Psalm 119:41-48: True freedom ( please click here for today’s Bible passage)
‘’Testimony requires the context of an obedient life (44), a life which demonstrates the true freedom which obedience brings (45)’’ J.A. Motyer, ‘The New Bible Commentary’, p.568.
True freedom is not the licence to do anything you want; it is the liberty to become the person God made you to be. It is not about doing what you want to do, but living the way God calls you to (45). People who are committed to knowing and doing the will of God find they have the ‘’freedom’’ to become everything they were meant to be.
The believer is the freest person in the universe. He or she is:
• Free to trust in God’s promises (41b/42b): Sometimes it is hard to live by faith; in fact, it regularly is. But Christians are set free to do this. They carry with them the chequebook of the bank of heaven, and they use it. These cheques do not ‘bounce’!
• Free to answer persecutors (42): They know what to say, when to say it, and they have the courage to do so. There is a time to be silent, but there is very definitely a time to speak (Ecclesiastes 3:7b)
• Free to witness to all kinds of people without embarrassment (46) – even to those in authority: ‘’Then I’ll tell the world what I find, speak out boldly in public, unembarrassed.’’ The Message. (See also Matthew 10:16-26/32,33; Luke 24:12-19).
• Free to love God’s Word (47, 48): ‘’I cherish your commandments – oh, how I love them! – relishing every fragment of your counsel.’’ The Message. Can you say that you love your Bible? Is it your most treasured possession?’’…the mouth that speaks the word (42, 43) and the life that exemplifies it (44-46) must arise from a heart that loves it.’’J.A. Motyer: ‘The New Bible Commentary, p.568.
Here are just one or two aspects of a Christian’s freedom. It is not as the world knows it. In popular understanding, freedom is being able to do just what you want with your life. In truth that is permission to drive your life recklessly down the highway of life at 180 miles per hour and experience the consequences. They will not be pretty, for you or for others!
Prayer: Thank you Lord for the freedom we find in you.
Jeremiah 18: 12-23: The last straw(please click here for todays Bible passage)
I have to agree with you. This does sound terrible. My wife, Jilly, and I said as much to each other when we read it a night or two back (21-23). Jeremiah seems mean, nasty and vindictive. But you have to put some context around this; take a broader view; get a bigger picture.
The prophet had preached to these people (his people) for years and years. He had poured out his heart to them and poured out his life for them. God had spoken through him and warned those in Judah and Jerusalem repeatedly that if they did not repent, this judgment would come. Because of his God-given insight, Jeremiah had clearly spelled out what would happen. He saw it all vividly. But he did not want it to happen. When you read today’s verses remember this. Jeremiah loved these people; he broke his heart over them; wept ‘buckets’ for them. He had prayed faithfully that they would not have to face judgment (20b), that they would be spared. He had stood ‘in the gap’ for them. He had urged them over and over to turn from their cherished idols and get back to the true God. But they were intransigent, as (12) shows, and it is important to see these words as the precursor to what follows. Such stubbornness before God inevitably leads to a ‘’Therefore…’’ (13). Sin has consequences. If we persist in our own way; insist on getting it, then we will have it, and we won’t like it!
It seems to me that after years and years of loving and praying and preaching, and in a time of personal agony because his ‘congregation’ were out to kill him, Jeremiah came to a point where he saw that enough was enough. He recognised that the content of his preaching had to now be fulfilled in the lives of the Judean people. They would not turn, therefore they would have to be ‘’marred’’ in the Potter’s Hands, and made ‘’into another pot’’. Yes, the process would be brutal, but they would still be in God’s Hands (18:1-4). When Jeremiah prayed his prayer, he knew that the judgment would not be the end of this people, but part of God’s great purpose to reform and reshape them. Nevertheless, it would be dreadful in the short term, and we cannot dilute the concentrated truth about divine judgment.
