 — Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 13 July 2023: Share the Gospel with as many as you can today.
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 