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Lessons learned…. (devo reflection)

Jeremiah 35:4-5 I brought them into the house of the Lord….Then I set bowls full of wine and some cups before the Rekabites and said to them, “Drink some wine.”
In literature we talk a lot about juxtaposition, contrast. That is exactly what is set up in this chapter. God uses the behavior of the Rekabites, who are obedient to all that their forefather told them, to contrast the behavior of the Israelites, who repeatedly ignored the commands of God Himself.
Jeremiah 35:6 But they replied, “We do not drink wine, because our forefather Jehonadab son of Rekab gave us this command: ‘Neither you nor your descendants must ever drink wine.’
It would be so easy to think the Israelites idiots for ignoring the obvious—God’s command—but when I am honest with myself, I see I do it, too. God tells me to love others as He loves me. He tells me to show mercy and compassion. Sometimes I do a really good job of it. Sometimes I fail miserably.
Jeremiah 35:8 We have obeyed everything our forefather Jehonadab son of Rekab commanded us….
Lord, Thank You for the birth of Your Son, the Light of the world. Thank You for love, mercy, compassion, second chances. Help me to listen, to hear, to obey, even when I don’t feel like it, even when it’s difficult. Draw us closer to You. Amen.
Jeremiah 35:12-13 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying: “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go and tell the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, ‘Will you not learn a lesson and obey my words?’ declares the Lord.
Have a blessed day.
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I am known…. (devo reflection)

Jeremiah 34:8 The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to proclaim freedom for the slaves. 
God knows our hearts. He knows when we are desperate. He knows when we are insincere. He knows when our return is conditional on His acting the way that we want.
Jeremiah 34:9 Everyone was to free their Hebrew slaves, both male and female; no one was to hold a fellow Hebrew in bondage. 
He doesn’t play games. He has no need for lip service and play acting. His love for us is fierce, but it’s not sugar-coated. He doesn’t give us our way just because it will make us happy. He doesn’t rejoice over insincere repentance.
Jeremiah 34:10 So all the officials and people who entered into this covenant agreed that they would free their male and female slaves and no longer hold them in bondage. They agreed, and set them free. 
Lord, You have searched me and You know me (Psalm 139:1). You know my heart, my mind, my intentions. Help me to be real, honest, and true with You always. You know the truth anyway, and I don’t ever want a false heart with You. Life isn’t always easy, Lord, but You are always loving, sovereign, and merciful. Help me never to forget. Draw me closer. Amen.
Jeremiah 34:11 But afterward they changed their minds and took back the slaves they had freed and enslaved them again.
Have a blessed day.
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Hope in the midst of despair…. (Devo reflection)

Jeremiah 33:1 While Jeremiah was still confined in the courtyard of the guard, the word of the Lord came to him a second time:

The overwhelming motif I see in this chapter, a motif I desperately need in my life, is hope in the midst of despair. Even while Jeremiah is confined, the Lord is speaking hope to His people. Even though He told them repeatedly how to avoid their current fate, He is speaking hope to His people.

Jeremiah 33:3 “‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’”

I am finding that in this stage of my life I am seeking and clinging to God’s hope in a way I never have before. Some might call my hope toxic positivity. Some might call it cliché. Some might call me Pollyanna. But I honestly don’t care. God is with us. He loves us fiercely. He wants an intimate relationship with us. He can turn our ashes into His beauty. I don’t need to know how. I just need to trust Him.

Jeremiah 33:6 “‘Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security.’”

Lord, Thank You for hope in the midst of despair. Thank You for love, even when we feel unloveable. Thank You for beauty from ashes. Thank You that I don’t have to understand to trust and believe Your promises. Amen.

Jeremiah 33:7 “‘I will bring Judah and Israel back from captivity and will rebuild them as they were before.’”

Have a blessed day. I love you.