This passage tells us that real ministry is costly. All shepherding service can be painful. Most leaders don’t suffer like Jeremiah did, but God’s people can be cruel and unkind and vicious with their tongues (18b). They can disappoint you and let you down. Our ‘sheep’ have teeth, and some make use of them! They can turn on you and make it clear they prefer other preachers. In Jeremiah’s case, the people were saying, ‘If we get rid of him we’ll still have other leaders to speak to us. ‘(18a). Those of whom they spoke were the ‘safe’ clergy who told them what they wanted to hear. The truth is that what seems safe and palatable is regularly dangerous. In this case, the people in ‘the church’ wanted to kill Jeremiah, but they could not put his message to the sword. The living Word of God, once spoken, would not return empty; it would come to pass (Isaiah 55:10, 11).
But here is a word to all in Christian leadership. Someone said, ‘’Ministry that costs nothing accomplishes nothing’’, and, ‘’There can be no blessing without bleeding.’’ Remember this, and stay faithful.
John Ortberg wrote in a recent edition of ‘Leadership Journal’, ‘’I don’t want to be the kind of person whose heart depends on getting applause from everybody every week. I want to be the kind of person that lives in freedom.’’
Jeremiah 18:1-4: Pottery Class! (please click here for todays Bible passage)
‘’…shaping it as seemed best to him.’’ (4b).
God has lessons for his people in ordinary things, if we will just go and see. Listen for His promptings today. Don’t miss what He might want to show you. In one chapter of his wonderful book, ‘The Sacred Year’, Michael Yankoski writes about lessons he learned whilst looking at an apple. The title of the chapter is: ‘’Single Tasking: The practice of attentiveness.’’ He says that we have so much information coming at us in this technological age that we are in danger of losing the ability to concentrate, to focus. ‘’This apple is beginning to speak, and I don’t want to miss a single word’’, he says. He quotes Thomas Moore: ‘’Spirituality is seeded, germinates, sprouts and blossoms in the mundane.’’
Here are three thoughts from today’s passage (and see also Isaiah 29:16; 45:9; 64:8; Rom.9:20, 21):
GOD IS SOVEREIGN: He has a plan for your life. His plans are good. Furthermore, His plans for you are more important (and better by far!) than your plans for you. He has the right to do with you whatever He pleases. Are you willing to take on His shape? ‘Give up your small ambitions.’ Let go of your perceived rights. ‘’There is simply no limit to the progress and development of the soul which is able to meet God with a never-faltering ‘’Yes’’ ‘’ F.B. Meyer.
IN THE MIDDLE OF YOUR LIFE, GOD MAY CHANGE YOUR SHAPE: ‘’Whenever the pot the potter was working on turned out badly, as sometimes happens when you are working with clay, the potter would simply start over and use the same clay to make another pot.’’ The Message. He might give you another role, a different job. You may not always be where you are now, doing what you are currently doing. Are you ready to change direction if your sovereign Lord chooses? He is the ‘God of surprises’. Gordon McDonald is a thoughtful and inspiring writer. One of his books is entitled ‘Mid-course correction.’ It’s well worth a read. In the middle of your life God may change your shape because you have sinned yourself into a bad shape. (The defect was in the clay and not in the Potter after all.) If that is so, it is good to know that no fall need be final. However, God may just decide to do something different with the same piece of clay because He is the Potter and it’s His right!
LIFE IS FRAGILE, BUT WE ARE SAFE IN GOD’S HANDS: When those ‘marring’ experiences come, as come they will, remember where you are and whose you are. You are out of shape, but you are still in the Hands of the Potter. Can you see Him ‘’working at the wheel’’ (3)? It is more important to be able to see God than your maimed life. When everything seems to be going wrong, keep your eyes on Him. Ron Jones was the General Superintendent of the Elim Pentecostal movement when I was the pastor of a little church in Lancaster. I remember him speaking at our church on this passage and admitting, ‘’It’s this wheel business I don’t like.’’ I want to be formed by God, but I don’t necessarily like what’s involved in the process.
‘’Note that a lump of clay has little value in itself, but when it has been made into something useful by the Master Potter, it has great value.’’ Tom Hale: ‘The Applied Old Testament Commentary’, p.1102’
Prayer: Sovereign and loving Lord, shape me as seems best to you.
