August 13 ~ tammi

Today's reading from the One-Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan is Jeremiah 31:15-40; 49:34-51:14.

At first blush, I'll admit today's reading bored me a little. But then I started thinking about what I was reading and suddenly it became considerably more interesting.

Jeremiah concludes his letter to the Israelites already in captivity promising their eventual restoration, but also brings the exciting news of a NEW COVENANT with God! I've never thought much about it, but this must have created quite a buzz! For hundreds of years now they've been moved together as a nation by God ~ rewarded as a nation for faithfulness and punished as a nation for waywardness ~ but now they get wind of a day when they will be held accountable as individuals rather than corporately. No longer will future generations bear the direct punishments their ancestors received as a result of past sins. I imagine this was pretty huge news!

And probably came as something of a relief, something to look forward to, for those who had believed God and yet still found themselves in captivity due to the general unbelief of their fellow countrymen. Not only were they being promised physical, geographical restoration, but a form of spiritual restoration that would and could no longer be affected by the practices of those around them.

Then we come to more pronouncements of judgement against the surrounding nations and one thing that I found interesting is the statement at the end of the prophecy against Elam: "Yet I will restore the fortunes of Elam in days to come," declares the LORD. (49:39)

I thought that sounded familiar, and sure enough, we read similar statements concluding the prophecies against Moab and Ammon, of all things! These were nations God HATED! And yet in 48:47 and 49:6 we see Him saying the same things ~ future restoration for these nations as well.

I had to do some digging because it seems a lot of commentaries kind of skip over these verses and focus only on the judgments, but the Jamieson, Fausset & Brown commentaries on Chapter 48 and Chapter 49 make some interesting points about these verses:

• Restoration was promised to Moab and Ammon for the sake of Lot, their "founding father," who was credited with righteousness. This was partially fulfilled under Cyrus, and in Gospel times more fully.


• The "latter days" referred to in these verses are generally believed to be gospel times. Gospel blessings, temporal and spiritual, are promised to Jews AND Gentiles in the last days.


• And interestingly, the Elamites were among the first who heard the Gospel and accepted it ( Act 2:9 ).

So we find the whole reading today points to our Savior, the Christ who came to reconcile both Jews and Gentiles to God. His name isn't mentioned, there is no specific promise of a Messiah in these passages, but these prophecies point to His coming and the restoration He provided us with His shed blood on the cross.

Suddenly, a seemingly uninteresting passage takes on new light and becomes a beautiful love letter from God!









Tomorrow's passages: Jeremiah 51:15-58; 2 Chronicles 36:6-10; 2 Kings 24:10-17; 1 Chronicles 3:10-16; 2 Chronicles 36:11-14; Jeremiah 52:1-3; 2 Kings 24:18-20; Jeremiah 37:1-10. (I believe there's a typo on the reading plan ~ it shows 2 Chron. 3:6-10, but 36:6-10 makes much more sense.)

August 12th

Today's reading from the One Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan is Jeremiah 23:33-24:10, 29:1-31:14

I feel like my thoughts are going in two completely different directions in response to today's passage and I'm not sure where to go with that. So, I think I'm going to mention both of them, and try not to make this too long!

The first thing I noticed was the huge amount of hopeful verses given to the exiled people of Judah. I have noticed these verses before, and indeed, many of them are common memory verses. But what I have not noticed abuot these verses before is their context.

As we've discussed for a long time now, the people of Judah had basically sunk into such an evil depravity that God was finally punishing them with the consequences He had informed them of way back when they first entered the Promised Land. Things had finally got to the point where severe punishment was necessary - both simply for justifiable punishment reasons, and in an attempt to draw them back into a relationship with God once more. The people of Judah are finally conquered by the Babylonians (and seiges are none too pleasant!) and sent into exile (not a fun walk in the park either) and THAT is the context of these amazing verses of promise and hope....

