Reflecting God - Embrace Holy Living - The Global of the Nazarene's Foundry Publishing House in Kansas City, Missouri, United States for Tuesday, 5 June 2018 "It's Not God's Fault" by Carol Rittenhouse - Jeremiah 2:10-19.
Jeremiah 2:10 Cross to the coasts of the Kitti’im and look;
send to Kedar and observe closely;
see if anything like this has happened before:
11 has a nation ever exchanged its gods
(and theirs are not gods at all!)?
Yet my people have exchanged their Glory
for something without value.
12 Be aghast at this, you heavens!
Shudder in absolute horror!” says Adonai.
13 “For my people have committed two evils:
they have abandoned me,
the fountain of living water,
and dug themselves cisterns, broken cisterns,
that can hold no water!
14 “Is Isra’el a slave, born into serfdom?
If not, why has he become plunder?
15 The young lions are roaring at him —
how loudly they are roaring!
They desolate his country,
demolishing and depopulating his cities.
16 The people of Nof and Tachpanches
feed on the crown of your head.
17 “Haven’t you brought this on yourself
by abandoning Adonai your God
when he led you along the way?
18 If you go to Egypt, what’s in it for you?
Drinking water from the Nile?
If you go to Ashur, what’s in it for you?
Drinking water from the [Euphrates] River?
19 Your own wickedness will correct you,
your own backslidings will convict you;
you will know and see how bad and bitter
it was to abandon Adonai your God,
and how fear of me is not in you,”
says Adonai Elohim-Tzva’ot. (Complete Jewish Bible).
***
Our actions are not free of consequences. When reading through Jeremiah 2, one thing may be hard to discern but is abundantly clear: God is grieved. God is absolutely exasperated with the decision of Israel to reject God’s love and leadership, even his very presence, for the temporal and ineffective worship of other gods. At times we may tend to focus on God’s wrath or God’s anger at our disobedience and outright rejection. I am most struck, however, with God’s sadness at it. Sometimes its easier to see how someone else may be drifting away from God than it is to see our own lives. Whether or not we see the consequences coming, however, they do exjst. Over time the people of Israel came to believe they could do whatever they wanted without consequences. Their subtle rejections of God in small ways resulted in complete abandonment of God as Lord. We can easily fall into that same trap—we are “children of God” so what bad can happen? God will protect me! The story of Israel serves as an important warning to us. We must guard against the subtle slide into serving other gods.
***
Hymn for Today: "I Belong To The King" by Ida Reed Smith.
1. I belong to the King, I’m a child of His love,
I shall dwell in His palace so fair;
For He tells of its bliss in yon heaven above,
And His children in splendor shall share.
Chorus: I belong to the King, I’m a child of His love,
And he never forsaketh His own;
He will call me some day to His palace above,
I shall dwell by His glorified throne.
2. I belong to the King, and He loves me I know,
For His mercy and kindness, so free,
Are unceasingly mine wheresoever I go,
And my refuge unfailing is He.
Chorus: I belong to the King, I’m a child of His love,
And he never forsaketh His own;
He will call me some day to His palace above,
I shall dwell by His glorified throne.
3. I belong to the King, and His promise is sure,
That we all shall be gathered at last
In His kingdom above, by life’s waters so pure,
When this life with its trials is past.
Chorus: I belong to the King, I’m a child of His love,
And he never forsaketh His own;
He will call me some day to His palace above,
I shall dwell by His glorified throne.
Thought for Today: But the face of Adonai opposes those who do evil,
to cut off all memory of them from the earth.
[The righteous] cried out, and Adonai heard,
and he saved them from all their troubles. (Psalm 34:17 (Complete Jewish Bible)).
Please pray: That many people in Burundi will come to know Yeshua as their Messiah and receive the fullness of the Ruach HaKodesh.
Reflecting God - Embrace Holy Living - The Global of the Nazarene's Foundry Publishing House in Kansas City, Missouri, United States for Monday, 4 June 2018 "It Started So Good" by Carol Rittenhouse - Jeremiah 2:1-9.
Jeremiah 2:1-The word of Adonai came to me: 2 “Go and shout in the ears of Yerushalayim that this is what Adonai says:
‘I remember your devotion when you were young;
how, as a bride, you loved me;
how you followed me through the desert,
through a land not sown.
