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The magnitude of compassion…. (devo compassion)

Jeremiah 21:2 “Inquire now of the Lord for us because Nebuchadnezzar a king of Babylon is attacking us. Perhaps the Lord will perform wonders for us as in times past so that he will withdraw from us.”
The flippant nature of the word “perhaps” strikes me here. I wonder what else they had tried? Was the Lord a last resort in this situation? And did they understand that they had caused this mess themselves by turning away from the Lord and toward worthless gods?
Jeremiah 21:4 ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I am about to turn against you the weapons of war that are in your hands, which you are using to fight the king of Babylon and the Babylonians who are outside the wall besieging you. And I will gather them inside this city.
Did they realize that verse 8 is an invitation? Even after all they’ve done, God still gives them a way out, a way back to Him…eventually. Did they understand the magnitude of compassion there?
Jeremiah 21:8 “Furthermore, tell the people, ‘This is what the Lord says: See, I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death. 
Lord, Thank You for this look at a people who had turned from You, who ignored every opportunity to return, who were willful and stubborn and foolish. Thank You that I see my own potential for disobedience in their story. Help me as I walk my own path to clearly see when I am stubbornly going my own way. Help me see Your invitations to repent and return. Help me to understand Your deep love and compassion and to make good choices. Amen.
Jeremiah 21:9 Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague. But whoever goes out and surrenders to the Babylonians who are besieging you will live; they will escape with their lives. 
Have a blessed day.
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Even in the tough times…. (devo reflection)

Jeremiah 20:11a But the Lord is with me like a mighty warrior; so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail….
This is a tough chapter for Jeremiah.  He is beaten and put in the stocks, yet he continues to prophesy, giving Judah and Jerusalem God’s message so they can hopefully humble themselves, repent, and return to God before it’s too late.
Jeremiah 20:11b …They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced; their dishonor will never be forgotten.
The bulk of chapter 20 is subtitled Jeremiah’s Complaints, and the verses of praise here fall in the middle of his complaint. Why? I am reminded of 2 Cor 12:8-9: “Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness….”
Jeremiah 20:12 Lord Almighty, you who examine the righteous and probe the heart and mind, let me see your vengeance on them, for to you I have committed my cause.
Lord, This life is hard. Even when we do the right thing, there is pain and sorrow. We need You. I don’t love the thorn in my flesh, but I do love the reminder that You are with me, even in the tough times, that Your power is perfected in my weakness. Always. Thank You. Amen.
Jeremiah 20:13 Sing to the Lord! Give praise to the Lord! He rescues the life of the needy from the hands of the wicked.
Have a blessed day.
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Easily breakable, easily broken…. (devo reflection)

Jeremiah 19:1 This is what the Lord says: “Go and buy a clay jar from a potter. Take along some of the elders of the people and of the priests….”
One of the things that struck me from yesterday’s reading was the fact that when the pot became marred while it was being formed, the potter didn’t abandon it, he remade it “as seemed best to Him.” In today’s reading, the pot is past the creation stage—its now rigid, hardened, easily breakable, easily broken.
Jeremiah 19:10 “Then break the jar while those who go with you are watching….”
Here’s the thing about vessels, they are all useful—a cup, a bowl, a bottle all have specific jobs to do. If a bowl is marred on the wheel, it can still be remade into a useful cup or bottle. But once it’s off the potter’s wheel, it becomes hardened and brittle. If it’s smashed, it becomes useless.
Jeremiah 19:11 “…and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I will smash this nation and this city just as this potter’s jar is smashed and cannot be repaired.’”
Lord, Thank You for the reminder that we must stay connected to You—attached to Your vine, firmly connected to Your potter’s wheel—to be useful to You, pliable for You. Once we are removed from our source, we become brittle and fragile, easily made useless. Help us never to be useless when it comes to Your kingdom work. Help us stay grounded in You. Amen.
Jeremiah 19:15 “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Listen! I am going to bring on this city and all the villages around it every disaster I pronounced against them, because they were stiff-necked and would not listen to my words.’ ”
Have a blessed day.
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As seems best…. (devo reflection)

