The Rainbow of God After EVERY Trial!!!!

Good morning to all on this last Sunday of 2012. We spent last weekend in Orlando with the "cherubs". Hailie had a ballet recital and when I tell you she was the cutest thing on 2 legs with her pink tutu, I am not exaggerating! Chirstmas with Freddie, Tracy, Kai and Hailie is always a treat. My sister Velma and her daughter Michele came up from Miami with baby Kenzo and son-in-law Marco. Many good memories were made on this trip which is what I think spending time with family is all about. As all these talks about fiscal cliffs are taking place isn't it good to know the God that handles it all. It's a good time to exercise FAITH! ZOe Peds has a new web-site. Check it out at www.zoepeds.com.

 

I am continuing my journey in Jeremiah 45 verses 1 - 5 "When Baruch son of Neriah wrote on a scroll the words Jeremiah the prophet dictated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, Jeremiah said this to Baruch:  “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to you, Baruch:  You said, ‘Woe to me! The Lord has added sorrow to my pain; I am worn out with groaning and find no rest.’ But the Lord has told me to say to you, ‘This is what the Lord says: I will overthrow what I have built and uproot what I have planted, throughout the earth. Should you then seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them. For I will bring disaster on all people, declares the Lord, but wherever you go I will let you escape with your life." Amen and may God add a blessing to the reading and hearing of His Word.

 

I think this is the shortest chapter in Jeremiah! Now remember the context of this chapter is that Baruch had disobeyed God and took the remnants of the tribe of Judah to Egypt against God's commandment. Devastation followed but this is the rainbow at the end of the storm! Many of the tribe of Judah perished in Egypt because they followed the idolatrous leading of Baruch. Apparently Baruch survived and this is God's promise to the remnant of Judah. God never breaks His promises! We break ours all  the time. We even break silly ones that don't matter to God; they only matter because our self esteeme gets eroded with disobedience. There are only two things that matter to God; in Matthew 22 verses 37-40 Jesus replied when asked by a Pharisee what was the greatest commandment: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”  Now the Pharisee was trying to trip Jesus up to decide which of the 10 commandments was the greatest of all commandments. What the Pharisee was concentrating on was the laws of the old dispensation which Christ had come to fulfill which were based on the 2 Great Commandments which Jesus articulated in Matthew. You see the Pharisee was "majoring in the minors and minoring on the MAJOR!". If we live our lives on these two Great Commandments as delineated by Christ then we will be fulfilled. We will have rainbows everyday and the circumstances of life will not be important. These two Great Commandments help us to live in the now and not worry about the future will may never come.

 

Be blessed as we approach the new year. Leave your old thinking behind and let Christ REST, RULE and ABIDE in you so that you can experience the prosperity God has for you. The offer is always extended.

 

Now may the the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you;. May the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace!

 

Stephanie

Why Rouse His Anger?

Good morning to all! Waine and I are on the count down to Christmas and I think I can say without hesitation that recent events in the news would underscore the need for the "Reason for this Season". I pray for those 20 mothers and father who dropped their little cherubs off at school only to be told they would not be coming home because a 20 year old kid thought that his needs, whatever they were, took precedence over the needs of others. That is what sin is. Putting your needs as the most important and then ignoring those instincts that would allow you to consider the welfare of others. The tragedy to those family is 100% today and for every day they draw breath. The tragedy for God is that men has rejected His formula for salvation. I pray our country reflects on the culture of "me" and takes the opportunity to focus on the free Gift from God through His son, Jesus.

 