3 “‘Isra’el is set aside for Adonai,
the firstfruits of his harvest;
all who devour him will incur guilt;
evil will befall them,” says Adonai.
4 Hear the word of Adonai, house of Ya‘akov
and all families in the house of Isra’el;
5 here is what Adonai says:
“What did your ancestors find wrong with me
to make them go so far away from me,
to make them go after nothings
and become themselves nothings?
6 They didn’t ask, ‘Where is Adonai,
who brought us out of the land of Egypt,
who led us through the desert,
through a land of wastes and ravines,
through a land of drought and death-dark shadows,
through a land where no one travels
and where no one ever lived?’
7 I brought you into a fertile land
to enjoy its fruit and all its good things;
but when you entered, you defiled my land
and made my heritage loathsome.
8 The cohanim didn’t ask, ‘Where is Adonai?’
Those who deal with the Torah did not know me,
the people’s shepherds rebelled against me;
the prophets prophesied by Ba‘al
and went after things of no value.
9 “So again I state my case against you,” says Adonai,
“and state it against your grandchildren too. (Complete Jewish Bible).
***
What happens when the newness wears off? I remember in my childhood years that we would claim boredom in the summertime even though we were surrounded with a plethora of toys and games to keep to keep us entertained. But what seemed so great at the beginning of summer sokn lost its luster. The people of Israel started out being wholly devoted to God. It was new and fresh, and the feelings were strong. When the newness wears off, the decision must be made consciously to choose love regardless of feelings.
Our life in Christ will not always feel as exciting as when we made the decision to follow Christ. If allowed, however, time will give way to a deeper relationship, created by deciding every day that love and commitment is worth the effort. A happy couple celebrating 50 years of marriage often returns to those sweet beginning days, but with a much fuller understanding of the commitment they made. It’s not that they “feel” the newness again, but they recognize it as an important starting point. Have you grown bored in your life with Christ? Have you grown bored in your life with Christ? Maybe it’s time to focus anew on God’s provision over the years and reflect on the place to where God has brought you.
***
Hymn for Today: "Blessed Assurance" by Fanny J. Crosby.
1. Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
Refrain: This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.
2. Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels, descending, bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
Refrain: This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.
3. Perfect submission, all is at rest,
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love
Refrain: This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.
Thought for Today: He who wins the victory will, like them, be dressed in white clothing; and I will not blot his name out of the Book of Life; in fact, I will acknowledge him individually before my Father and before his angels. (Revelation 3:5 (Complete Jewish Bible)).
Please lray: For the development of Christian leaders in Burkina Faso.
***
Reflecting God - Embrace Holy Living - The Global of the Nazarene's Foundry Publishing House in Kansas City, Missouri, United States for Sunday, 3 June 2018 "Called To Rescue" by Carol Rittenhouse - Proverbs 12:1-14.
Jeremiah 2:10 Cross to the coasts of the Kitti’im and look;
send to Kedar and observe closely;
see if anything like this has happened before:
11 has a nation ever exchanged its gods
(and theirs are not gods at all!)?
Yet my people have exchanged their Glory
for something without value.
12 Be aghast at this, you heavens!
Shudder in absolute horror!” says Adonai.
13 “For my people have committed two evils:
they have abandoned me,
the fountain of living water,
and dug themselves cisterns, broken cisterns,
that can hold no water!
14 “Is Isra’el a slave, born into serfdom?
If not, why has he become plunder?
15 The young lions are roaring at him —
how loudly they are roaring!
They desolate his country,
demolishing and depopulating his cities.
16 The people of Nof and Tachpanches
feed on the crown of your head.
17 “Haven’t you brought this on yourself
by abandoning Adonai your God
when he led you along the way?
18 If you go to Egypt, what’s in it for you?
Drinking water from the Nile?
If you go to Ashur, what’s in it for you?
Drinking water from the [Euphrates] River?
19 Your own wickedness will correct you,
your own backslidings will convict you;
you will know and see how bad and bitter
it was to abandon Adonai your God,
and how fear of me is not in you,”
says Adonai Elohim-Tzva’ot. (Complete Jewish Bible).
