TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
Jeremiah 14:11-16:15
1 Thessalonians 2:9-3:13
Psalm 80:1-19
Proverbs 25:1-5
Jeremiah 14:11-12 — There is no hope for deliverance when God has told me not to pray, especially if He doesn’t accept my fasting or sacrifice. Jeremiah could pray, but God said He would already protect him (Jeremiah 15:11). Jeremiah was prevented, however, from interceding for those that had knowledge of God but rejected Him.
Jeremiah 14:14 — What was the punishment for prophets who prophesied lies? Death (Deuteronomy 18:20)!
Jeremiah 14:17 — The Weeping Prophet again has his eyes running with tears night and day.
Jeremiah 15:1 — Moses interceded for Israel in Exodus 32:12-14 and Deuteronomy 9:13-14. Samuel interceded for Israel in 1 Samuel 7:5-11. But God says the time of intercession is over. Tragically, God allowed Abraham to intercede for Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 18:22-33. Abraham could beg for mercy for those who had not heard, but Jeremiah could not now intercede for those who heard and rejected.
Jeremiah 15:16 — Is God’s Word the joy and rejoicing of your heart? If not, are you called by Christ’s name?
Jeremiah 16:2 — Interesting the role of God in determining our wives. Jeremiah was denied a wife. Hosea was given a prostitute for a wife (Hosea 1:2). Adam didn’t have a choice about his wife (Genesis 2:22). God doesn’t necessarily want us married or single, but obedient to Him. Even if we are married, God wants us to be Christlike first. I just started reading a great book on this topic: Discovering the Mind of a Woman (Spoiler alert – it starts with being Christlike!).
Jeremiah 16:13-15 — From Jimmy DeYoung:
This is a “spiritual application” from this passage. As we come back now to the “technical interpretation” of the passage notice in verses 13-15 that the Lord speaks of scattering the Jews across the world, casting them out of their land to places they knew not, where they would serve other gods and the Lord would show them no favor.
Verse 14 reveals that the day will come when the Jews will not speak of the “Exodus” at the Passover Seder, as is the custom, but instead will talk about how the Lord brought them from the “land of the north” verse 15, and all the lands where they had been scattered for the last 2,000 years.
This prophecy is being fulfilled even today as we witness over one million Jews from Russia, the “land to the north,” immigrating into Israel. There are Jews who have come from over one hundred nations of the world, back into the land as Jeremiah said they would do in the last days.
http://devotional.prophecytoday.com/2017/12/jeremiah-1617.html
1 Thessalonians 2:12 — This is the 3rd time Paul has exhorted his people to walk worthy.
1 Thessalonians 2:13 — The Word of God is effectually working! It’s time to unleash it! As Charles Spurgeon said, “Defend the Bible? I would as soon defend a lion! Unchain it and it will defend itself.”
1 Thessalonians 3:10 — Wednesday night prayer meetings used to be a fixture at many churches, but now many of those meetings have fallen by the wayside. Perhaps the prayers go long, and people feel it has become routine. Imagine being at a prayer meeting with Paul!
Psalm 80:4 — Yes, our sin can block God hearing our prayer, as we saw earlier in Jeremiah 14:11. But God will hear us if we repent (1 John 1:9).
Proverbs 25:5 — Maybe you’re not one of the 15 remaining kings on earth, but if you’re a child of God, the Scripture says you can reign with Christ (Matthew 19:28, 2 Timothy 2:12, Revelation 3:21). How should you behave as a king? Take away the wickedness from your life! How do you find the wickedness? Ask God to search your heart (Psalm 139:23-24)!
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