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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Friday, 28 July 2023:
Jeremiah 20:2 – Then Pashhur beat Jeremiah the prophet and put him in the stocks that were in the upper Benjamin Gate of the house of the Lord.
God does not always choose to protect His faithful servant from suffering and persecution at the hands of humans who have departed from God. However, God does promise to remain faithful to His suffering servant through persecution.
Jeremiah 20:3 – The next day, when Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord does not call your name Pashhur, but Terror on Every Side.”
Jeremiah was God’s messenger. He didn’t hold back God’s message from those who needed to hear it, regardless of whether or not he thought they would listen and regardless of the potential consequences he might endure for delivering an undesirable message. Often, we are far too concerned about our words being accepted than being communicated in truth and love as God desires us to do. Today, most pastors in America won’t even use words like “sin,” “Hell,” or “repent,” because these words are too unpopular and considered judgmental. God calls us to proclaim the truth, regardless of how others might choose to receive it.
Jeremiah 20:7-10 — I have become a laughingstock all the day; everyone mocks me. For whenever I speak, I cry out, I shout, “Violence and destruction!” For the word of the Lord has become for me a reproach and derision all day long. If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,” there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot. For I hear many whispering. Terror is on every side! “Denounce him! Let us denounce him!” say all my close friends, watching for my fall. “Perhaps he will be deceived; then we can overcome him.”
Jeremiah had a message no one wanted to hear. Not only did his message seem fanatical and foolish to others, it also seemed treasonous, a very serious matter. When they said to themselves, “Perhaps he will be deceived,” these former close friends were actually looking for a way to kill him legally (Deuteronomy 18:22; Jeremiah 18:23). The fact that Jeremiah had already declared (in our readings) several times that all other prophets were actually false prophets certainly didn’t add to his personal security (Jeremiah 5:31, 6:13, 8:10). Jeremiah didn’t have a death wish and wasn’t looking to be a martyr; in fact, at times he resented being put in that position (Jeremiah 20:7). Jeremiah simply couldn’t contain the Holy Spirit’s compulsion to testify to the truth, regardless the consequences. As much as he tried, he simply could not quench the Holy Spirit, and it cost him his family, his friends, and all his worldly comforts.
Remember, Jeremiah didn’t choose to be a prophet; he was chosen. When called by God, what else matters? The Great Treason would be to disobey the LORD. You too have been called by God to proclaim the truth to a land that has rejected God as KING and LORD. Now what? Jesus said, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). What did he say? ‘All’ will be persecuted. All who? All who desire to live a godly life will be persecuted. Just wanting to follow Jesus will set you up for persecution.
If you are not being persecuted for the truth in this day and age, it may be because you are not living a godly life, simply because you really don’t want to. And being “persecuted” isn’t the same as being “prosecuted,” which is a punishment you deserve for your wrongdoing. Everyone suffers on this earth due to the consequences of sin, particularly their own sins. However, suffering for the truth is a much different thing. “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.” (1 Peter 4:12-16)
- 1 Peter 5:9 — Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.
- Revelation 2:10 — Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.
“I shout, ‘Violence and destruction!’ For the word of the Lord has become for me a reproach and derision all day long.” Are you willing to be ostracized because of your message from God?
“If I say, “’will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,’ there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.” Jeremiah didn’t always want to speak the truth, but He couldn’t control Himself. He had to speak the truth. Does that describe you?
“’Denounce him! Let us denounce him!’ say all my close friends, watching for my fall.” The truth will separate close friends and family. Though others may abandon you, God will never leave you or forsake you. Remain faithful to Him, and show others what love and faithfulness looks like.
Jeremiah 20:11 — But the Lord is with me as a dread warrior; therefore my persecutors will stumble.
In your persecution, God is still in control and will take care of you. Vengeance is in His hands, not yours. Trust God to handle it.
Jeremiah 20:13 – Sing to the Lord; praise the Lord! For he has delivered the life of the needy from the hand of evildoers.
You can rejoice in persecution. You should rejoice in persecution.
Jeremiah 20:14-18 – Cursed be the day on which I was born! The day when my mother bore me, let it not be blessed! Cursed be the man who brought the news to my father, “A son is born to you,” making him very glad. Let that man be like the cities that the Lord overthrew without pity; let him hear a cry in the morning and an alarm at noon, because he did not kill me in the womb; so my mother would have been my grave, and her womb forever great. Why did I come out from the womb to see toil and sorrow, and spend my days in shame?
Some days you may wish you had never been born. Life is hard, even for God’s most faithful servants. Sometimes you have to praise God even when you don’t feel like it. Stay strong.
Luke 5:4-7 – Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.