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13

So you will be my people, and I will be your God. Jeremiah 30:22

"I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness. Jeremiah 31:3

and numerous verses that talk about God bringing His people back and restoring them. What beautiful hope-filled promises in the midst of such a difficult (though deserved!) time.

My next train of thought....
"Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it propsers, you too will prosper." Jeremiah 29:5-7
Obviously this was intended to let the exiles know that they were going to be in exile for a good while (not happy news for them) and contains great advice on how to deal with living in this city.

But I think it is equally applicable to us and our sojourn here on earth, in whatever city God has placed us in, while we wait to be brought out of exile and restored to God forever on the New Earth. Reread that passage, thinking of it in those terms. Does it make you passionate about being a light where you live?

Here is one sermon that discusses this idea a bit. A visiting preacher talked about this exact passage in our church about a year ago and I really appreciated that viewpoint on this passage, but I couldn't find a copy of that sermon.

Apparently I actually had 3 trains of thought, and here is the 3rd one...
"This is what the Lord says: " 'Your wound is incurable, your injury beyond healing. There is no one to plead your cause, no remedy for your sore, no healing for you.' " Jeremiah 30:12-13

What a great description of our eternal plight. Our wound is incurable. We have absolutely no cure for the disease of sin that will keep us separated from a holy God for all eternity. God did not have to save us. God did not have to provide a way to cure this disease. God was fully in His right to punish us eternally by separating us from Him forever in hell.

But (and never has the word "but" been so glorious!) He did anyway. Grace. Mercy. Sacrifice. Servanthood. Why? Because He loves us with an everlasting love. Completely undeserved mercy. Thank you Father!

Tomorrow's passage: Jeremiah 31:15-40, 49:34-51:14

August 11th

Today's reading from the One Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan is Jeremiah 49:1-33; 2 Kings 24:5-9; 2 Chronicles 36:6-9; Jeremiah 22:24-23:32.

You probably won't be able to guess what jumped out at me during today's passage.

Parenting.

Yup, probably not what you were expecting from today's passage. But hang in there and I'll explain.

One passage, and one verse in particular caught my eye...

"Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!" declares the Lord. Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend myy people:"Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done," declares the Lord. "I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing," declares the Lord. Jeremiah 23:1-4

At first glance that doesn't appear to have anything to do with parenting. But hang in there....

My Life Application Bible has this to say about those verses (emphasis mine)....
Those responsible to lead Israel in God's path were the very ones responsible for Israel's present plight, and so God had decreed harsh judgment against them. Leaders are held responsible for those entrusted to their care. Whom has God placed in your care? Remember that you are accountable to God for those you influence and lead.

Now you see how I took that leap, right? As parents, God has placed our children in our care and we absolutely will be accountable for how we influence and lead them. We obviously cannot make our children have a deep and abiding relationship with God. They will be held accountable for their choice. But we will be held accountable for how we lead them to that relationship.

The other verse is....
"Let the prophet who has a dream tell his dream, but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?" declared the Lord. Jeremiah 23:28

Again, from my Life Application Bible (emphasis mine)....
True prophets and false prophets are as different as straw and grain. Straw is useless for food and cannot compare to nourishing grain. To share the gospel is a great responsibility because the way we present it and live it will encourage people either to accept it or reject it. Whether we speak from a pulpit, teach in a class, or share with friends, we are entrusted with accurately communicating and living out God's Word. As you share God's Word with friends and neighbors, they will look for its effectiveness in your life. Unless it has changed you, why should they let it change them? If you preach it, make sure you live it!

Nobody has a more front row seat than our children when it comes to the way we live our lives. They know if we are walking the talk, if we are living what we preach, and frankly, if we are preaching at all!