I am continuing my journey in Jeremiah, chapter 44 verses 1 - 30 "This Word came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews living in Lower Egypt—in Migdol, Tahpanhes and Memphis—and in Upper Egypt: This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You saw the great disaster I brought on Jerusalem and on all the towns of Judah. Today they lie deserted and in ruins because of the evil they have done. They aroused my anger by burning incense to and worshiping other gods that neither they nor you nor your ancestors ever knew. Again and again I sent my servants the prophets, who said, ‘Do not do this detestable thing that I hate!’ But they did not listen or pay attention; they did not turn from their wickedness or stop burning incense to other gods. Therefore, my fierce anger was poured out; it raged against the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem and made them the desolate ruins they are today. Now this is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Why bring such great disaster on yourselves by cutting off from Judah the men and women, the children and infants, and so leave yourselves without a remnant? Why arouse my anger with what your hands have made, burning incense to other gods in Egypt, where you have come to live? You will destroy yourselves and make yourselves a curse and an object of reproach among all the nations on earth. Have you forgotten the wickedness committed by your ancestors and by the kings and queens of Judah and the wickedness committed by you and your wives in the land of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem? To this day they have not humbled themselves or shown reverence, nor have they followed my law and the decrees I set before you and your ancestors. Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I am determined to bring disaster on you and to destroy all Judah. I will take away the remnant of Judah who were determined to go to Egypt to settle there. They will all perish in Egypt; they will fall by the sword or die from famine. From the least to the greatest, they will die by sword or famine. They will become a curse and an object of horror, a curse and an object of reproach. I will punish those who live in Egypt with the sword, famine and plague, as I punished Jerusalem. None of the remnant of Judah who have gone to live in Egypt will escape or survive to return to the land of Judah, to which they long to return and live; none will return except a few fugitives.Then all the men who knew that their wives were burning incense to other gods, along with all the women who were present—a large assembly—and all the people living in Lower and Upper Egypt, said to Jeremiah,  “We will not listen to the message you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord! We will certainly do everything we said we would: We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and will pour out drink offerings to her just as we and our ancestors, our kings and our officials did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. At that time we had plenty of food and were well off and suffered no harm. But ever since we stopped burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have had nothing and have been perishing by sword and famine. The women added, “When we burned incense to the Queen of Heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, did not our husbands know that we were making cakes impressed with her image and pouring out drink offerings to her? Then Jeremiah said to all the people, both men and women, who were answering him, “Did not the Lord remember and call to mind the incense burned in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem by you and your ancestors, your kings and your officials and the people of the land? When the Lord could no longer endure your wicked actions and the detestable things you did, your land became a curse and a desolate waste without inhabitants, as it is today. Because you have burned incense and have sinned against the Lord and have not obeyed Him or followed His law or His decrees or His stipulations, this disaster has come upon you, as you now see.” Then Jeremiah said to all the people, including the women, “Hear the Word of the Lord, all you people of Judah in Egypt. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You and your wives have done what you said you would do when you promised, ‘We will certainly carry out the vows we made to burn incense and pour out drink offerings to the Queen of Heaven.’Go ahead then, do what you promised! Keep your vows!  But hear the Word of the Lord, all you Jews living in Egypt: ‘I swear by my great name,’ says the Lord, ‘that no one from Judah living anywhere in Egypt will ever again invoke my name or swear, “As surely as the Sovereign Lord lives.” For I am watching over them for harm, not for good; the Jews in Egypt will perish by sword and famine until they are all destroyed. Those who escape the sword and return to the land of Judah from Egypt will be very few. Then the whole remnant of Judah who came to live in Egypt will know whose Word will stand—mine or theirs. This will be the sign to you that I will punish you in this place,’ declares the Lord, ‘so that you will know that my threats of harm against you will surely stand.’ This is what the Lord says: ‘I am going to deliver Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hands of his enemies who want to kill him, just as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the enemy who wanted to kill him. Amen and may the Lord add a blessing to the reading and hearing of His Word.

 

I was listening to a NPR news program yesterday with Carlton Preston. He is an evangelist who preaches the Gospel of Inclusion, which basically says that you don't have to profess and accept the Deity of Christ to be reunited with God. He basically is preaching the belief as promulgated by satan to Eve and from Eve to Adam that one didn't have to adhere to the doctrine of God--that God would not allow us to perish if we were disobedient. Well I think these Jews in Jeremiah were of the same misconception. The truth about God hangs on 2 Commandments--that we love God with all of our hearts, mind and soul. That we accept this love through the forgiveness purchased through the sacrifice of Christ. And then we love one another just as God loved us. So simple and yet so hard for some people to accept. The Jews of the tribe of Judah did not want to be obedient to God, they wanted other gods which then led to their destruction. Likewise Carlton Preston now preaches that there are many pathways to God, even though God has told us that there is only ONE path and that is through Christ. Satan would have us confused 100% percent of the time because he wants to be the god of our lives. He is that narcissistic. He cannot fathom that there is a being greater than himself and then uses the logic of morals to fool us into thinking that we can get along through this life without God through Christ.