2 Thessalonians 2:5-12: God rules.
Here are some important points to consider:
- Remember what you know (5): Remember what you believe. It isn’t always at the forefront of your mind is it? If the Thessalonians had simply remembered what they knew, they would not have come to believe that the Second Coming of Jesus had already taken place. You could get the impression from (5) that Paul had repeated some of these truths that were now forgotten. Remember what you know. It is important! Believe your beliefs and doubt your doubts.
- There is a timing in God’s purposes (6,7): Although the spirit of lawlessness is abroad in the world, ‘’the man of lawlessness’’ will not get up to go about his work until God’s alarm clock sounds. ‘’You’ll also remember that I told you the Anarchist is being held back until just the right time. That doesn’t mean that the spirit of anarchy is not now at work. It is, secretly and underground. But the time will come when the Anarchist will no longer be held back, but will be let loose.’’ The Message.
- Jesus is greater than all evil (8): The most important thing to remember about the antichrist is that he is ‘’the man doomed to destruction’’ (3); the one ‘’the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendour of his coming.’ (8). Yes, he’s going to get into the ring, and will put up a ferocious fight for a time. For a little while it will look like he’s going to wind up heavy weight champion of the world. But we’ve been allowed to read the back pages in advance of their publication! We know he’s going down!! The outcome of the bout is not in question. ‘’But don’t worry. The Master Jesus will be right on his heels and blow him away. The Master appears and – puff! – the Anarchist is out of there.’’ The Message. (Notice that, just like Jesus, the antichrist will have both a ‘’revelation’’ (8; see 3 and 6 also) and a ‘’coming’’ (9). This is the counterfeit ‘Messiah’ who will want the entire world to follow him. ‘Antichrist’ literally means ‘in place of Christ’. This man will want to substitute himself for Jesus.
- All that glitters is not gold (9,10a): Miracles are not necessarily a sign that people are genuine. You have to check out what they say; observe how they live. Test it all against the Bible. ’Beware ‘’prophets’’ who contradict what God has already said in His Word (v.15). If you stand on the Word, you will not fall for the devil’s lies.’’ Warren W. Wiersbe.
- Note the order: Verse 10 comes before verse 11! The rejection of the truth comes first! (See Romans 1:18ff.) Again, we see God underlining the choices people have already made. ‘’The Anarchist’s coming is all Satan’s work. All his power and signs and miracles are fake, evil sleight of hand that plays to the gallery of those who hate the truth that could save them. And since they’re so obsessed with evil, God rubs their noses in it – gives them what they want. Since they refuse to trust truth, they’re banished to their chosen world of lies and illusions.’’ The Message.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-17: Stay focussed
When I was a teenager, there was a lot of speculation in the air about the Second Coming. There’s nothing new about that of course, and it’s interesting in the light of the fact that when the Bible speaks about Jesus’ return it is with a view to our sanctification, and not for speculation. Be that as it may, it was not uncommon back then to hear some Christians say, ‘’Keep your eyes on…’’ and then mention a leading American diplomat as a possible candidate for the role of antichrist. Again, there’s nothing particularly novel about such talk, and repeatedly Christian writers and preachers have got it wrong. While it is important to know that ‘’the man of lawlesslessness’’ will appear at the appointed time, it is much more important that we should keep our eyes on Jesus.
It is more important to think about the coming again of Christ, than it is to concentrate on the coming of antichrist. The second coming of Jesus is mentioned first in this chapter, and it should fill our minds and hearts more than any thoughts about the appearance of His arch-enemy. The simple thought that we are going to be ‘’gathered to him’’ (1; see 1 Thessalonians 4:17) is one of the most precious truths about the Second Advent. We will be ‘’with the Lord for ever.’’ What a comfort and encouragement that is. We are going to be drawn to Jesus like iron filings to a powerful magnet.