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With all my heart and soul…. (devo reflection)

Jeremiah 32:36-37 “…but this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I will surely gather them from all the lands where I banish them in my furious anger and great wrath; I will bring them back to this place and let them live in safety.”
The theme of this chapter seems to me: God keeps His promises. He told the people repeatedly that if they did not change their ways, if they did not return and repent, exile was assured. He also promised them that He would eventually gather them back to Him and restore them.
Jeremiah 32:38-39 “They will be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me and that all will then go well for them and for their children after them.”
So what does this mean for us? God still wants that singleness of heart and action. He still wants that personal relationship. He still wants us to listen and obey, to return and repent. He still wants to bless us abundantly.
Jeremiah 32:40 “I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me.”
Lord, I love You with my whole heart. I want an everlasting covenant relationship with You. I am also human and fleshly and prone to stupid choices. Take from me my stony, stubborn heart and give me a tender, responsive heart only for You (Ezekiel 36:26). Draw me closer. Amen.
Jeremiah 32:41 “I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and soul.”
Have a blessed day.
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A new covenant…. (devo reflection)

Jeremiah 31:13 “Then young women will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.”
In this chapter, God is talking about the new covenant He will make with His people once they are restored. Again we have these twin motifs of repentance and returning. Verse 33 gives us additional insight that this new covenant, this new relationship, will be personal.
Jeremiah 31:25 “I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.”
The old covenant, to me, seems characterized by rules and regulations. As the Pharisees and Sadducees show, you can stick closely to the letter of religious law and not have God in your heart. This new covenant alluded to makes the relationship personal—it’s not just about fulfilling the law. It’s also about relationship with the Creator.
Jeremiah 31:31 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah.”
Lord, Thank You for the hope of the new covenant. Thank You for loving us so deeply that You want to be a part of our lives, that You want to know us personally. Help me, daily, to seek You and to seek to know You better. Draw me closer. Amen.
Jeremiah 31:33 “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
Have a blessed day.
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A hopeful perspective…. (devo reflection)

Jeremiah 30:3 The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity and restore them to the land I gave their ancestors to possess,’ says the Lord.”
Perspective is such a profound factor in how you interpret or perceive the things you read and hear. I am solidly in a place in my life where I cling to hope with both hands. I have read Jeremiah to this point marveling at the hope and opportunity woven into God’s warnings of what will happen if the people don’t repent.
Jeremiah 30:8 “ ‘In that day,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘I will break the yoke off their necks and will tear off their bonds; no longer will foreigners enslave them.’”
Commentary says of this chapter, “It’s general tone of hopefulness and optimism sets it apart from much of the previous Jeremiah.” I shouldn’t be surprised because that’s how I’ve read Jeremiah in the past, but this time all I see in every chapter is God offering an opportunity for His people to turn back to Him.
Jeremiah 30:9 “‘Instead, they will serve the Lord their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.’”
Lord, Thank You for Your hope. Thank You that I am able to see abundant hope in these passages. Help me in life to see and cling to Your hope as well. Help me to shine Your beacon of hope for others. Amen.
Jeremiah 30:10 “ ‘So do not be afraid, Jacob my servant; do not be dismayed, Israel,’ declares the Lord. ‘I will surely save you out of a distant place, your descendants from the land of their exile. Jacob will again have peace and security, and no one will make him afraid.’”
Have a blessed day.
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Hope and a future…. (Devo reflection)

Jeremiah 29:10 This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place.”

Seventy years is a long time. I wonder if the exiles are starting to realize the error of their ways? Again, what strikes me in this chapter is God’s attitude, His posture. There’s no “I told you so” or “If you had only listened to me” or “This is another fine mess you’ve gotten yourself into.”

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

God is still loving and compassionate. He is still giving His people hope. “I have not forsaken you. I have not forgotten you. I have a plan for you—a plan to give you hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29:12 “Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.”

Lord, Thank You for Your sovereignty, mercy, grace, love. Thank You that even in the face of rebellion, You provide a way back to You. Thank You for having a plan for me, for listening when I call, for allowing me to seek You and find you when I seek You wholeheartedly. Amen.

Jeremiah 29:13 “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Have a blessed day. I love you.