 

This world is sick, sick, sick and our job as Christians is to spread the joy of living with God through Christ. This world needs Jesus. Not Buddha, not Mohamed, not the stars, moon and other firmaments. It needs Jesus, more than ever and what am I doing to see to it that they hear this Gospel of love and truth? Jesus is the reason for the season. Do not be deceived that you can have other gods in your life and prosper. Do not be blind as the children of Judah were. Amen and hallelujah!

 

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace. Amen.

 

Stephanie

 

 

Arrogance and Pride: Twin Towers of Destruction

Good morning to all on this beautiful Sunday morning. Waine and I are in Thomaston, enjoying an early Sunday morning. ZOe Peds will be hosting a Christmas Party for the children in our pracyice today. We will have a clown, face painting, an ornament station where kids can make ornaments, a Zumba instructor, and a movie. So pray that we get a good attendance and a good time is had by all. I am struck daily by the Grace and Mercy of God. He is truly a good God and I am humbled constantly at His power and insight. He does cover your check when you let Him and He has been covering alot of mine.

 

I am continuing my journey in Jeremiah 43 verses 1- 13, "When Jeremiah had finished telling the people all the Words of the Lord their God—everything the Lord had sent him to tell them Azariah son of Hoshaiah and Johanan son of Kareah and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, “You are lying! The Lord our God has not sent you to say, ‘You must not go to Egypt to settle there.’But Baruch son of Neriah is inciting you against us to hand us over to the Babylonians, so they may kill us or carry us into exile to Babylon.”  So Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers and all the people disobeyed the Lord’s command to stay in the land of Judah. Instead, Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers led away all the remnant of Judah who had come back to live in the land of Judah from all the nations where they had been scattered. They also led away all those whom Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had left with Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan—the men, the women, the children and the king’s daughters. And they took Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch son of Neriah along with them. So they entered Egypt in disobedience to the Lord and went as far as Tahpanhes. In Tahpanhes the Word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: “While the Jews are watching, take some large stones with you and bury them in clay in the brick pavement at the entrance to Pharaoh’s palace in Tahpanhes. Then say to them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I will send for my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and I will set his throne over these stones I have buried here; he will spread his royal canopy above them. He will come and attack Egypt, bringing death to those destined for death, captivity to those destined for captivity, and the sword to those destined for the sword.  He will set fire to the temples of the gods of Egypt; he will burn their temples and take their gods captive. As a shepherd picks his garment clean of lice, so he will pick Egypt clean and depart. There in the temple of the sun in Egypt he will demolish the sacred pillars and will burn down the temples of the gods of Egypt." Amen and may God add a blessing to the reading and hearing of His Word.

 

Again, the people of Judah disobey God. One would have thought that when Judh was overtaken by the Babylonians, these Jews would have relented from the arrogance and turned their face to God. Their arrogance has hardened their hearts to God's Words. That is what arrogance and pride will do. It hardens your heart to the message of LOVE that comes from God. Satan uses these tools to alienate us from the Love of God. God's love is constant--what is also constant is Satan's insistence that there is no God but you. Your needs, your desires, your way of thinking, you, you, you is always the message from Satan. That is how you can tell when you are being misled. The focus of your thinking will be "me, me, me" instead of 'Lord have it your way'. These foolish people of Judah will be destroyed by their own wickedness and disobedience and I am sure as the subsequent chapters play out, we will also hear these very same people pleading for help.

 

I am reminded as Noah was busy building the Ark, there were few hands to help him but when the rains came and the door was shut there were many hands banging on the doors for help. Sin will close the heart of men to the Love of God. Our jobs as Christians is to the example of an open heart and hand to God and those whom God sends our way. Hallelujah and glory be the God of Adam, Abraham and Jesus!

 

Now my the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.

 

Stephanie

God Never Takes a Vacation from Us!

Good morning to all on this 1st Sunday in December. Waine and I were in Orlando last week and when we are with "Pete" and Re-Pete" they are the center of our world from sun up to sun down. We hardly have time to fall into bed, exhausted but happy when the next day's dawn is ushered in with greetings of "Poppop" and "Ganma" and we start all over again. Our grandchildren are really a blessing to us and each of the six (6) of them are unique in their own way. We only lament that we can't spend enough time with them so we can be enriched more and they in turn can learn "life's lessons, much like Asdrodon wrote about in her Thanksgiving posting. Family is a concept that should be promoted--if you are lucky and blessed as we are, your family, your tribe is what has shaped your response to this world and I am thankful that Astrodon reminded us to reflect on all the unique experiences your family will bring to you.