When you are seeking to walk in obedience to God, obeying His word though it may seem to make no sense, He will reveal Himself to you by doing what you couldn’t. Putting down the nets was hard work, but God used that commitment to provide miraculous results. God honors obedience with God-sized results, but the hard work isn’t the cause of the results, God is. We show our commitment, and God shows His power. Ultimately, God is not merely trying to provide for our earthly needs, He is seeking to draw us closer to Him.
“When Christ teaches you something about Himself, He implements it into your life through experience. As the crowds gathered around, Jesus chose to board Peter’s boat and teach the people from there. All day long Peter sat in the boat listening to Jesus teach the multitudes. At the close of His discourse, Jesus allowed Peter to experience the reality of what He had just been teaching the crowd. The crowd had heard the truth, but Peter was to experience it.
Jesus put His teaching into language a fisherman could understand. He told Peter to put out his nets into the deep water. Peter hesitated, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing.” Peter had been fishing all night, had washed and repaired his nets in the morning, and then listened to Jesus teach. He was tired. He probably was not expecting a dramatic encounter with God at a time like that. Yet, as Peter obeyed Jesus, he pulled in such a miraculous catch of fish that his boat almost sank! Peter was filled with amazement and recognized that he had just experienced the power of God (Luke 5:4-11).
Peter learned that with a command from Jesus, he could do anything. Thus, Jesus was able to reorder Peter’s priorities from catching fish to catching men (Luke 5:10). Peter’s obedience led to a dramatic new insight into the person of Jesus. This was an invitation to walk with Jesus in an even more intimate and powerful way.
God does not want you to merely gain intellectual knowledge of truth. He wants you to experience His truth. There are things about Jesus you will learn only as you obey Him. Your obedience will then lead to greater revelation and opportunities for service.
No one knows how to help you in your times of failure as Jesus does! He will not overlook your shortcoming or simply encourage you to do better the next time. He will give you victory in the midst of your failure.
Peter had fished all night without success. His was not just a meager catch; he had caught nothing, even though he was a skilled fisherman. Jesus could have said, “Peter, don’t worry about your empty net. You’ll soon be in a different business anyway.’ Instead, Jesus told him to launch out into the deep and to cast out his nets for a catch. How humbling it must have been for Peter! Here was a carpenter telling this outspoken fisherman how to fish!
Jesus often gets your undivided attention when you fail. He sometimes takes you back to your place of defeat in order to build something good into your life. You may assume He must not want you to continue because you failed so miserably in your attempt. Perhaps your problem was that you relied on your own strength instead of the Master’s. Maybe you failed in a relationship. Jesus will not allow you to abandon it; He will help you learn from your failure and experience the difference He can make when He guides your relationships. When you try in God’s strength you may discover that success is indeed within your grasp. If you have recently experienced failure, you may be on the brink of receiving a profound revelation from God!” (Henry T. Blackaby)
Luke 5:8 – But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”
Experiencing the presence of God causes us to repent and to fear the LORD.
Luke 5:15 – But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities.
Jesus did not seek the crowds; they sought Him. Jesus didn’t beg for followers; He merely revealed the truth and let those who would accept the truth follow.
Luke 5:20 – And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”
Jesus brings healing and forgiveness to those who pursue Him.
Luke 5:17-24 – When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts?”
Some people want things from God instead of wanting God Himself and what He wants from them, which is unity, or oneness, with Him. Therefore, some people, who ‘believe’ in Jesus attempt to change their behavior to get results in their lives, while believers seek to change their hearts so they can remove anything which separates them from God, whether tangible blessings happen or not. They clean the outside of the cup and the plate without cleansing the inside (the heart), rather than seeking first the kingdom of God (God’s reign in their hearts). Believing in God and doing good deeds isn’t the same as loving God and being transformed by His love so that good deeds naturally pour from your life, like fruit. The demons believe in Jesus and shudder, and the Pharisees did a lot of good works, but neither truly love or loved Him to the point where His will and desires became their will and desires and His power became their power. (Matthew 23:25; Matthew 6:33)
- James 2:19 — You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!
- Isaiah 64:6 — We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
Luke 5:28 – And leaving everything, he rose and followed him.
Following Jesus involves surrendering all to Him.
Luke 5:33-6:9 – And they said to him, “The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.”
Religion, with its rites and rules, is easier to follow than following Jesus.
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 28 July 2023: Today, have a plan and work hard for God’s glory, but consider the true motive of your heart – Are you working to know Jesus more fully or to merely improve the quality of your life, get recognition, feel better about yourself, or somehow earn God’s love rather than receiving it freely as His precious child. Don’t let anything distract you from the ultimate aim of unity with Him and loving Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, regardless the external outcomes. Abide in God’s love and let everything else happen naturally, receiving all circumstances with thanksgiving, even the ones which seem unfavorable.
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 