Rest in the Lord

 Rest in the Lord

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.
Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

 

But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

1 Thessalonians 5

In gratitude, respond to the Lord. Say praise; no to prayerlessness. As always rely on the Spirit and seek to honour the Father.

see you next week 

Only through the Spirit

 

Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honour, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

1 Thessalonians 4

This book we have been journeying through 1Thessalonians was written to young believers to help them cope with the challenges of their time. This is a challenge for all Christ followers no matter the age they are living in. Society, tradition, and modern culture will always honour and revere the very opposite of what our Lord says. BUT we have the Spirit of the living God and we can dare rise above and live to honour our Father in all. Trust His Spirit for no matter what He will give you strength and direct you to your Father.

Walk in encouragement and alert

 

Therefore when we could bear it no longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone, and we sent Timothy, our brother and God's co-worker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith, that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this. For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it has come to pass, and just as you know. For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labour would be in vain.

But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and love and reported that you always remember us kindly

 

 Spiritual alertness and encouragement are part of our journey as Christ-followers.

Even though we are surrendered to the Lord, we walk aware that we could stumble and fall. Fellow believers in Christ are used by  our Father to encourage us but also  to warn us lest we fall. Be open to teaching and guidance we are not able to discern our own blind-spots, test all you hear though and rely on the Holy Spirit.

Our Lord is above all

 

For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ.

You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. For you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.
And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea.

1 Thessalonians 2

Our Lord is above all. He is above all kings and all rulers. He is above whatever modern culture, or us, have decided to honour more than  Him.

One of the ways we show that our Lord is above all is by choosing to live in honour of Him. We honour Him by imitating in our speech, and in our conduct to other believers and the nonbelievers. Imitating our Lord not only honours Him but draws others to the hope that we believe.  Being different and Christlike may be be ridiculed but it also is a great conversation starter and as gospel-carriers gives us an opportunity to share the gospel.

Our Living Hope

 

And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and

how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

 1 Thessalonians 1

 

Our true hope as followers of Christ, His gospel-carriers, is the hope of His second coming. No matter the affliction or challenge our Father has provided us with His Spirit that enables us to live in our hope joyfully. He enables us to live lives pleasing to the Father and of great testimony to those around us.

Spiritual warfare

 

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

Ephesians 6

Our journey of becoming more and more like our King, has an enemy. The message of hope we carry in the gospel has an enemy. BUT we have been provided for as we have read in this chapter. We have been given our weapons of warfare. Prayer is part of that armour, we are called to pray with the help of the Spirit of God in all circumstances and all kinds of prayers. Let prayer be the first and last things you do in your day. May our Lord continue to equip and enable through His spirit and in His Word.

Walk in wisdom and love

 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.

Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Ephesians 5

Walk in unity in honour of Christ

 

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift

 

Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbour, for we are members one of another.

Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labour, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

mystery of Grace revealed

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,

that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—

that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

 

and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.

 

This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel

Ephesians 3 

In Christ all humanity is blessed. God’s grace is for us all. 

My prayer is if there be anyone reading and does know Christ, He is for you, take the step. 

For us walking in Christ let us never take for granted the sacrifice and privilege we enjoy in fellowship with Him.

Our Lord our peace and cornerstone

 

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Christ Our Peace
For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near.

 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

Christ Our Cornerstone
Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Ephesians 2

In Christ through faith

 

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ

—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

 

For by grace you have been saved through faith.

And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works; which God prepared beforehand; that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2

 

Our Father initiated for us the undeserving human race.

We do not earn our salvation, our Father chose to rescue us from our own sinful nature.

In Christ through faith we are saved and gain reconciliation to our Father and redemption from sin.

revelation in the knowledge of Him

I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers,

that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,

having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you,

what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,

and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ

when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,

far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

We are still continuing with Ephesians chapter1.

I have been struggling a bit and I needed to be encouraged in faith again, and I thought of the book to the Ephesians.

This books shows us the fulfilment of our Fathers plan in Christ and His Spirit.

We are taught about our salvation and how we can never earn it.

It also teaches us about our journey of faith, teaches us about how reliant we are on the Holy Spirit and how with prayer we can overcome.

Christ is our anchor but it is our responsibility to know Him and the Hope He has called us to.

A friend of mine and I were talking this morning about the danger of relying on devotionals, instead of the Bible. For devotional can never give you the full picture of our Father but His Word reveals Him to us.