 

I am continuing my journey in Jeremiah 42 verses 1- 22 "Then all the army officers, including Johanan son of Kareah and Jezaniah son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest approached Jeremiah the prophet and said to him, Please hear our petition and pray to the Lord your God for this entire remnant. For as you now see, though we were once many, now only a few are left. Pray that the Lord your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do. I have heard you, replied Jeremiah the prophet. I will certainly pray to the Lord your God as you have requested; I will tell you everything the Lord says and will keep nothing back from you.

Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the Lord your God sends you to tell us. Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the Lord our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well with us, for we will obey the Lord our God.

Ten days later the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah. So he called together Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him and all the people from the least to the greatest. He said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition, says: ‘If you stay in this land, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you, for I have relented concerning the disaster I have inflicted on you.  Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you now fear. Do not be afraid of him, declares the Lord, for I am with you and will save you and deliver you from his hands. I will show you compassion so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your land. However, if you say, ‘We will not stay in this land,’ and so disobey the Lord your God, and if you say, ‘No, we will go and live in Egypt, where we will not see war or hear the trumpet or be hungry for bread,’ then hear the Word of the Lord, you remnant of Judah. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you are determined to go to Egypt and you do go to settle there, then the sword you fear will overtake you there, and the famine you dread will follow you into Egypt, and there you will die. Indeed, all who are determined to go to Egypt to settle there will die by the sword, famine and plague; not one of them will survive or escape the disaster I will bring on them.’ This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘As my anger and wrath have been poured out on those who lived in Jerusalem, so will my wrath be poured out on you when you go to Egypt. You will be a curse and an object of horror, a curse and an object of reproach; you will never see this place again.’

Remnant of Judah, the Lord has told you, ‘Do not go to Egypt.’ Be sure of this: I warn you today that you made a fatal mistake when you sent me to the Lord your God and said, ‘Pray to the Lord our God for us; tell us everything He says and we will do it.’ I have told you today, but you still have not obeyed the Lord your God in all He sent me to tell you. So now, be sure of this: You will die by the sword, famine and plague in the place where you want to go to settle. Amen. May the Lord add a blessing to the reading and hearing of His Word.

 

Wow!!!  Why in the world would these folk ask God for His help and then disobey Him? I don't get it? You are asking for God's favor and help and then you decide when the favor comes that its ok to return to disobedience. Is it that we think God takes a vacation from us; that He is not serious about obedience? I don't get it. The Judeans have been admonished, warned, pleaded with for 40 chapters and then are captured by the Babylonians just like Jeremiah told them they would be because of their disobedience. A remnant is left and they are supplicant and then become arrogant again. This struggle that humans have with being obedient to God is a real thing. I was reflecting on my own life and trying to mature to the point that I am always humble and trusting in God's will for me when I perceive that times are good and times are bad (whatever that means). God always shows me my weaknesses during the "bad" times, when I am feeling overwhelmed and hopeless. I shore myself up and get into His Word where there is consistency and hope and then falter again during the good times. The one constant is God who when I turn to Him is always there to remind me of His CONSTANT Love, Grace and Mercy. I need only be obedient and trusting of His Will. He does not make mistakes and does not need any help being God. He is quite comfortable being God all by Himself and is always true to His Word. His Word is really His bond.

 

The deceiver (Satan) will always confront you with fear. If you are feeling fear just know that there is no fear in LOVE and God is LOVE. If you feel fear then turn your face to God and leave the fear at the feet of Christ. Go about your business as if every thing is well with your soul because in reality it is. When you turn your fears over to God and have the PATIENCE to wait on His outcome for you then He will pave the way and fix what is necessary for your continued success. The lesson is TRUST and OBEDIENCE so that you can experience the LOVE, GRACE and MERCY that is always there. Remove the cloud of doubt from your life and TRUST and OBEY which is what these Judeans should have done.

 

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.

 

Stephanie



Good morning to all on this wonderful fall day. Waine and I are in Atlanta and were to be leaving on our cruise to Argentina today however as circumstances presented themselves we have postponed that trip until March. Anyone interested in joining us, let us know. When things like this happen I have learned there is good reason and I just let go and "let God" control the circumstances because then I know all will be well with my soul. I forgot what it meant to have  relaxing weekends; building this practice has been a blessing and a challenge and God has sent some help our way and thank God for her! Dr. Charlya Campbell has been a very REAL blessing to our practice and God knew we needed her. I am sure He has another one just like her waiting in the wings so pray with us that God will send a caring and compassionate Pediatrician our way and soon.

