PRAY ABOUT PRAYING. Jeremiah 32:42.

When someone is ill, we tell them to pray. Then we tell them to pray with faith, to pray BELIEVING. But what if you don’t have faith? Can you muster up faith? Can you strengthen your own faith?

I don’t know—but you can pray FOR faith.

If you need more faith, ask God! If you want to read the Bible, but lack discipline, ask God!

But will God help you do what you should do on your own? Of course!

“I will put fear of Me in their hearts so they will never again turn away from Me.” Jeremiah 32:42.

God says He will change hearts! He will reach into their hearts and make them fear the Lord.

“The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes” Proverbs 21:1.

“I will give you a new heart, and put a new spirit in you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh” Ezekiel 36:26.

“I will give them a heart to know Me…” Jeremiah 24:7.

“I will remove their stubborn hearts and give them obedient hearts” Ezekiel 11:19.

Get the picture? God can supernaturally change your heart. He can reach in and remake you. He can give you faith. Do you have wrong desires? He can change them, like the king in Proverbs 21:1. Are you stubborn? He can fix that. He can do ANYTHING. Just ask Him!

I have seen it myself. I memorized Proverbs 21:1 years ago, and I still pray it all the time:

“God, change my heart because I know ‘the king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord.’ PLEASE TURN MY HEART wherever you wish.”

I pray it for my family—I pray God gives each of us a heart that hungers for His word, a heart that loves Jesus and His people, a heart that is humble toward God and humble and helpful toward His church.

Join me in that prayer!

ΑΩ

MARRIAGE IS A TEACHING TOOL. Jeremiah 31:20.

We think romance is the point of life. Far more than half our songs and movies are about romance.

Our culture worships romance like an IDOL. Yet God created romance. Imagine—God Himself created His number-one rival.

He created those feelings, the passion, the electric charge when two hands touch, the sparkle in the eye and the run-away fantasies that can make you crazy before you’ve even met him or her. God understands all of that. And God created marriage to contain all of that, to make sense of it. And to build homes and families.

But marriage is not your life’s purpose.

God created marriage and romance to teach us something about Himself. How many times does the Bible refer to God’s people as His Bride? And what is characteristic of marriage? A deeply felt, life-altering passion AND commitment to another person.

But while we are on this earth, we are not married, but betrothed.

And what is characteristic of the betrothal period?

“Longing” might be the number-one, most common feeling among the engaged the world over. You long for the one to whom you are betrothed. And you know what? Jesus longs for you.

*Incidentally, the scripture’s requirement of abstinence before marriage further underscores the longing that exists between Jesus and His Bride. All those months (or years) you spend engaged and wrestling with self-control before marriage are an illustration of the relationship between Christ and the church: throughout our entire lives on earth, we can only long for His presence–and He longs for ours as well. Wrap your mind around that!

In Jeremiah 31, God explains that Israel has betrayed Him, “even though I married them” v.32. He is FULLY COMMITTED to His people. He repeatedly calls them “Virgin.” “Return, Virgin Israel!” Jeremiah 31:21. God says His “inner being longs” for His people, 31:20, and that He delights in them: “I will take delight in them to do what is good for them” 32:41.

God loves you and longs for the day when we will see Him as He is, when He no longer has to hide Himself and His Glory. God LONGS for that day.

And He longs for YOU. Imagine.

God, help us slow down and enjoy the fact that You love us so much that You delight in us, You long for us.

ΑΩ

BLOOM WHERE YOU’RE PLANTED. Jeremiah 29:5-7.

Everyone should train as an endurance runner. Running teaches great lessons: Go one more mile. One more block. One more yard. One more step. Never quit. You can do it!

My mom used to say, “bloom where you’re planted.” That was her way of saying: Do the best you can do in the pot you’re in. Stop trying to change pots.

When things are tough, we look for a way out. We quit jobs, we quit hobbies, we quit friendships and marriages, we quit careers, churches, sports teams, we quit on our dreams. Some quit life itself.

But you will never learn the advanced lessons of true maturity if you quit too soon.