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Clarity…. (devo reflection)

Jeremiah 28:11 …and he said before all the people, “This is what the Lord says: ‘In the same way I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon off the neck of all the nations within two years.’ ” At this, the prophet Jeremiah went on his way.
Commentary says of Hananiah, who is speaking here, “…he really believed his prophetic word was a message from the Lord,” which has me wondering today about prophets and prophecies and how you know if something is from God or of God or not.
Jeremiah 28:15 Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, “Listen, Hananiah! The Lord has not sent you, yet you have persuaded this nation to trust in lies.”
We all have situations in our lives where we want a word from God. We want to know we are doing His will. We are hopeful His will for us and our will for ourselves coincide. How do we discern the true from the false? How do we ensure we are being a Jeremiah and not a Hananiah?
Jeremiah 28:16 “Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. This very year you are going to die, because you have preached rebellion against the Lord.’ ”
Lord, I want Your will for my life more than anything. Help me to discern what that is. Help me to be a Jeremiah—boldly proclaiming and living Your truth, even if it’s not what I would choose for myself—instead of a Hananiah—spreading and believing falsehoods. Draw me closer. Give me clarity. Amen.
Jeremiah 28:17 In the seventh month of that same year, Hananiah the prophet died.
Have a blessed day.
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Life is all about choices…. (devo reflection)

Jeremiah 27:5 “With my great power and outstretched arm I made the earth and its people and the animals that are on it, and I give it to anyone I please.”
Life is all about choices. God has been telling the people for a long time that if they didn’t repent and return, He would punish them for their disobedience.
Jeremiah 27:6 “Now I will give all your countries into the hands of my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; I will make even the wild animals subject to him.”
This chapter no longer presents that choice. Now the choice is: Submit to Nebuchadnezzar’s yoke or be punished with sword, famine, and plague. At this point it is too late for them to repent and return, but God’s ultimate plan is still to bring them back to Him, repentant and obedient.
Jeremiah 27:7 “All nations will serve him and his son and his grandson until the time for his land comes; then many nations and great kings will subjugate him.”
Lord, You are sovereign, loving, compassionate. Your ultimate goal is to gather Your children—all Your children—to You. Help us to seek You, to follow Your guidance, to seek Your correction, to be humble and obedient, which is so unnatural to us. Draw us closer. Always. Amen.
Jeremiah 27:8 “If, however, any nation or kingdom will not serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon or bow its neck under his yoke, I will punish that nation with the sword, famine and plague, declares the Lord, until I destroy it by his hand.”
Have a blessed day.
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To humble myself before the Lord…. (devo reflection)

Jeremiah 26:2 “This is what the Lord says: Stand in the courtyard of the Lord’s house and speak to all the people of the towns of Judah who come to worship in the house of the Lord. Tell them everything I command you; do not omit a word.”
I have always informally thought of the God of the Old Testament as angry and vengeful, quick to strike down those who disobey, but God has been showing me again and again the compassionate nuances of His character in the Old Testament. In these verses He instructs Jeremiah to preach very specifically about what’s going to happen if the people do not return and repent.
Jeremiah 26:3 “Perhaps they will listen and each will turn from their evil ways. Then I will relent and not inflict on them the disaster I was planning because of the evil they have done.”
As you can imagine, it didn’t go over well. People don’t like to admit they are wrong, that they have done things they shouldn’t, haven’t done things they should’ve, aren’t who they hoped. (And by people, I mean me. I’m people. Admitting my abundant flaws is hard. It’s easier to pretend, but that way lies destruction.)
Jeremiah 26:8 But as soon as Jeremiah finished telling all the people everything the Lord had commanded him to say, the priests, the prophets and all the people seized him and said, “You must die!”
Lord, It is often hard to humble myself before You, but that’s the only way to draw close, and I know when I humble myself, You show me how to draw closer still. Help me to check my ego. Help me to approach Your throne, seeking to be the best that You created me to be. Draw me closer, always, Lord. Amen.
Jeremiah 26:13 “Now reform your ways and your actions and obey the Lord your God. Then the Lord will relent and not bring the disaster he has pronounced against you.”
Have a blessed day.