 

I am continuing my journey in Jeremiah 41, verses 1-18 "In the seventh month Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was of royal blood and had been one of the king’s officers, came with ten men to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah. While they were eating together there, Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the ten men who were with him got up and struck down Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword, killing the one whom the king of Babylon had appointed as governor over the land. Ishmael also killed all the men of Judah who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, as well as the Babylonian soldiers who were there. The day after Gedaliah’s assassination, before anyone knew about it, eighty men who had shaved off their beards, torn their clothes and cut themselves came from Shechem, Shiloh and Samaria, bringing grain offerings and incense with them to the house of the Lord. Ishmael son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping as he went. When he met them, he said, “Come to Gedaliah son of Ahikam.” When they went into the city, Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the men who were with him slaughtered them and threw them into a cistern. But ten of them said to Ishmael, “Don’t kill us! We have wheat and barley, olive oil and honey, hidden in a field.” So he let them alone and did not kill them with the others. Now the cistern where he threw all the bodies of the men he had killed along with Gedaliah was the one King Asa had made as part of his defense against Baasha king of Israel. Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled it with the dead. Ishmael made captives of all the rest of the people who were in Mizpah—the king’s daughters along with all the others who were left there, over whom Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam. Ishmael son of Nethaniah took them captive and set out to cross over to the Ammonites. When Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him heard about all the crimes Ishmael son of Nethaniah had committed, they took all their men and went to fight Ishmael son of Nethaniah. They caught up with him near the great pool in Gibeon. When all the people Ishmael had with him saw Johanan son of Kareah and the army officers who were with him, they were glad. All the people Ishmael had taken captive at Mizpah turned and went over to Johanan son of Kareah. But Ishmael son of Nethaniah and eight of his men escaped from Johanan and fled to the Ammonites. Then Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him led away all the people of Mizpah who had survived, whom Johanan had recovered from Ishmael son of Nethaniah after Ishmael had assassinated Gedaliah son of Ahikam—the soldiers, women, children and court officials he had recovered from Gibeon. And they went on, stopping at Geruth Kimham near Bethlehem on their way to Egypt to escape the Babylonians. They were afraid of them because Ishmael son of Nethaniah had killed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed as governor over the land." Amen and may the Lord add a blessing to the reading and hearing of His Word.

 

Up until I read this passage I always thought of Ismael as being an Arab name but if you think about it both Ismael and Issac came from the same father, Abraham so now I know that other Jews have had the name, Ismael. The meaning of the name Ismael is that "God will listen" and now knowing that I am clear as to why Abraham named his 1st born Ismael--however the Ismael of this passage and the Ismael of Abraham's loins are turning into characters that think that their needs are paramount over the needs of others. This Ismael was not content to be lorded over by others and sought to fill the power vacuum left when Zedekiah who was killed. But as they say in Jamaica "it no go so". What Ismael didn't quite grasp was that no man was in control. God had prophesied the demise of the tribe of Judah under the rule of Zedekiah at the hands of the Babylonians and He also prophesied and ordained the rebuilding of the tribe of Judah. No man would be able to stand in the way of God's Way. Likewise, Ismael also learned that deceit and dishonesty are always short lived, which is a lesson mankind should learn. When you "win" by lying and deceit, you have built your "house" on shifting sands--this house will not stand. When you build your house and future on the Rock of Jesus the Christ, your house and future will withstand all that comes it way. Hallelujah!!!! Nothing can withstand the Will of the God who created us -- not even death! I feel so sorry for folk who think that Life is just a series of circumstance. They must lead a very frightening existance because when you live your life that way you wake up each day never knowing what circumstance might come your way to upset the balance you think you have.

 

For Christians, we wake up each day knowing that whatever life circumstance we find ourselves in today we are to be encouraged because God is still on the Throne and is in Control. He needs no help being God and does a great job all by Himself. Get out of His way today and let Him work to get you back on the path of prosperity. If you are fretting about anything, let it go so that He can start working a solution, His solution, for you. Fear not the future, because you know the One that controls the future. You are the child of the King!

 

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face to shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.

 

Stephanie

What a Witness!

