Lamentations

I must say that I don't look forward to reading Lamentations. Just the title lets you know that it is not a happy book. In chapter 3, Jeremiah tells of his own personal suffering. It is so terrible and seems so unfair but even in his pain he is able to remember the Lord. I love verse 24, "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him." I thought of the Levites who did not inherit land but God told them that He was their inheritance. In this world we can lose everything and still be the richest people on earth. As I mourn the loss of my mother, I have a peace that can only come from God that she is in His arms. He is my portion too.

Philemon

I love this short book of Philemon! In verse 6, Paul prays that we, "may be active in sharing our faith, so that, (we) would have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ." I find this true in writing this blog. Thinking I understand something and actually writing it down are two different things. It also helps me remember the things I learn.

Today as I read through Philemon, I was struck by the beautiful picture of Jesus that Paul was demonstrating. First was Paul's ministry of intersession; Scripture says that Jesus lives to make intersession for us. Then in verse 9 is the appeal on the basis of love, and verse 14 our response is to be spontaneous not forced. The appeal is for us to love our brothers and sisters in Christ because Jesus loves them. And if they wrong us, we can trust Jesus to take care of it-not to mention that we owe Jesus our very lives. (verse 19) I have often read this book and put myself in the place of Paul, thinking, this is how I should speak up for others. Today I put myself in the place of Philemon with the thought that this is the way I should respond to believers who may have offended me.

Psalm91

Psalm 91 is such a blessing, one of my favorites. I am often tempted to pull it apart verse by verse and make it into a list of promises that guarantee nothing bad will ever happen to me. But I think this psalm is better read as a beautiful whole. Just read it start to finish and let the peace, protection, and comfort of God wash over me. Sometimes even an analytical person like me needs to relax and approach God on a more relational level.

suffering

When ever I am tempted to think I am suffering for the Lord, all I have to do is read a little Jeremiah. Talk about suffering unjustly! Jeremiah was beaten, starved, and put in a pit of mud. He was falsely accused, misunderstood, and even though he knew the truth, no one believed him. When I spend time in God's Word and get His perspective on things, it takes care of so many little trials that come my way.

A spiritual battle

Eph. 6:12 says,"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." It is so easy to fight against flesh and blood, especially when you are being attacked by flesh and blood! But the real battle is always a spiritual one. In Jer. 36, we see a king cutting up and burning the word of God. He thought he was putting an end to Jeremiah's words, but that scroll did not originate with Jeremiah, it originated with God. God protected His word and His prophet. In Psalm 89 God says that He will not violate His covenant or alter what His lips have uttered. Verse 26 says, "He (David) will call out to Me, 'You are my Father, my God, my Rock, my Savior." What a comfort it is to stand on the rock of God's word!

Most of what the Lord showed me this morning is just to personal to put on the Internet. I did love our Psalm 89, about the love and faithfulness of our great God. I saw this echoed in Jeremiah 34 where God says that His promises are as sure as the sun coming up in the morning! As always, I would love to hear what the Lord is showing you this day.

a side note

Today what I have to share does not come directly from my OYB. All my thoughts this week have been consumed with my dear sweet Mom. She is in a hospice bed dieing of cancer. At 88 years of age she has said that she is ready to die but for some unknown reason (at least unknown to everyone else) she has been hanging on close to death for almost a week. I have thought all week that the Lord is having a little talk with her. For over 35 years I have prayed for her salvation and in all that time she has been unable accept God's love for her. This morning, the Lord gave me a beautiful picture of His amazing love. It started in the OYB with the prophecy by Jeremiah that the two false prophets would be burned in Babylon. I then thought of Daniel's 3 friends in the fiery furnace who were not burned because Jesus was there with them. Then I saw my Mom right there at the gates of hell and Jesus coming to rescue her. The love of Jesus is willing to go right into the flames to save us. Isn't that just what He did on the cross? This has been a tough week for me but I have had such peace in knowing that my loving Father has heard my prayers

boldness

God told Jeremiah, "Tell them everything I command you; do not omit a word." Jer.26:2b. Paul said, "Finally, brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread." 2Thes.3:1a. Both men faced great opposition when they spoke the word of God. My opposition comes in the form of family members who have declared any talk about God as off limits. My prayer today is that I will know what God wants me to say, when He wants me to say it and that I will have the boldness to not omit a word!

Proverbs 25:7B-10

Today's proverb got me thinking about the whole subject of gossip. It occurred to me that there are three types of people: One type are the gossips, They can't wait to tell everyone they know every secret they hear. (Sharing factual secrets is still gossip) The next type is careful not to say too much but they let it be known that they have inside knowledge. This serves to arouse the curiosity of the listener and is not much better than the gossip. The last type is the one who is able to keep private info private. I think that this is the point of our proverb, that our own reputation is on the line every time we open our mouth.

1 Thessalonians 1:3

"your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." I have spent some time lately thinking about my motives for doing good. This verse speaks volumes. Faith, hope and love are the base that should motivate my actions. In chapter 2, Paul lists some wrong motives: greed, praise from men, impurity and error. I could add a few more like, trying to add to my salvation or earn extra favor with God. Good actions with wrong motives can fool a lot of people but God looks on the heart. All those so called "good works" end up as filthy rags; what a waste! Lord, purify my heart.

revenge

Proverbs 24:29, "Do not say, 'I'll do to him as he has done to me; I'll pay that man back for what he did." This so goes against my nature. The world says, "Don't get mad, get even." I sometimes think that if I don't stand up for myself then no one else will, but this is not faith talking. Faith says, "I will trust my God to take care of me and take care of the other guy as well. In Jeremiah 11:20 we see him doing just that. Jeremiah had the people of his own home town seeking to kill him! But he said, "to You I have committed my case." God answers that these men will be punished, but note verse 23; it says, "I will bring disaster on the men of Anathoth in the year of their punishment." That means that God was going to take care of it in His own time. That's where faith comes in; trusting that God will do what is right even when we don't see it right away.

Thankfulness

As I read through Jeremiah and today's Psalm, I was struck by all the things God has done for His people. His long long suffering is amazing. In Colossians, Paul gives us a list of things to put to death or put off and another list of things to put on. The key that ties all this together for me is found in verse 15, "And be thankful." In my translation it is a sentence all by itself. Such a simple attitude check when my natural man starts to raise it's ugly head.

Colossians 2:2-3

"My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."

Sometimes I tend to think that I need to agree with someone on all points of doctrine before I can be truly united. But this verse seems to say just the opposite. We must be united in God's love IN ORDER to have a complete understanding of wisdom and knowledge. God loves all of His children and He wants us to love each other. This should eliminate rivalry and competition between brothers. All believers are on the same road. Insights should be offered freely and correction, when needed, should be done ever so gently.

Psalm 73

This Psalm is so refreshingly honest. Asaph starts out with, God is good but as for me, not so much. Verse 17 is the pivot point of this psalm, for when Asaph drew near to God, his eyes were opened to the truth. Our enemy has no problem lying to us when we try to figure things out ourselves and lean on our own understanding. In addition to seeing the truth about the wicked and getting a glimpse of their future, Asaph saw that even though he had stumbled into the sin of bitterness, he was still being held by God. Even though he questioned God, God did not let him go. Asaph realized that nearness to God was all he needed and wanted. What a great place to be in.