I recently read Gospel-Powered Parenting: How the Gospel Shapes and Transforms Parenting by William P Farley and am in the middle of reading Lous Priolo's Teach Them Diligently: How to Use the Scripture in Child Training and highly recommend both! They have definitely convicted me of several shortfalls in my parenting, two of which, fairly obviously (from the titles) are in the areas of imprinting the scriptures on their hearts (which obviously requires imprinting them on my own first!) and passing on a heritage of passion for God's Word. I am planning to review both books a bit more thoroughly on my regular blog, but for now, let me just say that they have made me look at parenting in a new light, from a new angle, in a new way and it has highly motivated and challenged me to be a better parent, more grounded in the gospel. (If you can only afford to get one, get the first one).

The bottom line is that we are accountable for sharing the gospel and living out the gospel to our children. It is not the job of our churches, our Sunday Schools, our Youth groups, our private schools, our pastors, our girls/boys clubs. It is our job. And we need to make it a priority.

Tomorrow's passage: Jeremiah 23:33-24:10, 29:1-31:14

August 10 - Miriam

Today's reading from the One Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan is Jeremiah 16-18 & 35.

There were a few things that stood out to me as I read the above chapters.  As I read the first chapter of today's reading, it talked about the Day of Disaster.  I cannot imagine a greater disaster than having God withdraw His blessing, love and pity from His people.  Jeremiah 16:6 - Both high and low will die in this land. They will not be buried or mourned, and no one will cut himself or shave his head for them.  I don't know about you, but I sometimes wonder how I will be remembered when I die, as I undoubtedly shall sooner or later.  But we all expect that someone, for at least some period of time, will remember us and think about us after we are gone.  It seems terribly sad and hopeless for someone not to be buried or mourned.  I realize that's only one very small part of the passage, but it made me feel some of the hopelessness and isolation of the curse being pronounced.

There was more talk in today's chapters about making our own gods - lifeless, worthless idols.  There was more about the society then that could just as easily describe our society today.  There was more about the consequences that they would suffer for not obeying God and following his laws. 

The verses that stood out to me most clearly from today's reading were Jeremiah 17:7-10 -

"But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him.
He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit."
The heart is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?
"I the LORD search the heart
and examine the mind,
to reward a man according to his conduct,
according to what his deeds deserve."

The human heart is beyond cure.  We've proven that time and again throughout the centuries.  We are faithless.  Easily swayed.  Easily distracted.  Easily convinced that because God is loving and merciful, that He couldn't possibly be vengeful and pronounce such dire judgment.  We want to believe that because no one is perfect and because our sins aren't, say, multiple murders or something we consider horrible and heinous, we're not bad people and we'll be okay, even if we don't REALLY follow God or seek His will.  But the Lord searches the heart and examines the mind.  He knows our motives and the reasons behind why we do and say certain things, even when we may not consciously recognize them ourselves.  And as we've discussed before, there are no degrees of sin.  All sin is equally destestable to God.  Any one sin by itself tips the scales and merits our eternal separation from Him.  And we all have plenty more than just one sin. 

But if we look back at the first part of that passage - Trust in the Lord. Be confident in Him. Send your roots out and drink up the waters of His Word. Thirst to know Him better.  Follow His will and trust in His timing.  Our rewards may not come when we'd like them to or when we feel we deserve them, but God will remember those who repent and are faithful.

Tomorrow's passage:  Jeremiah 49:1-33; 2 Kings 24:5-9; 2 Chronicles 36:6-9; Jeremiah 22:24-23:32.

August 9th

Today's reading from the One Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan is Jeremiah 12-15

In one of his sermons on Jeremiah, John MacArthur talks about the object lesson that God gave Jeremiah when He asked him to buy and wear a linen belt (basically underwear) without washing it (13:1) and then to take it out to Perath (Euphrates), a 200 mile trip there and another 200 mile trip back (walking!) and to bury is in a crevice in the rocks. After some time God told Jeremiah to walk back (another 400 mile round trip!), dig it back up and see it for the worthless and ruined item it now was. What was the point of this object lesson?
God says, "I wanted it to be the most intimate thing. I wanted you to be close to Me. I wanted you to be that which is the nearest to me and instead of that you will be worthless." That's the judgment of God. That's the heart of the matter. (John MacArthur)

Though there were other wicked nations around them, God's message through Jeremiah was to His chosen people. He was calling them out on their wickedness.