Good Sunday to all. Its a beautiful fall day in Atlanta and Waine and I have thoroughly enjoyed our weekend in Atlanta. We had a chance to have dinner with our sons and Freddie and his Dad were able to play golf yesterday.  I am sure all of you witnessed the HISTORIC RE-ELECTION of President Obama last week. I knew in my heart of hearts he would win and I went to bed before the returns came in knowing I would awake to a second Obama administration. I am also believing the haters in this country will just get over themselves and come together to solve the many problems our country has. Having said that, every time Waine and I leave the country to travel abroad we are always GRATEFUL to come back to a country that allows everyone to disagree. Pray for our country and pray for God's blessings for you, our country and each other.

 

I am continuing my journry in Jeremiah chapter 40 verses 1 - 16 "The Word came to Jeremiah from the Lord after Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had released him at Ramah. He had found Jeremiah bound in chains among all the captives from Jerusalem and Judah who were being carried into exile to Babylon. When the commander of the guard found Jeremiah, he said to him, “The Lord your God decreed this disaster for this place. And now the Lord has brought it about; he has done just as he said he would. All this happened because you people sinned against the Lord and did not obey him. But today I am freeing you from the chains on your wrists. Come with me to Babylon, if you like, and I will look after you; but if you do not want to, then don’t come. Look, the whole country lies before you; go wherever you please.” However, before Jeremiah turned to go,^[a] Nebuzaradan added, “Go back to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed over the towns of Judah, and live with him among the people, or go anywhere else you please.” Then the commander gave him provisions and a present and let him go. So Jeremiah went to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah and stayed with him among the people who were left behind in the land. When all the army officers and their men who were still in the open country heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam as governor over the land and had put him in charge of the men, women and children who were the poorest in the land and who had not been carried into exile to Babylon, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of the Maakathite, and their men. Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, took an oath to reassure them and their men. “Do not be afraid to serve the Babylonians, he said. “Settle down in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well with you. I myself will stay at Mizpah to represent you before the Babylonians who come to us, but you are to harvest the wine, summer fruit and olive oil, and put them in your storage jars, and live in the towns you have taken over. When all the Jews in Moab, Ammon, Edom and all the other countries heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant in Judah and had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, as governor over them, they all came back to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, from all the countries where they had been scattered. And they harvested an abundance of wine and summer fruit. Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers still in the open country came to Gedaliah at Mizpah and said to him, “Don’t you know that Baalis king of the Ammonites has sent Ishmael son of Nethaniah to take your life?” But Gedaliah son of Ahikam did not believe them. Then Johanan son of Kareah said privately to Gedaliah in Mizpah, “Let me go and kill Ishmael son of Nethaniah, and no one will know it. Why should he take your life and cause all the Jews who are gathered around you to be scattered and the remnant of Judah to perish?” But Gedaliah son of Ahikam said to Johanan son of Kareah, “Don’t do such a thing! What you are saying about Ishmael is not true. Amen and may the Lord add a blessing to the reading and hearing of His Word.

 

What a WITNESS Jeremiah was to the Babylonians. The captain of the Babylonian guards knew of Jeremiah's admonition to the Jews and knew of disobedience of the Jews which led to their eventual subjugation by the Babylonians. I truly believe when we are acting in FAITH, GRACE and MERCY we need do nothing but be obedient. Jeremiah never wavered; he remained obedient and responded to God's commandments to deliver the admonishments to the Jewish people. Although the Jews continued to ridicule him; plotted to harm him; and even enslaved him God had his back 100% of the time. You don't read any accounts that Jeremiah wavered; he was human so I am sure he had fears and doubts BUT he never wavered because his heart was committed to God.

 

Likewise, as Christians we are not perfect. We are faced with challenges daily and sometimes we may even be disappointed in our actions but if our hearts are committed to Christ at the end of the day, your life is one of abundance. When you truly let go and don't try to "figure" things out and just TRUST the will and Word of God you will be happier and more content. All the pundants; the political analyzers; the book makers; the haters and doubters spent months in speculation. At the end of the day it really didn't matter because at the end f the day God's will is always fulfilled just like with the tribe of Judah!

 

Trust God for your week and trust god for your blessings. Share the love of God with someone this week and let your light shine that other men may come to know the God that you know. The God of Abraham; the God of Christians; the God of the Beginning and the God of the end.

 

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; may the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.

 

Stephanie



God is The Shield that Protects You!