Some things can only be learned through long periods of struggle and pain. PLAN for pain. EXPECT struggle. Life is an endurance race. It is not a sprint but a marathon. You will suffer and you will have to GUT. IT. OUT. Expecting the struggle makes it easier. Jeremiah wrote a letter to the exiles who had been deported to Babylon. They were anxious to come home and resume their lives in Jerusalem. It was not to be.

“Build houses and live in them. Plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters. Take wives for your sons and give your daughters to men in marriage so that they may bear sons and daughters. Multiply. Increase there. Do not decrease. Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you. Pray to the Lord on its behalf, for when the city prospers, you will prosper.” Jeremiah 29:5-7.

If you find yourself in Babylon, bloom THERE.

Stop looking for that next big thing. Work hard, be creative, flourish. Bloom! Make a difference! Ask God to bless your Babylon, your difficult situation.

What did Churchill say—he whose iron will won history’s greatest war?

“Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense.”

God, give us strength to ENDURE and faith to trust You with everything.

ΑΩ

COOKIE CUTTER. Joshua 18:6-7; Jeremiah 29:11.

I used to watch my mom use a rolling pin to make a sheet of thin, flat cookie dough on wax paper. Then she stamped it with tin cookie cutters to cut out shapes: doughy little Christmas trees or stars or bells or stockings. She would bake them, spread icing on them, and—voila! Christmas cookies.

Cookie cutters are known for identical results. If you need 400 matching cookies, one cookie cutter will do it.

But we do not live cookie-cutter lives. Each is unique. Even your siblings will live lives different from yours. Consider adult siblings you know—their contrasting jobs, spouses, and children. God has unique plans. When Israel divided the Promised Land, the tribe of Levi had a unique experience:

“I will cast lots for you here in the presence of the Lord. But the Levites do not get a portion because their inheritance is the priesthood” Joshua 18:6-7.

If you look at maps in your Bible, Israel is divided into only 12 tribal lands. Though there are 13 tribes*, one received no territory. Instead, Levi received the priesthood. They are a tribe of priests and were to be spread across Israel. This is a sacrifice for Levi—but the blessings outweigh the sacrifice. As priests, their families will eat the meat of the nation’s sacrificial animals, their sons will do God’s work, and their children will enjoy opportunities of all kinds.

Sometimes our lives look like that: God may bless you with education and opportunities, yet you lack things your friends have. Why? Because we do not live cookie cutter lives. God loves you and has rich, blessed plans for you. Your life will be different from the lives of your siblings, friends, and family. Welcome it! Thank God for it! He knows what he is doing.

“I know the plans I have for you! Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future” Jeremiah 29:11.

God, do your will! We trust you and we welcome your plans with hope and excitement!

ΑΩ
*Jacob (Israel) had 12 sons, but he gave Joseph a double-portion by taking Joseph’s two sons as his own, making the two a 12th and 13th tribe, but tradition simply refers to the nation as 12 tribes, probably because the tribe of Levi had no land of its own.

Today’s Word: Jeremiah 29:11; 31:3

For I know the plans I have for you, plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope… I have loved you with an everlasting love. Jeremiah 29:11; 31:3.

He has plans for us, and His love is forever.

ΑΩ

PROOF TEXTING. 2 Timothy 2:15; Jeremiah 28:15-17.

A Bible professor accused me of “proof texting” when I used a single verse to prove a point. Bible doctrine should be proven with many verses, across the entirety of scripture, from many writers, across the centuries, and from both the Old and New Testaments. Proof texting, by contrast, is when you argue a point but offer only one text as evidence.

For example, you might argue I can lose my salvation, and as “proof” you quote 2 John 1:8-9: “Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may receive a full reward. If you run ahead and do not continue in the teachings of Christ, you do not have God….” Does this text prove you can lose salvation? No. This verse is about losing rewards in heaven. In response, I would offer verses from all over the Bible to prove you CANNOT lose your salvation….

So why bring this up? Because God expects us to interpret the Bible correctly, to do the HARD WORK of studying and figuring things out.