Jeremiah 18:1-2 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” 
I have always read these verses from the standpoint of destruction—the potter destroying the marred pot—and while there is definitely that element here, as I read it this morning, I also see hope and possibility: God did not throw out the clay of the marred pot. He simply reshaped it “as seemed best to Him.”
Jeremiah 18:3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. 
This morning God leads me back to the idea of beauty from ashes. A marred pot could definitely be construed as ashes. But God takes those ashes, that marred pot, that lump of clay, and reshapes it, remakes it into something different yet altogether pleasing, into something that “seemed best” to Him.
Jeremiah 18:4 But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.
Lord, Thank You for the hope I see in Your word this morning. Thank You that when we are marred, You don’t throw out the lump of clay. Thank You for shaping us, for shaping our lives, as seems best to You. Draw us closer. Amen.
Jeremiah 18:5-6 Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel.
Have a blessed day.
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Work to do…. (devo reflection)

Jeremiah 17:7 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.”
If my confidence is in myself, then when things feel chaotic or out of my control, my life is going to be a mess. Even as I type this, I feel God whispering to my heart, “Does that feel familiar, precious child? Trust Me and find My rest.” Clearly I’ve still got work to do in this area.
Jeremiah 17:8a “They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.”
Ironically, this is the first time I’ve looked at these verses in terms of pride, my pride, getting in the way of my faith. John 15:5 illustrates this point even more clearly: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” Working outside of His will, working in my strength alone, severely limits my productivity and cuts me off from His blessings.
Jeremiah 17:8b “It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
Lord, Thank You for continuing to work on my heart in the area of pride. Thank You for the reminder that if I am acting on my own—instead of in Your will—my efforts will never produce Your abundant fruit. Thank You for knowing my heart and for loving me fiercely. Draw me closer. Humble me before You. Amen.
Jeremiah 17:10 “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.”
Have a blessed day.
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Even now, there is hope…. (devo reflection)

Jeremiah 16:1-2 Then the word of the Lord came to me: “You must not marry and have sons or daughters in this place.”
Again in this chapter we have God discussing the destruction He will bring on Judah because of generations of sin and disobedience. Again we have this idea that we should not let ourselves be negatively influenced by others because even if their sin influences us, once we take steps into sin, it becomes our sin.
Jeremiah 16:9 For this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Before your eyes and in your days I will bring an end to the sounds of joy and gladness and to the voices of bride and bridegroom in this place.
Again we have God drawing a hard line of tough love, warning Jeremiah not to get married or have children so that he will not have to watch them face the same fate as everyone else. And again, in verses 14 and 15, we have God extending a hopeful word. This punishment is not forever. If they return and repent, He *will* restore them.
Jeremiah 16:14 “However, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when it will no longer be said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt…’
Lord, Thank You for Your compassion and mercy. Thank You that even in Your judgment, You remind us of the way back to You. Help us not to lose our way, not to be negatively influenced by others. And when we do stray, help us to humble ourselves before You so that we can be restored. Amen.
Jeremiah 16:15 but it will be said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’ For I will restore them to the land I gave their ancestors.
Have a blessed day.
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The invitation to repent and be restored…. (devo reflection)

Jeremiah 15:4 Because of the wicked things Manasseh son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, did in Jerusalem, I will make my people an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. (NLT)
This chapter is all about destruction—the destruction of Judah because of their sins, which started with the reign of King Manasseh, who turned the nation back to polytheism. God even names Manasseh specifically in verse 4 as the source, the root cause of their slide.
Jeremiah 15:19 Therefore this is what the LORD says: “If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me; if you utter worthy, not worthless, words, you will be my spokesman. Let this people turn to you, but you must not turn to them. (NIV)
Verse 19 is spoken to Jeremiah, but the invitation to repent and be restored is open to us all. The caution not to let ourselves be negatively influenced by the sin of others is a caution for all. Manasseh eventually made his way back to God, he repented and was restored, but the damage had already been done for the people of Judah. His sin had become theirs. They were now making the bad choices.
2 Chronicles 33:12-13 But while in deep distress, Manasseh sought the LORD his God and sincerely humbled himself before the God of his ancestors. And when he prayed, the LORD listened to him and was moved by his request. So the LORD brought Manasseh back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh finally realized that the LORD alone is God!
Lord, Thank You for the message of hope, forgiveness, and restoration that can be found in this chapter. Thank You that if we return to You and humble ourselves, You will restore us. Help us not to be negatively influenced by others. Help us to never forget that the only thing that keeps us from You is our own stubborn pride. Help us to humble ourselves and return. Always. Amen.
Jeremiah 15:19 This is how the LORD responds: “If you return 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! (NLT)
Have a blessed day.
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Humility, not self-flagellation…. (devo reflection)

