Thought for October 11, 2024

•  1138: Earthquake in Aleppo Syria kills estimated 230,000
• 1883: Railroads agree to use five time zones in North America
• 1929: JC Penney opens store #1252 in Delaware--has store in all 48 states
• 1950: CBS receives first license to broadcast in color
• 1975: "Saturday Night Live" premiers
• 1992: First 3-way Presidential debate--Clinton, Bush, Perot
• 2002: Jimmy Carter wins Nobel Peace Prize
• Born: Henry Heinz, Eleanor Roosevelt, Luke Perry, Jerome Robbins, Cardi B, SteveYoung, Michelle Wie, Fred Trump [Donald's father], Charles Revson [Revlon], Larry Swift
• Died: Meriwether Lewis, Joe Morgan, Angela Lansbury

Thought:

I know you are probably ready to move on from Jeremiah 1, but I am still looking for what God has for me here. A couple of days ago, we talked about what a tough job Jeremiah had. He was called to tell the people about their sin and rebellion. He was to tell the people that while Jerusalem was God's city, they had made it vulnerable through disobedience. He was to warn them about the coming conquerors from the north. Look at 1:16--the people were wicked, they had forsaken God, they had sacrificed to gods made with their own hands. Boy, we don't have to look around much to see some striking similarities to 2024. Back in September, the Commission on National Defense Strategy issued a report. This is a non-partisan panel of 8 experts named by senior members of both political parties. The conclusion is that the US is not prepared for a major war while all signs point to an increasing likelihood of such event. We think we are safe. The Jews thought that they were safe because God would protect them even if they rebelled and forsook God. 

Look at what Jeremiah was told--he saw the rod of an almond tree and a boiling pot tilting toward the south. Jeremiah was from Anathoth [1:1] which was known for its almond trees. The almond tree was the first tree to bloom in season--so Jeremiah is seeing the first signs from the north. The boiling pot is in the north and tilting to pour out toward the south.  Jeremiah is told that the enemy would come to Jerusalem  . 

The tough job for Jeremiah is that he must gird his loins, go, and speak His truth. Here the Lord reminds me that it is not enough that I know about the coming judgment, I must go and tell others. Notice--Jeremiah is to tuck his cloak into his belt and move quickly to tell. [1;17] There is urgency in the message. Do I feel an urgency to tell others about His coming? 

Now some encouragement from the Lord: 

• We are fortified cities. [1:18] A song comes to mind--The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run into it and they are saved. [Proverbs 18:10] How are we fortified--first we are in Christ and He is in us. Second, we have the breastplate of righteousness and the shield of faith, and the helmet of salvation. 
• We are a pillar of iron. [1:18] We are not like willows bending to every cultural shift, every fad, every human desire--we are like iron--unyielding.
• We are like walls of bronze. [1:18] We pray for a hedge around us, but in Christ we have walls of bronze. 
• We will be opposed, but not overcome. [1:19] We are more than overcomers through Him who saved us. Paul says what can separate us from the love of Christ--tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, sword. No, IN ALL THESE THINGS [notice we conquer going through these things] we overwhelmingly conquer through Christ. Fatih is the victory that overcomes the world.
• God is with us and will deliver us. [1:19] One of my friends began to encounter these words everywhere he looked. Starting back in the summer, it seemed like every scripture, every sermon, every Sunday School  lesson, every movie contained this word to him--I am with you. He began to notice how often this happened and told of the joy and the strength that knowing this made. God is with us and that is all we need.

Blessings

Larry