Seems pretty relevant to our times to me!

We live in an evil society, there is no doubt about it. Our society calls evil good and good evil. We have laws that say it's legal to kill the unborn, okaying homosexuality. Divorce is commonplace and having a premarital sex isn't even blinked at. Self-indulgence is skyrocketing - whether it be alocohol, drugs or sex.

And the really sad thing is that the statistics show that the numbers in secular society and the numbers within the church are very similar.

Does this mean that there is no point in following God?

No, it doesn't.

It means that there are a lot of people in our churchss professing something they do not possess. There are lot of people who claim Christ, that have no idea what it is like to follow Him. Lip service that does not reach the soul.

Jeremiah sounds relevant indeed.

And God judged his people for their wickedness. His covenant people, His chosen people.
And we don't even have to claim the covenant relationship that they had to claim. So what would ever convince us that we are protected from something God's covenant people were not protected from? So this was the message. It was a message of sin. And we are called to confront a sinning society. Not make it feel good about itself. But make it feel bad about itself. (John MacArthur)

If we could only see our nation through the eyes of God, we would be like this weeping prophet. We would weep for our nation. We should weep for our nation.

Jeremiah looked at the spiritual condition of his people, of his nation and he was traumatized. Something happened in his heart. There were wellsprings of grief that were broken up as he looked with spiritual eyes and saw what was going on around him. And he wept. But throughout the book he also called for others to weep.....

[Jeremiah] talks in this passage about the influence that weeping women have. He says, "Call for the wailing women to come. Let them come quickly and wail over us till our eyes overflow with tears."

Who's the us? It's the men. So many women today are concerned because they don't feel like the men are concerned. And Jeremiah says, "So you get concerned. You weep, you grieve, you mourn and watch if God doesn't use your heart to influence the hearts of the men around you." You see, we are waiting for the men to get hot-hearted for God; and God is saying: "No, you women, take your role, take your place; and I will influence the men through you."

Not only is there the influence on the men, but also there is the influence on the next generation. He says, "Teach your daughters how to wail, pass on a heritage, a legacy, teach your daughters to take life seriously. Teach them not to fritter their lives away, not to live frivolously. This is a time to weep, this is a time to mourn and teach them how to lament, teach one another how to lament." (Nancy Leigh DeMoss, A Time for Tears: Jeremiah Speaks Today, Part 2)

His heart is grieved over evil. His heart is grieved over sin and over what it does to His creatures that He loves. So the question becomes for us: Do you and I weep and grieve just over the things that break our hearts or do we weep and grieve over the things that break God's heart?...

God's people are sinning in very much the same ways as our nation is sinning. That ought to grieve us. Am I grieved and are you grieved by our lack of love for the Word of God? As the people of God, what a privilege we have to have the revelation of the Word of God. But we treat it as such a light thing. We're characterized today by biblical illiteracy in the church.

We know more about movie stars and entertainers than we do about biblical heroes. We don't know the Word of God. We have an incredible gift in the Word of God. Many of us have in our home a dozen, two dozen, three dozen or more copies in every conceivable size, color and translation. What a privilege to hold this book in our hands.

Do we love it? Do we read it? Do we memorize it? Do we meditate on it? There's a lack of the fear of the Lord in the church today. We don't tremble at the Word of the Lord...

What about our priorities? I'm talking about our priorities as the people of God. So many times, they are temporal rather than eternal. What are the things that concern us? What do we spend our time doing? Do you want to know what your real priorities are? Go look at your checkbook and at your calendar. See where you spent your time. See where you spent your money.