Jeremiah 14:20 We acknowledge our wickedness, Lord, and the guilt of our ancestors; we have indeed sinned against you.
I spent way more time than I should have this morning looking for a stinging text sent to me years ago by a friend. She commented after one devo reflection that it was “the realest thing I’d written in a year and a half” and that I “realized a problem in my life and acknowledged it without self-flagellation.” Four and a half years later, her comment still stings. So why do I include it here?
Jeremiah 14:21 For the sake of your name do not despise us; do not dishonor your glorious throne. Remember your covenant with us and do not break it.
What God wants from His people is genuine repentance, and I know I have a problem with pride. What my friend saw as self-flagellation, God recognizes as my humbling myself before Him. I am human, and it is shockingly easy for me to let my pride take the wheel. I want to always humble myself before Him. It doesn’t matter what what my friend thought she saw or understood from my reflections. God knows my heart.
Jeremiah 14:22a Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain? Do the skies themselves send down showers?
Lord, I want to be real, honest, and humble before You always. Help me to care more about where I stand with You and how I stand before You than I do about how others perceive me. Help me to have a humble and contrite heart in Your pressure and to glorify Your name for all. Amen.
Jeremiah 14:22b No, it is you, Lord our God. Therefore our hope is in you, for you are the one who does all this.
Have a blessed day.
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The difference between humility and humiliation…. (devo reflection)

Jeremiah 13:7 So I went to Perath and dug up the belt and took it from the place where I had hidden it, but now it was ruined and completely useless.
The difference between humility and humiliation is vast. God is saying: Humble yourselves before Me or I will humble you, and it won’t be pleasant for you. God doesn’t want to humiliate His people, He loves them, but they have wandered so far from Him and can’t even see the error of their ways because of their arrogant pride.
Jeremiah 13:8-9 Then the word of the Lord came to me: “This is what the Lord says: ‘In the same way I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem.”
The rational side of me is baffled: how do they not see the error of their ways? But isn’t that the nature of pride? To think, “Poor fools. Look at them ignoring God’s plea for them to return to Him” when in my own stubborn, arrogant, human way, I’m doing the exact same thing?
Jeremiah 13:10 These wicked people, who refuse to listen to my words, who follow the stubbornness of their hearts and go after other gods to serve and worship them, will be like this belt—completely useless! 
Lord, I want to be humble and not humiliated. I want to be dutiful and not obsequious. I want to be an attractive adornment that brings attention to You and not a fleshly weight trying to block the world’s view of Your glory. I want to shine Your light and not my own. Help me. Draw me closer. Amen.
Jeremiah 13:11 For as a belt is bound around the waist, so I bound all the people of Israel and all the people of Judah to me,’ declares the Lord, ‘to be my people for my renown and praise and honor. But they have not listened.’
Have a blessed day.
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Attitude adjustment…. (devo reflection)

Jeremiah 12:14 This is what the Lord says: “As for all my wicked neighbors who seize the inheritance I gave my people Israel, I will uproot them from their lands and I will uproot the people of Judah from among them.”
Jeremiah says in verse 1: “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?” Bold words, but I, too, am curious to know the answer.
Jeremiah 12:15 “But after I uproot them, I will again have compassion and will bring each of them back to their own inheritance and their own country.”
And based on the way I understand the verses here, the answer is, essentially, “Because they are My children, too, and I want to give them one more chance to turn back to Me so I can show them compassion.” I’m so thankful for His compassion in my own life. How can I fault God for offering it even to the wicked in the hopes of bringing them home?
Jeremiah 12:16 “And if they learn well the ways of my people and swear by my name, saying, ‘As surely as the Lord lives’—even as they once taught my people to swear by Baal—then they will be established among my people.”
Lord, I am not worthy to be called Your child, and yet Your refer to me as Your beloved. Thank You. As You can see, my attitude still needs some adjusting. Thank You for Your amazing compassion on all Your children. Help us to be as compassionate toward each other. Draw us all closer to You. Amen.
Jeremiah 12:17 “But if any nation does not listen, I will completely uproot and destroy it,” declares the Lord.
Have a blessed day.