Nevertheless, it is important for us to know that the Christ will not come until the antichrist has first appeared. It seems that when Paul was in Thessalonica, he gave a lot of teaching about the return of Jesus. We know that this theme figures in his first letter. It seems that since he had left, the Thessalonian Christians had received messages, purporting to have come from Paul and his team, saying that Jesus had already returned. So he wrote his second letter predominantly to correct this false understanding (3).
If any of us should be alive when ‘’the man of lawlessness is revealed’’ it will be important to remember that he is ‘’the man doomed to destruction’’. For a little while he will be allowed to run riot on the world stage, and his reign will be bitter for all religious belief. But he will be no match for Jesus (8) and his day will be relatively and mercifully short.
I came across a comment in ‘The New Bible Commentary’’ pertaining to his rule: ‘’The principle of rebellion against God is already operating…but it is not openly enthroned in the world as it will be for the brief duration of antichrist’s domination…’’
Here are some other Biblical references to look at that probably refer to the same person: Daniel 7:25; 8:9ff; 11:36; Mark 13:14; Revelation 13. Although ‘’many antichrists have come’’ it remains true that ‘’the antichrist is coming.’’ (1 John 2:18).
Prayer: Lord keep me from wild speculation, as exciting as it may be. Help me to keep my eyes on Jesus.
Jeremiah 17:19-27: Single Issue.(please click here for todays Bible passage)
In ‘Search the Scriptures’ it is pointed out that the issue between God and His people turned on the question of obedience, and in these verses it is brought to a single test. ‘’In your Christian obedience are there test issues of this kind, which, although possibly not themselves the most important subject, are the heart of the question of obedience at the time?’’ p.351.
What Is God speaking to you about at the moment, and how will you respond?
Pray for grace to make right choices.
Jeremiah 17: 14-18: ‘Where can I go but to the Lord?’(please click here for todays Bible passage)
Here is Jeremiah up against it. It was tough being a prophet. Day after day you had to get up out of bed and deliver (and live) messages people did not want to hear. We have seen before that Jeremiah suffered for his calling. But:
- He was conscious that he was God’s man (16a). He was a shepherd to the people, but primarily he belonged to the Lord. So he spoke and acted as one who was not his own. His life wasn’t about doing what he wanted but living under the Lordship of God. Someone said that the Lord is ready to take full responsibility for the life wholly yielded to Him. So, yes, Jeremiah took his orders and words from God, but he also knew that he could go to Him with his open, bleeding wounds (14). He knew where to take his pain. The Lord was his refuge (17b). Amidst all the heartache, he was a man of praise (14b). He is often characterised as ‘the weeping prophet’, but he was primarily a worshipping prophet;
- He was committed to speaking God’s words (16b). Are we equally conscious of talking in the sight of God? What difference might it make to your speech if you remembered that God is the ‘silent listener to every conversation’? But sometimes He doesn’t just listen in silence. There are painful moments when you hear Him speak in the depths of your soul and you know you shouldn’t have said that!
- He did not speak about Hell without tears in his eyes (16b): ‘’…you know I have not desired the day of despair.’’ Jeremiah had to suffer taunts from persecutors who arrogantly poured scorn on his prophecies (15). When was it going to happen? The implication in their question was that it never would. But they were wrong. And there was something of a ‘torn’ feeling in Jeremiah’s heart. No, he had never wanted the judgment he had forecast to fall on his people. It broke his heart to preach it. At the same time, he did want God’s Word (and his words) to be vindicated; he did want to see the Lord deal with his ‘’persecutors’’ (17, 18).
Prayer: Heavenly Father, please put courage into my heart. I feel an inclination towards cowardice. Help me to ‘’not run away’’ from anything you ask of me.
Jeremiah 17: 11: Money matters.(Please click here for todays Bible passage)
This verse has such resonance with our times. We hear so much in the news about financial malpractice and corruption. It is rife. Where there is money to be had, there will be those who try to lay their hands on it unjustly.
I once heard a preacher speak about how he had been working through some of the Minor Prophets with his congregation. ‘’We have discovered they are very political’, he said. God is concerned about issues of justice. This is something we see in all the prophetic books.