By and large, in the church today, if the truth were known, the fact is we love TV and we love movies more than we love God's Word and prayer. We can tell you all about the current movies. But we can't tell you what God is saying to us through His Word. For what do we have an appetite? We're the children of God. Do we have an appetite for a relationship with our Heavenly Father or do we have an appetite for the world?

There's a lack of holiness that characterizes the church today. There is worldliness. Worldliness is not just things we do or don't do. Worldliness is having a heart for the world and/or a heart like the world. Being attracted to the same things to which the world is attracted is worldliness.....

[Our children] see moms and dads who go to church, who tip God in the offering plate, serve on church boards but don't have a heart for God.

Why is it that children growing up in our Christian homes, by and large, do not have a heart for God today? I'll tell you one big reason is because they have seen our values. They've seen our hearts and they are just like us. They're just a magnified reflection of the values that they've seen in us.....

As women, we have been deceived. I'm talking about Christian women who have prioritized careers over children. I'm talking about women who have broken vows and who have failed to reverence husbands. As women today, by and large, we are self-absorbed.

So few of us think of serving sacrificial lives.(emphasis mine, Nancy Leigh DeMoss, Part 6)

I don't know about you but my toes got a little stepped on there.

Tomorrow's passage: Jeremiah 16-18, 35

Sunday Guest Post By Alicia

Today's reading from the One Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan is Jeremiah 8:4-11:23

Scripture:
Jeremiah 10:23-24
"I know, O Lord, that a man's way is not in himself,
Nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps.
Correct me, O Lord, but with justice;
Not with Your anger, or You will bring me to nothing."

Observation:
I cannot find it within me to obey God or know how to do so. I, like the people of Israel am prone to my own idol worship. Not just one or two, but many. John MacArthur states in his commentary from the passages today that "Judah was so filled with idolatry that there were false deities for every city and a polluted altar on every street." That sounds so polluted and then I remember how easily my own life can become polluted.
I've been thinking a lot on this lately as I just blogged about the abundance of wayward thinking and theology from even inside the "Christian" sphere. One of our major idols in Christianity today probably on the other side of legalism, is the idol of experiential theology. Yet, this verse says so truly that it is not within us to know or direct ourselves.
"Man is incapable of guiding his own life adequately. This prayer shifts to his need of God, who had a plan for Jeremiah before he was even born." John MacArthur
So verse 23 presents the problem and it's a big one. Therefore verse 24 presents a solution. "Correct me" Jeremiah cries.
"Jeremiah saw himself ("Correct Me") in solidarity with his people and understood the nation must be punished, but desired some mercy and moderation; he prayed that God's full fury would be poured on the nations that induced the Jews into idolatry." John MacArthur

Application:
It begins with me, hold high the Word of God. Turn to it, study it, make it first say. Then, be aware of the wrong thinking out there building mental idols of self-made theology and Christianity (I use the term loosely for that is not really what it is at all) and take a stand for why and how it's wrong. Know that any truth is not going to be found in me, or my brother or sister (though God may use them through the Holy Spirit for my direction or growth as long as anything they say does not contradict the Word of God but aligns with it and I am commanded by Paul to find that out like the Bereans. See Acts 17:11)
Pray that God will "correct me", again it starts with me. I can pray that He will glorify himself by correcting those who are declaring mis-truths about Himself or His gospel as well.

Prayer:
Lord, you are the way I don't know and don't possess on my own. You are the truth that will guide me and that knows my beginning, journey, and end. Let me not direct myself but seek your direction for your Glory and not mine. Thank you that you guide me with loving justice and correct me which saves me from a pit of despair.
Help me to ask you daily for this correction and speak my dependance on You in this way.
The balm so to speak, for this set of verses is found in chapter 9:24
"but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things," declares the Lord.

Help me not boast in my knowledge, experience, understanding, but in You and all You define YOURSELF to be.