***
Our actions are not free of consequences. When reading through Jeremiah 2, one thing may be hard to discern but is abundantly clear: God is grieved. God is absolutely exasperated with the decision of Israel to reject God’s love and leadership, even his very presence, for the temporal and ineffective worship of other gods. At times we may tend to focus on God’s wrath or God’s anger at our disobedience and outright rejection. I am most struck, however, with God’s sadness at it. Sometimes its easier to see how someone else may be drifting away from God than it is to see our own lives. Whether or not we see the consequences coming, however, they do exjst. Over time the people of Israel came to believe they could do whatever they wanted without consequences. Their subtle rejections of God in small ways resulted in complete abandonment of God as Lord. We can easily fall into that same trap—we are “children of God” so what bad can happen? God will protect me! The story of Israel serves as an important warning to us. We must guard against the subtle slide into serving other gods.
***
Hymn for Today: "I Belong To The King" by Ida Reed Smith.
1. I belong to the King, I’m a child of His love,
I shall dwell in His palace so fair;
For He tells of its bliss in yon heaven above,
And His children in splendor shall share.
Chorus: I belong to the King, I’m a child of His love,
And he never forsaketh His own;
He will call me some day to His palace above,
I shall dwell by His glorified throne.
2. I belong to the King, and He loves me I know,
For His mercy and kindness, so free,
Are unceasingly mine wheresoever I go,
And my refuge unfailing is He.
Chorus: I belong to the King, I’m a child of His love,
And he never forsaketh His own;
He will call me some day to His palace above,
I shall dwell by His glorified throne.
3. I belong to the King, and His promise is sure,
That we all shall be gathered at last
In His kingdom above, by life’s waters so pure,
When this life with its trials is past.
Chorus: I belong to the King, I’m a child of His love,
And he never forsaketh His own;
He will call me some day to His palace above,
I shall dwell by His glorified throne.
Thought for Today: But the face of Adonai opposes those who do evil,
to cut off all memory of them from the earth.
[The righteous] cried out, and Adonai heard,
and he saved them from all their troubles. (Psalm 34:17 (Complete Jewish Bible)).
Please pray: That many people in Burundi will come to know Yeshua as their Messiah and receive the fullness of the Ruach HaKodesh.
Reflecting God - Embrace Holy Living - The Global of the Nazarene's Foundry Publishing House in Kansas City, Missouri, United States for Monday, 4 June 2018 "It Started So Good" by Carol Rittenhouse - Jeremiah 2:1-9.
Jeremiah 2:1-The word of Adonai came to me: 2 “Go and shout in the ears of Yerushalayim that this is what Adonai says:
‘I remember your devotion when you were young;
how, as a bride, you loved me;
how you followed me through the desert,
through a land not sown.
3 “‘Isra’el is set aside for Adonai,
the firstfruits of his harvest;
all who devour him will incur guilt;
evil will befall them,” says Adonai.
4 Hear the word of Adonai, house of Ya‘akov
and all families in the house of Isra’el;
5 here is what Adonai says:
“What did your ancestors find wrong with me
to make them go so far away from me,
to make them go after nothings
and become themselves nothings?
6 They didn’t ask, ‘Where is Adonai,
who brought us out of the land of Egypt,
who led us through the desert,
through a land of wastes and ravines,
through a land of drought and death-dark shadows,
through a land where no one travels
and where no one ever lived?’
7 I brought you into a fertile land
to enjoy its fruit and all its good things;
but when you entered, you defiled my land
and made my heritage loathsome.
8 The cohanim didn’t ask, ‘Where is Adonai?’
Those who deal with the Torah did not know me,
the people’s shepherds rebelled against me;
the prophets prophesied by Ba‘al
and went after things of no value.
9 “So again I state my case against you,” says Adonai,
“and state it against your grandchildren too. (Complete Jewish Bible).
***
What happens when the newness wears off? I remember in my childhood years that we would claim boredom in the summertime even though we were surrounded with a plethora of toys and games to keep to keep us entertained. But what seemed so great at the beginning of summer sokn lost its luster. The people of Israel started out being wholly devoted to God. It was new and fresh, and the feelings were strong. When the newness wears off, the decision must be made consciously to choose love regardless of feelings.
Our life in Christ will not always feel as exciting as when we made the decision to follow Christ. If allowed, however, time will give way to a deeper relationship, created by deciding every day that love and commitment is worth the effort. A happy couple celebrating 50 years of marriage often returns to those sweet beginning days, but with a much fuller understanding of the commitment they made. It’s not that they “feel” the newness again, but they recognize it as an important starting point. Have you grown bored in your life with Christ? Have you grown bored in your life with Christ? Maybe it’s time to focus anew on God’s provision over the years and reflect on the place to where God has brought you.