As we’ve seen before, sin is primarily vertical (Godward) in its impact; but it is also horizontal (man ward) in its implications. First of all, it separates people from God; but it also separates them from each other. One of the ways in which the people’s rebellion against God was worked out in those days was in unjust conduct in society. People were trodden down by the rich and powerful. Some people became (criminally) wealthy at the expense of others (see 6:13).
It is foolish to make wealth your goal. Riches are transient. If they are not taken from you, you will be taken from them. Two ladies were in conversation about a wealthy man who had died. ‘How much did he leave?’ asked one. ‘Everything!’ the other replied.
But it is especially foolish to try to get rich by corrupt means. This is self-destructive behaviour. There will be an ‘’in the end.’’ This is an example of how the deceitful heart can lead a person astray. Any gain can only be temporary. What good would their wealth do them when judgment fell?
Here are some things the Bible teaches about money, and if you observe them you will be kept safe:
- Work honestly (Ephesians 4:28);
- Give generously (Luke 6:38; 1 Timothy 6:17-19);
- Live within your means (Romans 13:8);
- Whatever God blesses you with, live prayerfully as a wise steward of God’s resources, always looking to Him to know how you should use His
Prayer: Thank you Lord God for your generous blessing on my life. Teach me to use your money as you please.
Jeremiah 17:5-13: The heart of the human problem.(please click here for todays Bible passage)
‘’The person who does not have God at the centre of his life inevitably places himself at the centre; this is the most basic form of idolatry.’’ Tom Hale: ‘The Applied Old Testament Commentary’, p.1100
The people of Judah experienced first-hand the futility of trusting in people rather than God (5, 6).One form their idolatry took was to place too much confidence in alliances and treaties rather than to trust fully in the Lord their God. Jeremiah repeatedly called the people away from such misguided and misplaced belief. It was a form of ‘backsliding’ (5b). Where do you go for your strength? Where are your roots?
A life turned away from God is a barren, shrivelled up life (6). No-one in their right mind would choose to live in a spiritual desert. Such is the life Jeremiah called people away from.
The alternative he called them to is found in (7, 8; see Psalm 1:1-4; John 15:1-17). It was also his own experience, as we saw recently (16:19a). Where would you prefer to live? In the desert (6), or in a verdant, abundant, flourishing place (8)? Only those who trust in God live there. This is a verse full of luscious promise. It speaks of a life of stability, peace and continuous fruit-bearing. These are the alternatives held out in the gospel message: emptiness or fullness. Why would anyone choose the former over the latter? The answer is found in (9, 10). Someone said, ‘’The heart of the human problem is the problem of the human heart.’’ We may wonder why, if (12, 13) are true anyone would forsake God. But they do; we do. Again we find the answer in the state of the heart: ‘’The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that no one can figure out.’’ The Message. The ‘’heart’’ refers to the very centre of a person’s life. It includes mind, will and emotions. Everything flows out from this Centre. Many years ago, a leading newspaper ran a series asking , ‘What is wrong with the world?’ The shortest reply to the editor said, ‘’Dear sir, I am. Yours sincerely, G.K.Chesterton.’’
It remains the case that we can only be saved by faith (in the Lord Jesus); and ‘by faith’ is the only way to live. Let’s make sure our trust is in the right place; or rather, the right Person. We may not be able to change our dark, deceitful and deceived hearts, but God can fill them with light. There is a ‘’cure’’ with Him. In the meantime, we can’t pull the wool over His eyes. He knows us thoroughly.
‘’There follows a contrast (very like that of Ps.1) between the person who depends for well-being on human strength and the person who trusts in God (5-8). The ‘cursing’ of the one and the ‘blessing’ of the other are covenantal (cf. Dt.28). The covenant has a paradox which is abidingly true: the attempt to put one’s life on a secure footing by a selfish reliance on one’s own abilities brings undoing; trust in God, which implies obedience and may involve acting against one’s own interests, is the way to life (cf. Mt.10:39).’’ Gordon McConville: ‘The New Bible Commentary’, p.686.
Prayer: ‘’Create in me a pure heart, O God.’’ (Psalm 51:10).
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