Jeremiah 3:10
In spite all of this, her unfaithful, sister, Judah did not return to me with all her heart, but only in pretense declares the Lord.
When Israel was offending God by running off and taking on the worship of false idols, God gave her lots and lots of chances to repent, but then he mentions in Jeremiah 3:10, that even after He punished Israel for what she did Judah went and did the same thing. They also worshiped false idols.
However, that is not what I am stuck on in this verse.
God covers how when the nation of Judah repented before God, it was only in word, a pretence, a facade if you will.
How often do we repent and fully plan on doing what we did wrong the first time again?
We say ‘I’m sorry Jesus.’ Just to have the verse about God removing our sin whenever we ask come into play. We aren’t really sorry. We dobt really care. Like a child who apologizes because he’s told to, not because he’s sorry. How often is that us?
God isn’t dumb. He knows when you are honest and when you are not.
How things come down in the end I do not know. How God will sort the sins we repent for and the ones we don’t in the last days is up to Him.
But setting that aside. Don’t we want to love Him enough to truly serve Him? To truly be sorry when we mess up? To try and change?
Isn’t He worthy of that!
Category: Devotional
The battle in the hall
The real battle, he fought alone, in the hall before the great door and the monster within. – The Hobbit
We often feel like our times of fighting with ourselves and forcing ourselves forward to do things that terrify us is not the true battle. In fact, we look on it as weakness. Yet, it is often in the hallways before the interview, before the operation, before the exam, before whatever is facing you, that is where we fought the true battle. The greatest battle to overcome, because we are fighting ourselves.
In a way, we are all members of Fight Club. We are all fighters against the enemy of our own thoughts and actions. For every time God tells you to do something, the devil tells you not to, and vice-versa. If God tells you to invite your friend to church, the devil will tell you not to. If God tells you not to go to that party, the devil will tell you you should.
You always fight your biggest battles, but yourself, in the hall.
Except one thing. You aren’t by yourself. Jesus fights with you. When the devil gets in your head, Jesus is right there attacking his defenses and stopping him from making strongholds.
Jesus is your only true defense.
Don’t let the battle of the hall hold you back from the path and the future God has set before you.
Still in the boat?
Peter was the only one to get out of the boat.
Everyone always criticizes Peter for losing faith and sinking. How many of us have walked on water? Even for a second? None of us? Exactly.
Peter looked down and was afraid. But at least he wasn’t still in the boat.
We all say we want to walk where Jesus leads, and we mock those who fail. But how many of us have actually tried to follow Him? If you are trying to follow Him, you will fail almost every day. Its the ones who don’t try who look they are always succeeding. It’s a scam. No effort means no failure and gives a false illusion of success. But only those who try fail. Only those who fail come back and try again after learning from their mistakes.
Are you still in the boat?
Insects
Insects
Today, as I was walking, I had an unpleasant insect land on me. I flicked it off and shuddered, and kept walking. Then, two butterflies flew past me. The bees and the butterflies, the dragonflies and the lady bugs. Such insects are why I don’t spray pesticides. Though the mosquitoes and black flies are a constant problem and make me regret my choice some days.
In this tiny way, I understand a little more about God when He he is speaking with His men of Faith in the Bible and saying, “For your sake I do not.” For the sake of the Righteous God did not destroy humanity (a second time) for the sake of His people He stayed His hand. Then, for the sake of those He loved (us), He sent His Son to die so we could be saved.
In saving the butterflies, I am also sparing the mosquitoes. But unlike mosquitoes, when God, in sparing the Righteous, spares the sinners as well, He is also giving them another chance to change. A mosquito will always be what it is, but when God’s people pray for God to spare the country or town they live in despite it’s evil, God is also giving the evil a chance to change and to find Him. He wants all people to turn to Him and will give them chances again and again and again. That’s love.
Basketball
When I was a teen, I was scouted by our school’s basketball coach to play for the team. I chose not to because of driving distance from my house, but the fact that it happened always stayed with me. Why? Because in elementary school, when they first taught us basketball, it broke me. I was terrible. (When I think on it, getting a grade for PE should not have happened. Because for every sport someone is good at, there are three or four they can’t do at all.) My dad was the difference. I came home in tears after our teacher had told me off for being so bad at dribbling and shooting. So, He bought me a pink ‘girl power’ basketball, and we went to the outdoor court at the high school until he taught me properly how to play the game. Then I learned to enjoy it. It’s not about how many times the ball hits the rim. It’s about keeping going until ever shot is nothing but net. God is like that. We have things in our lives that scare and overwhelm us, we try, and we fail again and again until we break down. Then we go to Jesus. (We really should go to Him before the breakdown, but we almost never do.) We tell Jesus our troubles and we cry, then He lifts us up and says, “Let’s try again. Together this time.” Because of that, we are able to go forward and learn what we did wrong the first time. He shows us how to do things. It’s amazing when He opens our minds to understanding. He will teach us, we just have to ask Him.
Be like Daniel
Life gets hard. Sometimes you get sick. Sometimes you’re far from home. Sometimes you’re under a lot of pressure. Sometimes it’s all of the above.
When times get tough, think of Daniel. He was alone in a strange land, with strange customs and ways. In the beginning he had some friends from his land, but it seems like very soon after he was singled out and made to be on his own.
When times were hard he stood firm for God and did not budge.