Tomorrow's passage:
Jeremiah 12-15:21

August 7-guest post by Pamela

Today's reading from the One Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan is Daniel 2-3, Jeremiah 7-8:3

Scripture:

²⁶ Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!"

So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, ²⁷ and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.

Observation: With God, even the impossible is possible.

Application: Can you imagine witnessing this event first hand? What an amazing testament to the power of God to overcome every obstacle. I am in awe of the faith and courage it took for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abendago to refuse to compromise even in the face of rage and death. I thought that the fire was an appropriate symbol for just how angry the King was when he was not in control. His rage grew and he ordered the fire to be seven times hotter than usual. In fact his rage was so out of control that he killed his own men who accompanied the three into the furnace. (This is not unlike our own fired up anger that sometimes engulfs people not even connected to the source of our rage). What the king didn't realize was that God could handle anything the king tried to throw at his obedient and faithful servants. However, you would think that the king would have had just a bit of a clue about this when just 1 chapter earlier, God allowed Daniel to reveal and interpret the king's dream. God continues to demonstrate His ability to do the impossible. He will give the power to read minds. He will send angels to protect his servants. He will overcome any human catastrophe and triumph. He will change the mind of a king who wants to kill everyone who does not want to bow to his idol to a king who decrees that everyone should follow the one true God. Awesome.

However, we can't forget that while God is with us through any trials that come our way, we can't ignore that we need to rely on God to get us through the fire.

Nebuchadnezzar heat his furnace as hot as he can, a few minutes will finish the torment of those cast into it; but hell-fire tortures, and yet does not kill. Those who worshipped the beast and his image, have no rest, no pause, no moment free from pain, Revelation 14:10,11. Now was fulfilled in the letter that great promise, Isaiah 43:2, When thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned. Leaving it to that God who preserved them in the fire, to bring them out, they walked up and down in the midst, supported and encouraged by the presence of the Son of God. Those who suffer for Christ, have his presence in their sufferings, even in the fiery furnace, and in the valley of the shadow of death. (from this commentary)

Prayer: Dear Lord, You make the impossible possible. Sometimes we can't see how it will ever work out and then You, in your amazingly perfect time, make it clear to us that You knew what You were doing all along. Thank you for the sharing the story of these 3 courageous men and their unwillingness to waver in their faith that You would be with them, regardless of what happened. Lord, ignite a fire in us that we might have the same confidence and assurance that whatever trials come our way that we are willing to take them on with Your help. Amen.

Tomorrow's passage: Jeremiah 8:4-11:23

August 6th

Today's reading from the One Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan is Jeremiah 19-20, Daniel 1

Commentaries/Sermons
Purpose of Heart in a Pagan Land - Bethany Bible church sermon
The Uncompromising Life - John Macarthur
Between a Rock and a Hard Place - Bob Deffinbaugh
Conquering Compromise - Alan Carr

Today I want to focus on our first look at Daniel, but I wanted to make one quick comment about the Jeremiah passage.

Chapter 20 contains a lament by Jeremiah. Verses 14-18 in particular are very stark.

From my Life Application Bible....
Probably as troubling as the self-loathing that oozes from these verses is the stark contrast between the exuberant confidence of the previous paragraph and the sudden inward turn of revulsion. In Jeremiah's honestly recorded moments of despair, however, we can find hope. If someone with such intimate awareness of God's presence struggled with insecurity, we ought not to be surpsied over our own failures and weaknesses. Jeremiah doesn't give us an excuse, but an example. No matter how we may feel about ourselves at any moment, God remains unchanged, loving, and present in our lives.

Now, on to Daniel. I absolutely love this book of the Bible. It is such an incredible story of unwavering faith, tremendous courage and uncompromising convictions which were blessed by God in huge and mighty ways.

There are several commentaries and sermons on Daniel chapter 1 and most of them deal with the fact that Daniel and his friends chose not to compromise.