“STUDY to show thyself APPROVED BY GOD, a workman who need not be ashamed, correctly handling the word of Truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15.

Tips on Bible interpretation:

  1. Know the textual context: the rest of the chapter and Book.
  2. Know the historical context: what was going on in Israel and the Gentile world?
  3. Consider original languages. You do not need to be a language scholar; instead, review many English translations. They have done the work for you. Your interpretation should be consistent with the SIXTY (60!) translations available on biblegateway.com.
  4. Consider church history. Godly men have been studying God’s word for 2,000 years. Does your view differ from history’s most Godly believers—even the ones burned at the stake for their faith? Then you are probably wrong. Today I read about the false prophet Hananiah. The Lord struck him down for preaching things that were not true. God takes His word seriously. Jeremiah 28:15-17.
  5. PRAY! Ask God for wisdom. It is HIS word, after all.

ΑΩ

I’ve Got Good News and Bad News. Jeremiah 29:5-14.

The bad news is, you have not received your number-one wish.  Most people have not.  Some wishes will not be fulfilled. All you can do is accept it and keep trusting the Lord. 

The Israelites were in trouble.  God punished their continued idolatry by sending the nation into bondage. 

Jeremiah’s message went like this: The bad news is, you’re not going to get your number-one wish: staying put. God is sending the entire nation into bondage. You will move 700 miles from Jerusalem to Babylon. Not only that, you will remain in Babylon for 70 years. Most of you will never see Jerusalem again.

The good news is, God will take care of you. You may lose Jerusalem, but life goes on. And you will learn something from being banished: you will never again be so easily led into idol worship.

Have you ever felt trapped in Babylon? You’re stuck in a low-paying job, for example, with an unreliable car and no way to improve the situation. Or your student loan debts are crushing your future. Or you’re lonely, unmarried, or unable to have children. What can you do? Sometimes the message God has for us is to accept our disappointment.

ACCEPT IT.

Accept life in Babylon and be thankful for all the good things He gives while you endure the bad.  Look at all the things the Israelites had to be thankful for while in Babylon:

“Build houses and live in them. Plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters … Multiply there; do not decrease … When 70 years for Babylon are complete, I will … restore you to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope … You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart … I will restore your fortunes … and restore you to the place from which I deported you” Jeremiah 29:5-14.

There was bad news from the Lord—a prayer to which He answered ‘No’—but there was good news too. 

Let’s COUNT THOSE BLESSINGS:

1)Houses,

2)gardens,

3)wives, sons, and daughters,

4)your descendants will return to Jerusalem,

5)God has good plans,

6)God promises a future and a hope,

7)you will find God when you seek Him wholeheartedly,

8)He will restore your fortunes and your homes.

God, help us to accept the difficult things You allow in our lives, and remind us to count our blessings every day.

ΑΩ

Clear Words are Better than Dreams. Jeremiah 23:28-29.

Have you ever had a dream from God? People are fascinated by the unusual: dreams, visions, prophetic words, speaking in tongues, etc. But the Bible tells us over and over that there is something more valuable than these things.

I had an interesting dream once. I was in a huge place filled with thousands trying to get on elevators. There was an elevator bank with six cars, and long, shoving lines to get on. Suddenly I knew this was the rapture. We were headed to heaven, and we had to be on those elevators! I spotted my mom and brother, and I didn’t see my dad, but knew he would be okay—but my buddy Chris was nowhere to be found. I panicked! Was it too late? Could I share my faith with him? Did I know enough to talk him through the steps of salvation? I slapped my back pocket, and realized that although I owned a pocket-sized Bible, it was not in my pocket. And where was Chris?! I ran around frantic! I couldn’t go to heaven without Chris!

Then I woke up, and I knew I needed to do something to get Chris into the Kingdom. But what? I had invited him to church before, but he wasn’t interested.