My prayer is that each and every single one of us, fellow Christ followers would dwell in the Word and learn of our Father, our Lord, and the Holy Spirit.

Completely reconciled and redeemed

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

In him we have obtained an inheritance,

In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

Ephesians 1

Our Father chose to love and redeem us.

 He fulfilled His plan of reconciliation and redemption through Christ, our Lord.

That encourages me and strengthens my faith.

We are more than confident as we surrender our hearts and lives to Him, that He has a plan for us and He will help us as we navigate life.

There is no greater love than the love our Father has shown us in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Amazing Grace

 

Amazing love how can it be that You my King should die for me.

Romans 3vs23

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

 

Romans 3vs10-18

None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”
“Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.” “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”

“Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.”
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

 

Romans 5vs6-8

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

 

Romans 6vs23

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

 

We all have sinned against God and deserve His punishment BUT He sent Jesus and through His death and resurrection we have the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Each and every single one of us needs to acknowledge our sinfulness and come before the Father and ask for forgiveness. I have typed a prayer that I encourage you to pray.

 

Father I know that I have sinned against You and deserve punishment BUT Jesus Christ took the punishment that I deserve, so that through in Him I could be forgiven. With your help I place my trust in You for salvation.

Than You for Your wonderful grace and forgiveness.

Amen.

 

 

Who is like our God ?

 

Who Is like the Lord Our God?

​Praise the Lord!

Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord!
Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forevermore!
From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised!
The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens!
Who is like the Lord our God, who is seated on high, who looks far down on the heavens and the earth?
He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people.
He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children.

Praise the Lord!

Psalm 113

I will be away for 3 weeks.

The righteous will never be moved

 

Praise the Lord!

Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commandments!
His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.
Light dawns in the darkness for the upright; he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.
It is well with the man who deals generously and lends; who conducts his affairs with justice.
For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever.
He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.
His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.
He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever; his horn is exalted in honour.
The wicked man sees it and is angry; he gnashes his teeth and melts away; the desire of the wicked will perish!

Psalm 112

I am going away for 3 weeks we will continue to journey then.

I will never leave you nor forsake you

 

The Lord your God himself will go over before you.

Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”

Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it.

 It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.

 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

 

In Christ we became a people of the Lord. Turn to the Lord and trust Him for He will never leave nor forsake you.

Out of the anguish of His soul He saw and was satisfied

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—everyone to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.
By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?

 And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.
Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.

I have been doing a personal study of Exodus, God story of redemption of His people and the significance of the Passover. The above portion of scripture is from Isaiah 53. It is humbling when we see the cost of grace and our benefit. Our Lord now lives and intercedes for us. Our  hope is in the resurrection of our Lord. Our Lord is our Passover lamb (1 Corinthians 5).

We humbly kneel in awe Lord Jesus and thank you.

An invitation to salvation

 

An Invitation to Abundant Life

Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
my steadfast, sure love for David.

Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. Isaiah 55

A compassion call to salvation. We are privileged to have a Father who loves us and is compassionate towards. Covid affected all of us and our faith. Maybe it made you doubt or your strengthened you faith. Or maybe Covid was your wake up call to faith. No matter here is the compassionate call and invitation of the Father to His salvation. Will you respond the Father is listening and waiting.

 

By faith

 

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Hebrews 11 and 12

Our Father is moved by us turning to Him, trusting Him. Faith grows by us meditating in His Word. Please take time to read both chapters. By faith not by that we are perfect. Faith touches our Father.

Once again I haven’t chosen our next book but I will let you know soon where we will journeying next.

Lead me my Lord

 

Lead Me in Your Righteousness

Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my groaning.
Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray.
O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.

But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house.
I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you.
Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me.
 

But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you.
For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover him with favour as with a shield.

Psalm 5

My HELP comes from the Lord

 

God the Help of Those Who Seek Him

​I will lift up my eyes to the hills—From whence comes my help?

My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.

He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night.

The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul.
The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in From this time forth, and even forevermore.

our Father preserves our lives (Jeremiah 46)

 

 “But do not fear, O My servant Jacob, And do not be dismayed, O Israel! For behold, I will save you from afar, And your offspring from the land of their captivity; Jacob shall return, have rest and be at ease; No one shall make him afraid.
Do not fear, O Jacob My servant,” says the Lord, “For I am with you; For I will make a complete end of all the nations To which I have driven you, But I will not make a complete end of you.
I will rightly correct you,   For I will not leave you wholly unpunished.”

