KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Wednesday, August 09, 2017
Chapters: Jeremiah 7-9
Message: Holding Onto Christ
Hello My Friend,
Whenever we hear of a man or woman of God getting caught doing something sinful we automatically place judgment upon that person, often forgetting that we are sinners just as they, and very capable of falling into the same sins that they did. We are in a world full of temptation and encased with flesh that is full of emotion and distress, we can say that we would never do what they did, but we have done something, and while we are never to condone sin, we are to treat everyone the same way Jesus does, love them. “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” – John 13:34-35.
The heart, boy does God know the heart, after all, we are made in His image and created by Him, so, of course, He is going to know all about our heart. When a heart is strong for the Lord, temptation is just another word, we do not even think about things that we know are sinful. It is the heart that starts a person backsliding away from Christ and before you know it, those sinful things grab our attention, and if we are not grounded in Him we will fall. Israel once thrived as the nation led by God, and now it is a wreck. He already judged the Northern Kingdom and now, He is about to judge Judah. Through Jeremiah, God addresses their backsliding.
“Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger. Do they provoke me to anger? saith the LORD: do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces? For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices: But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you. But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward. Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day I have even sent unto you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them: Yet they hearkened not unto me, nor inclined their ear, but hardened their neck: they did worse than their fathers.” – Jeremiah 7:17-19,22-26.
“and went backward, and not forward.” When we get saved the blood of Christ gets poured upon us, we are no longer a dead, lost soul searching for life, but a living soul, filled with the Spirit of God. Our only option when getting saved is to move forward, no looking back on our past, no returning to the life we lived before we got saved. Moving forward is not so easy when we are surrounded with the very things that hold us back in the first place. This is why I spend every morning in the Bible, and serve God in His ministry, it is too easy to fall back when I am not grounded in Christ. Is it always easy? No, I am tempted every day, and yes, I mess up every day, my mind is full of distractions, desires, and emotions that cause me to slip. However, that is what grace is for, every time I fall Jesus picks me up and keeps me from going backward. “And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.” – I Timothy 1:14-16.
The most deceptive thing about sin is that while we think we are getting away with it we are content to keep doing it, we see no shame or wrong in what we are doing, that is until we get caught. Once we get caught then we want to say how sorry we are for what we did, but since God knows the heart, He even knows when we are sincere in our confession, and our willingness to repent of our sin. Many people want God’s blessings, and they try to do good things to get them, but they follow God on their terms, and rather than make themselves feel convicted every time, they justify sin by making up their own set of rules and putting God’s name on it. This is very dangerous and something God despises. Through Jeremiah, God addresses those whom claim to know His Word, yet are living a vain version of it.
“Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the LORD. How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain. The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the LORD; and what wisdom is in them? Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore shall they fall among them that fall: in the time of their visitation they shall be cast down, saith the LORD. I will surely consume them, saith the LORD: there shall be no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree, and the leaf shall fade; and the things that I have given them shall pass away from them. Why do we sit still? assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the defenced cities, and let us be silent there: for the LORD our God hath put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against the LORD.” – Jeremiah 8:7-9,12-14.
“therefore shall they fall among them that fall:” Guess what, we are all human, we all make mistakes, we are not always going to agree with the person teaching God’s Word to us, but God’s Word is infallible, meaning it is not written in vain, does not deceive, and does not change. Why do you think there are so many “translations” of the Bible? Here is your answer, wise men living in sin, willfully, rewriting Scripture in vain. Their fate along with Satan is to be cast down to hell and into the lake of fire. “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” – Revelation 20:10.
We set ourselves up for failure and backsliding when we start becoming over confident in our abilities and successes, nothing in this world is secure, our strength, our mind, our riches can be gone in the blink of an eye. Christians are some of the most successful people, but everything we have is temporary so it is not wise to glory over them. The people during Jeremiah’s day may not have known Jesus Christ personally, but they did know God, and right well knew He was their only way to salvation. The things Jesus spoke in the flesh were the exact same things God spoke through all the prophets. God warns us over and over again not to glory in our own works, but His.
“Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD. Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will punish all them which are circumcised with the uncircumcised; Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and all that are in the utmost corners, that dwell in the wilderness: for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart.” – Jeremiah 9:23-26.
“that he understandeth and knoweth me,” As much as we like to think that our own righteousness or wisdom is an option, it is not, there is only one way, one truth, and one life, and that is Jesus Christ. We are all sinners, all uncircumcised in our heart until we know Christ as our Saviour. If we are saved and put our faith and trust in our own works we always set ourselves up for failure, trust me, we will fail without Christ guiding us, but when we give God the glory for them, we not only prosper, we are able to stand even when we fall. In everything we do we need to stand on the foundation of Christ, He is our only option for success, if we lose everything on this earth, we still have Him. “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” – I Corinthians 3:11-15.
Jesus Christ Magnified: “Why do we sit still? assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the defenced cities, and let us be silent there: for the LORD our God hath put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against the LORD.” – Jeremiah 8:14.
Today’s Prayer: God, Thank You for guiding me along the path to Your Son, Jesus Christ. Of all the people in the world You chose me to be one of Yours and for that no words of gratitude can express my thanks to You. Lord, now that I know the truth, let me not get caught up in strange doctrines that would hinder my walk with You. I trust in You, Lord, let me not be put to confusion, but see clearly all that You are trying to tell and show me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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