John Macarthur brings up the saying "every man has his price" and acknowledges that that is likely true of the majority of people in secular society. But it should not and must not be true of the believer. We must be people of integrity, we must be absolutely unwilling to compromise God's standard no matter what the cost.

But guess what? Compromise is costly too. Just look at a few biblical examples....
Adam compromised God's law, followed his wife's sin and lost paradise. Abraham compromised the truth, lied about Sarah and nearly lost his wife. Sarah compromised God's word, sent Abraham to Hagar who bore Ishmael and lost peace in the Middle East ever since. Esau compromised for a meal with Jacob and lost his birthright, Saul compromised the divine word, kept the animals and lost the royal seed. Aaron compromised his convictions about idolatry and he and the people lost the privilege of the Promised Land. Samson compromised righteous devotion as a Nazarite with Delilah, lost his strength, lost his eyes and lost his life. (John Macarthur)

What does it mean to live an uncompromising life?
It is to reach beneath the shifting sands of a culture and fix yourself to the rock that is below it. Daniel was in Babylon and Babylon was a Pagan society in every sense. No regard for the true God ........ And while Daniel was living in the breakers as it were, the crashing waves and the shifting sand of the surf, his soul was anchored on the rock. And so he was unshakable and indestructible.

He was absolutely unwilling to compromise the absolutes that he believed were the law of God. And that is what anchored him to the rock of confidence even in the storms of captivity and Caldian efforts to brainwash him......

the most corrupting influence in a society is not its philosophy it's its lifestyle. A lifestyle of any society is the most corrupting thing.....what really will tear up your life is to begin to adjust to the culture's lifestyle. That's when the brainwashing has succeeded.

An uncompromising life with unashamed boldness that calls us to an uncommon standard that depends on an unearthly protection build on an unblemished faith that can face unusual testing with unhindered persistence, resulting in unmeasurable blessing and unlimited influence. And I suppose we can say in summary determine not to compromise and leave to God the results. Right? And let him put you where he wants. What you can never gain by trying, by manipulating, or by compromise God will give you for not compromising. (emphasis mine, John Macarthur)

What's even more amazing is that he stood up to this lifestyle, he did not compromise - even though he was only about 14 or 15 years old, even though he was separated from his home, from his family, from any personal accountability, and in a very high pressure environment. And he does not compromise!

Let it be said of us as well.

Tomorrow's passage: Daniel 2-3, Jeremiah 7-8:3

August 5th

Today's reading from the One Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan is Jeremiah 25:15-38, Jeremiah 36, 45-46

Once again I am struck by the importance of fearing the Lord.

In Jeremiah 36 we come to the story I mentioned earlier, about King Jehoiakim throwing the Word of God into a fire, as though burning it up would somehow render the prophesy null and void!

In every era there has been a spirit of the age that challenges our acceptance of Scripture. The temptation is to remove or alter those portions that seem old-fashioned.

Whether it’s the doctrine of hell or God’s view on sexual behavior, many feel pressured to reject parts of the Bible. Inevitably, some truths will be offensive in every day and age.

Centuries ago, a Jewish king was handed a scroll with a message from God. As the document was read aloud, the king took offense, and with a small knife he cut out a portion of the scroll and threw it into the fire. Eventually the entire text was thrown into the flames, yet the king and his servants who had heard the words of the Lord “were not afraid” (Jeremiah 36:24). In the end, the king lost his kingdom because of his disobedience.

When we selectively edit the Bible to suit our fancy, or neglect its teachings, we show that we do not fear God. Rather than submit to what He says, we exalt our own finite reason and fallible conscience above the inspired text.

When you’re tempted to overlook or ignore a portion of the Word of God, remember: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16). It tells us all we need to know to live a life that pleases Him. (emphasis mine, Our Daily Bread devotional - No Alteration Needed)

Try to imagine the following headline: “President Rips Up Constitution in Front of Cabinet Members!” In the United States, even if a president or other official disagrees with points in the Constitution, it is still respected and upheld. It would be ludicrous for anyone to believe that simply by ripping the Constitution into little pieces its validity was nullified.