He continued to pray each day and watched as God moved mountains.
Then when times were good and he was recognized for what God was doing through him. He continued. He continued to put God first and to pray and to trust Him.
Sometimes life is no fun and all you want to do it cry. In those times turn to Jesus. Reach out to Him. There may be a wall to struggle past, but you will get there. And once there you will see His glory as He guides you on this path.
Stay strong in Jesus friends!
Run to the tower
Run to the tower.
Tolkien wrote a lot of novels that were never celebrated, many of which are barely even known about. I have a favorite set called Tales from the perilous realm. Because, of course, all adventures and all fairy tales can be perilous. He writes of two little dogs staying in a tall tower with the man on the moon and the two little dogs venture too far away from home 1 day and end up bothering a large dragon, and the man on the moon has to save them. And as they’re running away from the dragon, they’re running as fast as they can back to the man on the moon’s tower because they know that they are safe within his tower.
God calls himself our strong tower. But in a world where we don’t really have towers anymore, we have condos and high rises, we forget what a tower means. Towers were fortresses, probably made out of Stone or clay brick. They were strong.They were a place the enemy could not get in. Because it was protected by the king’s guard and by the king.
Run to his tower. He is a fortress for when I am weak. A place where I can hide. God is a place of refuge. His loving arms always open to receive us and always strong to protect. So when we travel too far from home and bother the great dragons, run back to the tower, the door will be open and he will protect you.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV
[5] Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; [6] in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
This. This right here. This verse.
We listen to it. We pray it. We quote it. We get it tattooed on our arms. Yet. Do we listen to it?
Trust in Jesus. Do not rely on what you understand. Submit your ways to Him and He will make a way.
We see this verse as a soft, cuddly verse. A feel good verse. This is not a feel good verse. This is a battle cry in the midst of tragedy and sorrow. This is not a spot light on a highway, this is a torch in a tunnel.
We don’t need to be reminded to trust God when life is good. We need to trust God when life is a dumpster fire! When we can’t take anymore. When we want to scream and cry and throw things. That’s when we need to be reminded that our understanding is not His understanding. Our understanding is limited to what we know and what we see. His understanding expands beyond thought, time and reality as we know it. God knows how the book ends. We don’t. God knows how we are going to continue on. Get by. See the end. See the reward. See the plan, maybe we never see the plan, maybe we just live the plan. But God. God knows. Trust not in your understanding because it is subjective. Trust in God’s understanding because He created your understanding.
Mother’s day
Thinking on the day, being mother’s day, I can’t help but think of what really makes a mom. This thought took me to flowers.
Flowers nurture their babies, primarily by providing nourishment and protection until they are ready to grow independently. This is achieved through the development of fruit and seeds, which contain stored food reserves and protective structures. Additionally, some plants have mechanisms to ensure their offspring remain near favorable environments, such as sending out runners or developing seedlings while still attached to the parent plant.
It’s funny to think of. A plant that cannot think or feel is God designed to care for and grow it’s seeds. It does it naturally, automatically, because that’s how God made it to function.
Human mothers aren’t so fortunate. They have to make a choice to be a good mom. These women have decided that raising and caring for their children even at risk and cost to themselves is more important than being free to do as they please or to live for themselves. Because as a mother you never live for yourself, you are always living someone else. Not all women can handle this, so they choose not to have children or keep their children. Foster care is full of kids whose mothers cared more about themselves then about their children. There are a few who gave their children up for the sake of the child. But not many. I say this because being a mom is hard work. It’s not always fun, in fact it is mostly hard work and stress. So to the mothers who chose to brave this path and to stick it out to the end. You are amazing! You are rare and valuable. Keep at it. Keep going. What you do is important.
When I think of how and mother cares for her children in that way of sacrifice, I obviously think of my mom. Especially lately. I have been so busy with school I don’t always remember what day it is or to brush my hair. I know that sounds terrible, but this is truly how busy it’s been. Then today came. Mother’s day. My mom made our family a nice breakfast. I should have made her breakfast. She had baked a cake for mother’s day. I should have made it for her. I did recall to have a present for her. But she cleaned up the kitchen. It was supposed to be her day. She made it special for everyone else. When I told her how sorry I was, she smiled and shook her head. Then she limped to her chair because the day had caused her pain.
That’s a mom. That’s what it means to be a mother. Sacrifice. Love. Determination. Faith. Mothers rely of Jesus to pull them through these tough days and they thank Him each time they get to smile or laugh with their child.
Anyone can be a mom. Even a plant. But it takes someone whose power comes from the savior, someone who keeps going despite the pain and weariness, someone who protects and cares for those around her, to be a mother.
Happy Mother’s day.
Acts of Acts 2
Acts 2:1-4, 7-8, 13 ESV
[1] When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. [2] And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. [3] And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. [4] And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
[7] And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? [8] And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language?
[13] But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”
When the Holy Spirit came the first time some were amazed and others scoffed. This is not unlike today. Even fellow believers sometimes scoff at the suggestion of the Holy Spirit (I think they will have some answering to do when they see Jesus). Just because people laugh at us and call us crazy for our beliefs does not mean we should leave them behind or be silent about them. God will do His work, some people will see and believe and others won’t. Don’t worry about those who hate you and laugh at you, be blessed by the way God works through you and helps those who will listen come to Him through what He says and does through you.
Carried in the cross 