 

Our Father keeps His promises and preserves those that belong to Him.

In chapter 34 the Lord warns king Zedekiah.

In chapter 36=37  Judah and Israel are reminded of their sins and the King destroys the scroll. Jeremiah rewrites scroll and once again he is imprisoned.

In chapter 38 Jeremiah advises and warns King Zedekiah.

In chapter 39 Jerusalem falls and Jeremiah is freed from prison.  

From Chapter 47 =52 judgement is pronounced against the other nations and destruction of Jerusalem and Babylon.

 

Renewed Hope (Jeremiah 32-33)

 

Behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘that I will perform that good thing which I have promised to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah:
‘In those days and at that time I will cause to grow up to David A Branch of righteousness; He shall execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.
In those days Judah will be saved, And Jerusalem will dwell safely.
And this is the name by which she will be called:
THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.’

“Thus says the Lord of hosts: In this place which is desolate, without man and without beast, and in all its cities, there shall again be a dwelling place of shepherds causing their flocks to lie down. In the cities of the mountains, in the cities of the lowland, in the cities of the South, in the land of Benjamin, in the places around Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, the flocks shall again pass under the hands of him who counts them,’ says the Lord.

“For thus says the Lord: ‘David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel; nor shall the priests, the Levites, lack a man to offer burnt offerings before Me, to kindle grain offerings, and to sacrifice continually.’ ”

And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, “Thus says the Lord: ‘If you can break My covenant with the day and My covenant with the night, so that there will not be day and night in their season, then My covenant may also be broken with David My servant, so that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne, and with the Levites, the priests, My ministers. As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, nor the sand of the sea measured, so will I multiply the descendants of David My servant and the Levites who minister to Me.’ ”

The Father establishes a permanent covenant, a covenant to stand for all generations to come. In Christ our Lord this promise is fulfilled to include us all.

Restoration and a new covenant (Jeremiah 30-31)

‘Therefore do not fear, O My servant Jacob,’ says the Lord, ‘Nor be dismayed, O Israel;
For behold, I will save you from afar, And your seed from the land of their captivity.
Jacob shall return, have rest and be quiet, And no one shall make him afraid.
For I am with you,’ says the Lord, ‘to save you

Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will bring back the captivity of Jacob’s tents,
And have mercy on his dwelling places; The city shall be built upon its own mound,
And the palace shall remain according to its own plan. Then out of them shall proceed thanksgiving
And the voice of those who make merry; I will multiply them, and they shall not diminish;
I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.
Their children also shall be as before, And their congregation shall be established before Me;

The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love;
Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.
Again I will build you, and you shall be rebuilt,
O virgin of Israel!
You shall again be adorned with your tambourines,
And shall go forth in the dances of those who rejoice.

A New Covenant
“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

 

Blessed be the Father forever and ever

 

Blessed are You, Lord God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever.
Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, The power and the glory, The victory and the majesty;
For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, And You are exalted as head over all.
Both riches and honour come from You, And You reign over all.
In Your hand is power and might; In Your hand it is to make great And to give strength to all.
“Now therefore, our God, We thank You  And praise Your glorious name.

1 Chronicles 29

Prosper but beware of false prophets (Jeremiah 29)

 

Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters—that you may be increased there, and not diminished.

And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace. For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst deceive you, nor listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed. For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them, says the Lord.

 

And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord,

 

This is part of the Lord asked Jeremiah to write and bring hope to the captives. That the Lord has plans great plans for Israel and Judah is evident  but He also warns of false prophets and continues detailing punishment for false prophecy. Don’t fall into the same trap and believe falsehood. The Lord says when you call on me and seek me when your whole heart is mine again then I will fulfil my promise,

Our Father does not want to share our hearts with falsehood He desire that we would turn to Him wholeheartedly for that gives Him the opportunity to do for us what He desires for us.

 

A calm resolve to trust the Father

 

“This man does not deserve to die. For he has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.”

 

Truly my soul silently waits for God; From Him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my ^[a]defence; I shall not be greatly moved.^[b] My soul, wait silently for God alone, For my ^[c]expectation is from Him.
 He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defence; I shall not be ^[d]moved.
In God is my salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, And my refuge, is in God.

Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah

 

Surely men of low degree are ^[e]a vapour, Men of high degree are a lie; If they are weighed on the scales,

Do not trust in oppression, Nor vainly hope in robbery; If riches increase,
Do not set your heart on them.  

God has spoken once, Twice I have heard this:
That power belongs to God.

 

Chapter 26 tells of the attempt on Jeremiah life and he stood on the Word given to him by the Lord.

The rest of the scriptures shared today is from Psalm 62 a psalm of calm resolved to trust God instead of man in power. In the following 2 chapters Israel and Judah are handed over and ruled by Babylon.  I share psalm 62 because I imagine at the time in exile the promise of restoration and the writings they had would have been of great comfort of them. We also have the privilege of His Word and belonging to the Father and we too can trust as David, as Jeremiah did.

Th;e Father promises freedom for the captives (Jeremiah 21-25)

 

Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge those who are carried away captive from Judah, whom I have sent out of this place for their own good, into the land of the Chaldeans. For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land; I will build them and not pull them down, and I will plant them and not pluck them up. Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the Lord; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart.

From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, even to this day, this is the twenty-third year in which the word of the Lord has come to me; and I have spoken to you, rising early and speaking, but you have not listened.

Then it will come to pass, when seventy years are completed, that I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity,’ says the Lord; and I will make it a perpetual desolation. So I will bring on that land all My words which I have pronounced against it, all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah has prophesied concerning all the nations. (For many nations and great kings shall be served by them also; and I will repay them according to their deeds and according to the works of their own hands.)’ ”

But His Word was in my heart (Jeremiah 19-20)

 

Then Jeremiah came from Tophet, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy; and he stood in the court of the Lord’s house and said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Behold, I will bring on this city and on all her towns all the doom that I have pronounced against it, because they have stiffened their necks that they might not hear My words.’ ”

Now Pashhur the son of Immer, the priest who was also chief governor in the house of the Lord, heard that Jeremiah prophesied these things. Then Pashhur struck Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the high gate of Benjamin, which was by the house of the Lord.

But His word was in my heart like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, And I could not.

But the Lord is with me as a mighty, awesome One. Therefore my persecutors will stumble, and will not prevail.

Jeremiah faced persecution because of the message the Lord had given. In this particular instance one of the false prophets misleading the people of God and helping them continue to turn away from God imprisons him after he delivered the Lords message. As you have read Jeremiah is sometimes disheartened and depressed. But he reminds himself of who he is representing.

We also face disappointment and rejection, let us remind ourselves as well of who we belong and praise Him.

Our redeemer lives and His grace is sufficient for all our needs.

There is nothing better than knowing you are not alone, not just that though, knowing that you have a Father in heaven you can call on and He is willing to help you. Let us get to know who we belong to and know who we are because of who He is.

Our lives are in the Father's hands (Jeremiah 17=18)

 

Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; Save me, and I shall be saved, For You are my praise. Indeed they say to me, “Where is the word of the Lord? Let it come now!”
As for me, I have not hurried away from being a shepherd who follows You, Nor have I desired the woeful day; You know what came out of my lips; It was right there before You.
Do not be a terror to me;  You are my hope in the day of doom.

 

Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel! The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it.

 

We are incredibly privileged, our lives are in the Father’s hands and He cares very much about us.

This book has been challenging for me. At a glance you might think our Father is mean. But He is a just God and the entire book He is pouring His heart crying for His beloved and the consequences they now have to face. How wonderful it is to know how precious we are to our Dad.

The Father promises to restore (Jeremiah 16)

 

O Lord, my strength and my fortress, My refuge in the day of affliction,    

The Gentiles shall come to You From the ends of the earth and say, “Surely our fathers have inherited lies, Worthlessness and unprofitable things.”
Will a man make gods for himself, Which are not gods?
“Therefore behold, I will this once cause them to know,I will cause them to know
My hand and My might; And they shall know that My name is the Lord.

Therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “that it shall no more be said, ‘The Lord lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt,’ but, ‘The Lord lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north and from all the lands where He had driven them.’ For I will bring them back into their land which I gave to their fathers

 

This chapter starts with Jeremiah retelling the people about his calling. That the Lord using him to tell the people to repent and turn from their idols. It ends with the Father promising to restore.