Unfortunately, King Jehoiakim seemed to think that if he just cut up the scroll containing God’s Word and burned it, then the judgment it foretold would simply not happen. If his action weren’t so arrogant, we might even think it was funny.

There actually was a way for the coming judgment to be avoided, but it didn’t involve ripping up anything. Instead, it involved repentance (v. 3). Repentance was God’s purpose in sending His word to Jeremiah, and that was Jeremiah’s fervent hope when he sent Baruch to the temple (v. 7). But sadly neither the king nor the people opted for repentance. (Moody Bible Institute devotional)

What is missing here?
What is missing when we deliberately rebel against God's word?
What is missing when we flippantly disregard His Word as unimportant or irrelevant to our daily lives?
What is missing when we pick and choose verses out of context to support our own definition of truth?
What is missing when we do not proclaim the Word of God for fear of persecution or being mocked?
What is missing when we try to justify our sin, even though God's view on sin is so clearly stated in His Word?
What is missing when we brazenly mistake God's lack of immediate disciplinary action to mean He condones or even blesses our sin?

What is missing? A fear of the Lord.

I've heard this song so many times recently, especially during our talks of fearing the Lord, and I think it's so beautiful, and so fitting.

What Do I Know of Holy? from YouTube

What Do I Know of Holy? Addison Road
I made You promises a thousand times
I tried to hear from Heaven
But I talked the whole time
I think I made You too small
I never feared You at all No
If You touched my face would I know You?
Looked into my eyes could I behold You?

What do I know of You
Who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood
But the shore along Your ocean?
Are You fire? Are You fury?
Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?
What do I know? What do I know of Holy?

I guess I thought that I had figured You out
I knew all the stories and I learned to talk about
How You were mighty to save
Those were only empty words on a page
Then I caught a glimpse of who You might be
The slightest hint of You brought me down to my knees

What do I know of You
Who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood
But the shore along Your ocean?
Are You fire? Are You fury?
Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?
What do I know? What do I know of Holy?

What do I know of Holy?
What do I know of wounds that will heal my shame?
And a God who gave life "its" name?
What do I know of Holy?
Of the One who the angels praise?
All creation knows Your name
On earth and heaven above
What do I know of this love?

What do I know of You
Who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood
But the shore along Your ocean?
Are You fire? Are You fury?
Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?
What do I know? What do I know of Holy?

What do I know of Holy?
What do I know of Holy?

Tomorrow's passage: Jeremiah 19-20, Daniel 1

August 4th

Today's reading from the One Year Bible Chronological Reading Plan is 2 Chronicles 36:1-4, 2 Kings 23:31-37, 2 Chronicles 36:5, Jeremiah 22:1-23, Jeremiah 26, 2 Kings 24:1-4, Jeremiah 25:1-14

In today's passage I was struck with the faithfulness, obedience and courage of Jeremiah. This man of God obediently preached the same message to this stubborn people for 23 years, even though he was continually rejected or ignored. 23 years!! (Jeremiah 25:3) And this lack of "success" continued for his entire 40 years of ministry!

He was obedient even in the face of death (Jeremiah 26), presumably knowing that this same King Jehoiakim had already put another prophet, Uriah, to death for prophesying the exact same thing! (Jeremiah 26:20-23)

Now this is a role model for us! Obedience to God despite the threat of death, counting the cost and finding it worth it, faithfulness, persistance and courage. Yes, he had moments of doubt and depression (how could you not!), but he soldiered on and remained obedient to the God He trusted in.

And I think that is the key. Do we truly trust God? Do we really trust in His sovereignty? If we really do, than our actions should match up to this trust. Our actions are evidence of our trust, or lack of it!

May our actions prove ourselves faithful.

Tomorrow's passage: Jeremiah 25:15-38, Jeremiah 36, 45-46