***
Hymn for Today: "Blessed Assurance" by Fanny J. Crosby.
1. Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
Refrain: This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.
2. Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels, descending, bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
Refrain: This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.
3. Perfect submission, all is at rest,
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love
Refrain: This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.
Thought for Today: He who wins the victory will, like them, be dressed in white clothing; and I will not blot his name out of the Book of Life; in fact, I will acknowledge him individually before my Father and before his angels. (Revelation 3:5 (Complete Jewish Bible)).
Please lray: For the development of Christian leaders in Burkina Faso.
***
Reflecting God - Embrace Holy Living - The Global of the Nazarene's Foundry Publishing House in Kansas City, Missouri, United States for Sunday, 3 June 2018 "Called To Rescue" by Carol Rittenhouse - Proverbs 12:1-14.
but he who hates correction is a boor.
2 A good man obtains Adonai’s favor,
but the schemer his condemnation.
3 No one is made secure by wickedness,
but the roots of the righteous will never be moved.
4 A capable wife is a crown for her husband,
but a shameful one is like rot in his bones.
5 The plans of the righteous are just,
but the schemes of the wicked are deceitful.
6 The words of the wicked are a deadly ambush,
but the speech of the upright rescues them.
7 Once the wicked are down, it’s the end of them;
but the house of the upright endures.
8 A person wins praise in keeping with his common sense,
but a person with a warped mind is treated with contempt.
9 Better to be despised and have a servant
than to boast of one’s status but have nothing to eat.
10 A righteous man takes care of his animal,
but the wicked? Even his compassion is cruel.
11 He who farms his land will have plenty of food,
but he who follows futilities has no sense.
12 The wicked covet the loot of evil men,
but the root of the righteous gives forth of itself.
13 The wicked is trapped by his own sinful speech,
but the righteous finds a way out of trouble.
14 One can be filled with good as the result of one’s words,
and one gets the reward one’s deeds deserve.. (Complete Jewish Bible)
***
Our character will always be revealed in our words. Television, social media, and politics thrive on character assassination and they revel in the failures of others. The hotter the scandal, the more it is covered. People used watched their words. Now however, we act as if words have no weight. The truth is that words mean things. Proverbs 12:6 reads that the “words . . . lie in wait for blood.” Words meant to draw blood—hurt or injure—are never from God. No, my friend, no matter the truth, our words should never draw blood. On the other side, our words can be used to heal and repair damage. Scripture tells us often that our words should be seasoned with salt (useful and beneficial).
So how do we gauge whether or not our words are appropriately tempered? What is in our hearts will come out in words. If you are harboring envy, jealousy, and revenge in your heart, your words will betray you. If however your attitude is one of humility and discernment, your words can and will be used in a way God intended—for the benefit of the hearer.
***
Hymn for Today: "I Know Whom I Have Believed" by Daniel W. Whittle.
1. I know not why God's wondrous grace to me he hath made known,
nor why, unworthy, Christ in love
redeemed me for his own.
Refrain: But I know whom I have believed,
and am persuaded that he is able
to keep that which I've committed
unto him against that day.
2. I know not how this saving faith
to me he did impart,
nor how believing in his word
wrought peace within my heart. Refrain: But I know whom I have believed,
and am persuaded that he is able
to keep that which I've committed
unto him against that day.
3. I know not how the Spirit moves,
convincing us of sin,
revealing Jesus through the word,
creating faith in him. Refrain: But I know whom I have believed,
and am persuaded that he is able
to keep that which I've committed
unto him against that day.
4. I know not when my Lord may come,
at night or noonday fair,
nor if I walk the vale with him,
or meet him in the air. Refrain: But I know whom I have believed,
and am persuaded that he is able
to keep that which I've committed
unto him against that day.
Thought for Today: 1 (0) By David:
(1) Adonai is my light and salvation;
whom do I need to fear?
Adonai is the stronghold of my life;
of whom should I be afraid? (Psalm 27.1)(Complete Jewish Bible).
Please pray: That many people in Burkisa Faso will come to know Yeshua as their Messiah and receive the fullness of the Ruach HaKodesh.
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***
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