The Lord had directed Jeremiah to invite the Recabite family in and serve them wine. But when he did, they responded with this covenant they had kept for generations. None of them had ever drank wine. The Lord then used this example to show how the Recabites had continued to uphold their forefather’s commandment…yet the people of Judah and Jerusalem couldn’t seem to keep God’s commandments.
Tag: power of god
Exodus 4: 11-12 ” The Lord said to him, ‘Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.’ “
Moses had many excuses of why he wasn’t the person to go to the Pharaoh and demand release of the Hebrew children. But the Lord countered with an airtight defense of why Moses was just the right man for the job. We want to argue with God, but speaking from very personal experience…you’ll never win. We can object all we want, but God desires obedience exclusively. For if He calls you to something, He can and will give you whatever skill is needed to accomplish that task. With God, arguing will get you nowhere…obedience on the other hand, will move His Kingdom forward.
Psalm 52: 8 ” But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God’s unfailing love forever and ever. “
I am planted like a thriving tree in Your presence Lord…grafted securely to the root of Jesse…my dependence is on You and You alone. I praise You Lord for Your never-ending mercy and kindness. I thank You for Your everlasting and eternal love. Amen.
Colossians 3:19 ” Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.”
I cringe inwardly every time I over hear a married couple bickering in public. It hurts my heart to hear a husband belittle his wife, and she return it with a volley of sharp and biting comments. The type of love in this verse that the Apostle Paul is talking about is a love rooted in the mind and will of the person, and means to value, esteem, prize…to treat as precious. The fastest way to embitter a person is to make them feel devalued, worthless, and unappreciated.
Proverbs 13:10 ” Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.”
Taking offense against another person only fosters conflict and produces anger. When our feelings are hurt, we rise up in righteous indignation and can easily allow arrogance to take over at that moment. We feel disrespected and insulted, not even listening to the wise counsel…for all we hear is an attack on our belief system…even if that belief system is corrupted. The world likes to take offense over the craziest things…But as a Believer, we need to be wary of allowing pride to color our interactions with others. Proverbs 9:9 states, ” Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.”
Acts 18: 9-10 ” One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: ‘ Do not be afraid; Keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.’ “
Satan would like us to think we’re out there working for the Lord alone…like the Lone Ranger, isolated and unaided by others. Satan would like us to be fearful in talking to others about the Lord…not wanting to offend…wanting rather, to be “politically correct”, even if it goes against the Word of God. Satan would like us to keep quiet, not rocking the boat of this modern liberal society. Satan doesn’t care if we read the Bible or pray…just as long as we don’t do it in public. But Satan also knows the power of the spoken Word, and what a transformation could take place… if Christians weren’t silent.
Ezra 4:24 ” Thus the work on the house of God in Jerusalem came to a stand-still until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.”
The book of Ezra recounts the efforts of the Jewish exiles who returned from Babylon to rebuild the Temple. Sixteen years would pass between the laying of the foundation and when work would take up again. God gave them the vision for the Temple…it was started…but then suspended. Just like the exiles, we too hear from God and plunge forward only to be sometimes detained. Sadly, it’s usually at that stoppage we throw in the towel and claim failure. But just because there’s a delay doesn’t mean it’s a defeat. The Lord never goes back on His promises, and any vision He’s given you…even if it’s been years…is still viable in His eyes. Remember, a delay doesn’t mean a defeat.
II Chronicles 30: 18-20 ” Although most of the many people who came from Ephraim, Manassh, Issachar, and Zebulum had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover, contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, ‘May the Lord, Who is good, pardon everyone who sets his heart on seeking God – the Lord, the God of his fathers – even if he is not clean according to the rules of the Sanctuary.’ And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people.”
In these verses we see the spirit of the Law vs the letter of the Law. In Matthew 23:23 Jesus chastised the Pharisees for their legalism and in doing so losing sight of the more important matters of the Law…things like justice, mercy, and faithfulness. The Lord always searches the heart for honesty and sincerity and will reward accordingly.
Jeremiah 6:17 ” I appointed watchman over you and said, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But you said, ‘We will not listen.’ “
It’s the age-old story of mankind’s rebellion against God. The Lord appoints prophets to bring His Word of obedience and warning…signaling man’s need to take immediate and dramatic action or pay the price. But what do we usually do? We don’t heed His Word, for we want to have our own way. Our evil hearts ever full of stubbornness and defiance when God says, “Obey Me.” We hear the trumpet, but choose to ignore it out of spite.
John 2: 25 ” He did not need man’s testimony about man, for He knew what was in a man.”
We seldom do something for others totally out of unselfish motives…for usually we have some hidden agenda, whether good or bad. We’ll do some kind gesture, with the inner thought of, “what’s in this for me?” Or we’ll go out of our way for someone, hoping others will see our sacrifice and praise us for all our hard work. The Lord knows our thoughts and examines our hearts and will immediately show us when our motivation is wrong. For God can bear witness to what lies within all humans…every self-seeking, egocentric, greedy fiber and part.
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