Welcome back, Good People! I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving break. To God be the glory, we are starting a new book of study. In this book, Jeremiah teaches us to be resilient and committed to spreading God’s Word, for He has chosen us, like He chose Jeremiah. Here’s the introduction to the book of Jeremiah:
“Pastor, your sermon this morning was terrible.” “Pastor, you gave a miserable sermon. It was awful!” “Pastor, you don’t know how to preach. Why don’t you quit?”
Sunday after Sunday, the people of the First Critical Church told their pastor how they hated his preaching and his sermons, how they wished he would quit, how they wanted him anywhere else except their church.
Suppose you were that pastor. How long would it take for that kind of talk to wear you down, make you want to leave, encourage you to get out of the ministry and go into a completely different career?
What about the career you have now? Suppose you are a doctor, a dentist, or a nurse. Every patient you have tells you how incompetent you are. When you write a prescription, people throw it away. When you give advice, people don;t listen. Or suppose you are a counselor, and every person you counsel laughs at what you say and ridicules your advice.
Now you know what life was like for Jeremiah. He was rejected by family, friends, neighbors, kings, commoners – just about everyone. But for 40 years he kept on preaching, and this book records his sermons. Not many pastors have their sermons preserved for 2,600 years, especially preachers who are continually rejected!
The little southern kingdom of Judah was on the brink of disaster, threatened by mighty Babylon. God called Jeremiah to encourage his people to submit to Babylon’s domination as the Lord’s discipline. If the nation surrendered to Babylon, God would protect them from being destroyed or taken captive. Then eventually, if Judah turned from its sin and back to God, God would restore the nation to independence again. Jeremiah’s message was plain and simple: Return to the Lord God, or face his judgment.
For most of his ministry, Jeremiah lived under the tyranny of evil kings who had no regard for God or moral issues. Though he was rejected by his contemporaries, he is recognized today as a towering figure of great courage and faithfulness.
Whenever you are repeatedly criticized for speaking out for the truths of God’s Word, when you feel like a failure because no one listens, when you feel as if no one cares that you are a Christian, when people avoid you because you remind them that they are not living by God’s standards, read Jeremiah. His persistence came, not from the stroking of his contemporaries, but from the affirmation that he was doing what God wanted him to do. If you are doing God’s work God’s way, then you can be confident that your efforts are not in vain. Success in the world’s eyes has temporary benefits; success in God’s eyes promises eternal rewards. (Touch Point Bible)
Lord, thank you for your Word today! In the throes of criticism, help us be resilient like Jeremiah. Help us remain strong and focused on the task and responsibility you have given us. And Lord, thank you for giving us another opportunity to study another one of your amazing books. Please allow this Word from Jeremiah to penetrate our spirits and strengthen our walk with you. Lord, we love you!
May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
….AND MAY WE ALL PRACTICE THIS WITH ONE ANOTHER.
Comments