Have you ever known a secret so special that you felt as if you might spontaneously combust, if you could not share it?
Jeremiah, the Old Testament prophet of God, possessed a passion for the Word of the Lord. Although he was persecuted, even by the priests of the Lord, Jeremiah expressed his insatiable desire for preaching the message he received, direct from the heart of Jehovah God.
“His word is in my heart like a fire,
a fire shut up in my bones.
I am weary of holding it in;
indeed, I cannot.”
The Word of God is powerful, like a blazing fire. If we possess a passion for the Lord, will we not also have a hunger for sharing His truth with others?
May God fire the flames of revival in our own hearts. May He kindle the desire within us to proclaim His power to those who need to know Him the most. And who doesn’t?
What are the marks of a true minister of the Word of the Lord?
Throughout the Bible and all human history, prophets and preachers have carried God’s truth to the world. How might true ministers be best described?
The Old Testament prophet Jeremiah wrote the words of Jehovah, outlining both a portrait and a promise for a true minister of God’s Word.
“This is how the Lord responds:
‘If youreturn to Me, I will restore you
so you can continue to serve me.
If you speak good words rather than worthless ones, you will be My spokesman.
You must influence them;
do not let them influence you! They will fight against you like an attacking army,
but I will make you as secure as a fortified wall of bronze.
They will not conquer you,
for I am with you to protect and rescue you.
I, the Lord, have spoken!
Yes, I will certainly keep you safe from these wicked men.
I will rescue you from their cruel hands.’”
(Jeremiah 15:19-21, NLT, emphasis added)
According to the Lord, are not the marks of a true minister repentance (returning to the Lord) and the speaking of godly words? God calls His ministers, which include all saints of the living Lord, to influence others, rather than being influenced themselves.
Doesn’t this passage seem to point to the words of Jesus, when He prayed for His disciples in John 17? He clearly stated that those who belong to Him may livein the world, but we do not belong to the world.
If all believers are called to be ministers (or missionaries), wherever the Lord has placed us, then these characteristics ought to mark us as well.
May God draw us ever closer to Himself, molding us more and more into His own image, so that we may minister effectively in the world until He returns.
“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord
and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
They are like trees planted along a riverbank,
with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat
or worried by long months of drought.
Their leaves stay green,
and they never stop producing fruit.”
The Old Testament prophet Jeremiah’s lament continues in today’s daily Bible readings.
The Sign of a Sash
The Lord offered Jeremiah a sign, instructing him to store a linen sash in a rocky crevice near Perath. Several days later, God told the prophet to go and retrieve the sash. Jeremiah found the linen sash soiled and destroyed. The Lord likened the condition of the ruined sash to the spiritual state of His people.
Jeremiah called to the people of God, warning them of their need to return to the ways of the Lord.
Self-Salvation is Futile.
The Lord spoke through Jeremiah, clearly declaring man’s inability to redeem himself. Surely, even now, none of us can effect true and lasting change in our lives without the power and purpose of the Lord God.
This morning, as I type this daily devotional entry, my heart is particularly heavy. A person very dear to me is hospitalized with acute liver failure. This young man faced a near-death experience almost two years ago, which proved to be a major milestone in his personal life. Those who loved him most prayed aggressively and recruited others to pray for him as well.
At that time, the Lord granted this young man another chance. He found new conviction and purpose, joining a support group and even enrolling in advanced education. He became a champion for healthy nutrition. He stopped drinking.
Yesterday, however, this young man was rushed to the hospital with liver distress. Something threatened the delicate balance within his body. We do not know what caused the turnaround. Did something in his body shut down suddenly? Did he suffer a physical reaction to a food ingredient, an environmental stimulus or something else?
Now he will need a liver transplant. Based on this young man’s personal history, he may not top the transplant list, except for mercy.
Liver disease is a scary thing. The patient’s very complexion changes to an unusual color. Once the liver ceases working properly, the rest of the body is in serious trouble.
What a spiritual allegory. Does any of us deserve a new start? Who is able to merit God’s grace? None of us warrants the wondrous mercy of the Lord. And yet He offers His hand to us.
Is healing possible?
Can this color be changed back to a healthy glow? Can this life be restored?
What about the rest of us? What healing do you need today from the Lord? What changes would our merciful Master lovingly desire to build into your life? Or mine?
With God, all things are possible. Without Him, we do not have a chance.
Today’s Bible readings, found in the Old Testament prophetic book of Jeremiah, focus again on the perils of pagan worship, the sole divinity of Jehovah God and the coming captivity of His people.
The prophet Jeremiah warned the people of Israel of the dangers of provoking the Lord’s anger by worshipping idols and following the ungodly practices of the foreign nations around them.
In his frustration at the people’s unfaithfulness and recoiling from death threats against his own life, the weeping prophet questioned the Lord’s judgment:
“You are always righteous, O LORD,
when I bring a case before You.
Yet I would speak with you about Your justice:
Why does the way of the wicked prosper?
Why do all the faithless live at ease?
You have planted them, and they have taken root;
they grow and bear fruit.
You are always on their lips
but far from their hearts.
Yet you know me, O LORD;
You see me and test my thoughts about You.
Drag them off like sheep to be butchered!
Set them apart for the day of slaughter!
How long will the land lie parched and the grass in every field be withered?
Because those who live in it are wicked,
the animals and birds have perished.
Moreover, the people are saying,
‘He will not see what happens to us.’"
The Lord answered Jeremiah’s lament, vowing to bring His divine discipline to the unfaithful and His judgment upon the wicked. Even then, however, the Lord promised to preserve all those who remained fully devoted to Him.
Do we find it frustrating to see the unfaithful seeming to prosper, while the most faithful may seem to struggle?
How cavalierly we may question the Lord’s justice. Perhaps we are actually evaluating His timing, for He has deliberately declared that the day will come when His judgment will be pronounced, and His justice will prevail.
Until then, will we joust with God’s justice?
In medieval times, knights would mount horses for jousting tournaments. Clad in burdensome suits of armor, these equestrian warriors would face one another. Each knight would spur his horse towards his opponent. Pointing a long, heavy lance, he would attempt to unseat his challenger. Often, as in the artwork included here, both knights would be toppled and injured.
Who is harmed most when we question the Lord?
Surely God is not affected by our arguments. He is not compromised by our complaints.