Good morning to all on this great fall day. Waine and I are in Hawkinsville and I have had a great weekend catching up on projects that I have been trying to finish. It's day light savings time y'all so roll those clocks back i hour. It's been an interesting and trying week--one in which I had to call upon the Lord daily for guidance and in the end He is still God and all is right with the world. This was a "growing" week! I trust that all of you have either voted early or are planning on voting. Each man and woman counts! This is going to be historic and monumental.

 

I am continuing my journey in Jeremiah chapter 39, verses 1 - 18, "In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army and laid siege to it. And on the ninth day of the fourth month of Zedekiah’s eleventh year, the city wall was broken through.  Then all the officials of the king of Babylon came and took seats in the Middle Gate: Nergal-Sharezer of Samgar, Nebo-Sarsekim a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer a high official and all the other officials of the king of Babylon. When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled; they left the city at night by way of the king’s garden, through the gate between the two walls, and headed toward the Arabah. But the Babylonian army pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. They captured him and took him to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced sentence on him. There at Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes and also killed all the nobles of Judah. Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon. The Babylonians set fire to the royal palace and the houses of the people and broke down the walls of Jerusalem. Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard carried into exile to Babylon the people who remained in the city, along with those who had gone over to him, and the rest of the people.  But Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard left behind in the land of Judah some of the poor people, who owned nothing; and at that time he gave them vineyards and fields. Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had given these orders about Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard: “Take him and look after him; don’t harm him but do for him whatever he asks.” So Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard, Nebushazban a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer a high official and all the other officers of the king of Babylon sent and had Jeremiah taken out of the courtyard of the guard. They turned him over to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, to take him back to his home. So he remained among his own people. While Jeremiah had been confined in the courtyard of the guard, the Word of the Lord came to him: “Go and tell Ebed-Melek the Cushite, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I am about to fulfill my Words against this city—Words concerning disaster, not prosperity. At that time they will be fulfilled before your eyes.  But I will rescue you on that day, declares the Lord; you will not be given into the hands of those you fear. I will save you; you will not fall by the sword but will escape with your life, because you trust in me, declares the Lord." Amen and may the Lord add a blessing to the reading and hearing of His Word.

 

Well it has finally happened! Jerusalem has been attacked and overtaken. It took 2 years to knock down the walls and over take the city. Two whole years and what you don't see written is that Zedekiah even tried to repent of his sins during the seize and turn to God. He was probably hoping against hope that he (Zedekiah) would prevail. He still didn't believe in the God of his forefathers; even with the evidence in front of him, his pride and will was too strong to over come. So the city of Jerusalem was over taken, the people of Judah captured and enslaved and Zedekiah's family destroyed. What foolishness! Pride definitely goes before the fall. What struck  me was that Zedekiah had evidence of the truth of God's promise for 2 whole years. Everything Jeremiah prophesied was coming to past and yet Zedekiah never repented and turned to God. This is how Satan works. If you let him live your life long enough, your heart becomes hardened against God and your heart is not able to respond to the love of God. A hardened heart will misread and misinterpret all that God sends your way. A hardened heart will blind you much like Zedekiah was blinded--you will not be able to see the love of God but instead see your own blackness and bleakness. This is a situation in which there is no escape and the only one that is ultimately hurt is the person whose heart has hardened. Satan glories in this. One more soul to suffer with him.

 

As Christians, just like Jeremiah, we have a duty to continue to spread the Good News no matter what the consequence to us. This dying world; this sin sick world needs the love of God and in a real way. This world needs to see the love of God through you and me and when life gives you challenges the world needs to see the confidence that comes through the relationship you have with God. In the end every thing Jeremiah preached came to past. Instead of using it as an opportunity in which to repent, I am sure Zedekiah blamed Jeremiah and God for the calamity. Again, that is what the father of lies, Satan would have you believe but it is not true. God does not desire that any suffer. He loves all His children yet the path to Him comes through a belief that Christ's sacrifice on the Cross of Calvary is the payment for our sins. Everyone must embrace and repent of their sin of not having God on the throne of their life and then accept the Gift of Life through Christ. So easy and yet so hard for so many. There is only one Way to God and that is through Christ. Yes there are many good Muslims, good Buddhist, good people but God's Word teaches that the path to Him ONLY comes through Christ.

 

In the end, Jeremiah and the Cushite were spared. They had the Arc of the Covenant to shield them. God's promises are as real today as they were in Jeremiah's day. He covers all who believe in the blood of Jesus so that we can be saved. Hallelujah! What a great God we serve. Have an awesome day and an awesome week.

 

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.

 

Stephanie