Not long after that (and without me knowing!), my dad went to Chris’s house by himself and said, “Chris, get dressed. You’re coming to the church with me tonight. Steven’s mother has planned a surprise birthday party for him and she wants you there.” Chris met all my friends that night—at a dress rehearsal for the Pageant—and soon he met the Lord, and from then on went to church with me every Wednesday, Sunday morning and night, and to Tuesday night Bible studies at Robb’s house.

I’m not sure what role the dream played—if any. And sometimes dreams and visions are like that. But there is something more reliable, more DEFINITE than dreams. Just as the Apostle Paul says to always prefer known languages over speaking in foreign tongues (1 Corinthians 14:5,19), the Old Testament says to give preference to God’s Word over dreams:

“The prophet who has only a dream should recount the dream, but the one who has My word should speak My word truthfully. For what is straw compared to grain? Is not My word like fire, and like a hammer that pulverizes rock?” Jeremiah 23:28-29.

Dreams are whispy, like smoke, like talking in gestures to someone who speaks no English. But words are definite. Words give clarity. While a dream can be inspiring, its meaning can also be blurry, like trying to capture fog in your hand. Our feelings are the same way. You can go to an event and feel something positive, like love or peace, and tell yourself you felt Jesus. But the Bible says the devil himself masquerades as an angel of light. He fools everyone!

Thus, good feelings, and even dreams and visions, can prove UNRELIABLE. They are soft, like fog and smoke. But God’s word is clear and firm and as hard as a hammer that shatters stone.

Finally, God says in verse 28 that dreams are like straw; the Word is like grain. Have you seen how the horses walk away from hay when I bring them grain? They would eat grain 24-7 if they could. God’s word is delicious and NUTRITIOUS. Dreams are like a snack that gets you through the afternoon. But the Word is what you need to feast on!

ΑΩ

Dreams vs. the Word. Jeremiah 23:28-29

Which is better, a dream from God that requires interpretation, or the text of His Word that gives clear direction?

The prophet who has only a dream should recount the dream, but the one who has my word should speak my word truthfully, for what is straw compared to grain? Is not my word like fire, and like a jackhammer that pulverizes rock? Jeremiah 23:28-29.

Don’t pray for dreams and visions when the Bible has clear words available to instruct you. Feed on His word. Master the 66 books before you–then, perhaps, God will send you dreams and visions.

ΑΩ

STARDUST. Jeremiah 22:15-16.

In 1987, on a bus from Beaumont to Houston, I met Stardust, an aging Hippie who talked to me about God. He was intoxicated by the false notion that nothing can be known for certain. He challenged me.

“How do you KNOW that you know God?”

I remembered one verse:

“If you love Me, you’ll keep My commandments” John 14:15.

“But no one can keep his commandments,” Stardust said, smiling. He thought he had me trapped.

“Nobody’s perfect,” I said. “But you do your best—and God knows your heart.”

After 90 minutes, I said goodbye to Stardust in Houston, having made no visible progress. He engaged in such conversations purely for entertainment. (He would no sooner reveal his true heart to me than his true name.) But I learned something from that conversation: if you know God, it will change your ACTIONS, not just your beliefs. If it does not show in your actions, then you don’t know Him.

John sums it up as LOVE: “He who abides in LOVE abides in God, and God in him…. The one who does not know love, does not know God, for God is love” 1 John 4:16, 8.

Consider God’s rebuke of Shallum, evil son of King Josiah:

“Didn’t your father eat and drink and administer justice and righteousness? Then it went well with him. He took up the cause of the poor and needy, then it went well. IS THIS NOT WHAT IT MEANS TO KNOW ME?” Jeremiah 22:15-16.

Knowing God means obeying Him and loving people, but it also means caring for justice, righteousness, the poor and the needy.

And I must add one more verse:

“What does the Lord require of you, but to DO JUSTICE, LOVE MERCY, and WALK HUMBLY WITH THY GOD?” Micah 6:8.

If you know God, you will obey Him. You will love people. You will seek justice, integrity, compassion for the poor, and you will be humble.

God, give us lives that honor You. May people see You in us. Remind us to act with LOVE, COMPASSION, and HUMILITY.

ΑΩ