As I continue my journey in Jeremiah, I am reminded how blessed we are Christians to have God's forgiveness of our sin so that we continue in His Grace and Mercy and not His wrath as experienced in the Old Testament. Thank God for the Blood of the Lamb that covers us immediately so that we are never out of God's favor. I am continuing with Jeremiah 23: 9 -23 "Concerning the prophets: My heart is broken within me; all my bones tremble. I am like a drunken man, like a strong man overcome by wine, because of the LORD and His Holy Words. The land is full of adulterers; because of the curse the land lies parched and the pastures in the wilderness are withered. The prophets follow an evil course and use their power unjustly. Both prophet and priest are godless; even in My temple I find their wickedness, declares the LORD. Therefore their path will become slippery; they will be banished to darkness and there they will fall. I will bring disaster on them in the year they are punished, declares the LORD. Among the prophets of Samaria I saw this repulsive thing: They prophesied by Baal and led my people Israel astray. And among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen something horrible: They commit adultery and live a lie. They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that not one of them turns from their wickedness. They are all like Sodom to me; the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah. Therefore this is what the LORD Almighty says concerning the prophets: I will make them eat bitter food and drink poisoned water, because from the prophets of Jerusalem ungodliness has spread throughout the land. This is what the LORD Almighty says: Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD. They keep saying to those who despise me, The LORD says: You will have peace. And to all who follow the stubbornness of their hearts they say, ‘No harm will come to you.’ But which of them has stood in the council of the LORD to see or to hear His word? Who has listened and heard His Word? See, the storm of the LORD will burst out in wrath, a whirlwind swirling down on the heads of the wicked. The anger of the LORD will not turn back until He fully accomplishes the purposes of His heart. In days to come you will understand it clearly. I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied. But if they had stood in My council, they would have proclaimed My Words to my people and would have turned them from their evil ways and from their evil deeds. Am I only a God nearby, declares the LORD, and not a God far away? Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them? declares the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD. " Amen and may God add a blessing to the reading and hearing of His Word.
The first thing that Adam and Eve did after they ate the fruit of the Forbidden Tree was to hide. When God came to the Garden and called for them, Adam answered by saying they were hiding because they were naked and ashamed. Then God asked "How do you know you are naked?" At that very moment Adam and Eve understood that God didn't have to be "nearby" to know about their disobedience. The first thing God did was to make clothes for Adam and Eve from animal skins. You see God always takes care of our immediate needs because He loves us and wants us to focus on His love so that we can accept the forgiveness of our sins as we can them. God knows that the Sin will condemn us because that is the nature of Sin. When you loe to condemn us; He knows that we have the heart of Christ and therefore God does not have to condemn ours will.
Just as the false prophets suffered the consequences of their sinful behavior, so too will those today who refuse to believe that Christ died so that our sins could be wiped clean. It is not our behavior that will allow us to live eternity with God, it is our belief in the sacrifice of Jesus that cleanses us and allows us to be in the presence of God. Our job as Christians is to SOW this message so others can also understand the Grace and Mercy that is theirs to enjoy. This world needs that message. We are not alone and God is both "nearby" and "faraway"; he has the complete vision of us, our circumstance and our needs. There is nothing lacking if we only believe. So easy and yet until you take the first step, so hard. I thank God for each of you and the love of Jesus Christ.
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
The first thing that Adam and Eve did after they ate the fruit of the Forbidden Tree was to hide. When God came to the Garden and called for them, Adam answered by saying they were hiding because they were naked and ashamed. Then God asked "How do you know you are naked?" At that very moment Adam and Eve understood that God didn't have to be "nearby" to know about their disobedience. The first thing God did was to make clothes for Adam and Eve from animal skins. You see God always takes care of our immediate needs because He loves us and wants us to focus on His love so that we can accept the forgiveness of our sins as we can them. God knows that the Sin will condemn us because that is the nature of Sin. When you loe to condemn us; He knows that we have the heart of Christ and therefore God does not have to condemn ours will.
Just as the false prophets suffered the consequences of their sinful behavior, so too will those today who refuse to believe that Christ died so that our sins could be wiped clean. It is not our behavior that will allow us to live eternity with God, it is our belief in the sacrifice of Jesus that cleanses us and allows us to be in the presence of God. Our job as Christians is to SOW this message so others can also understand the Grace and Mercy that is theirs to enjoy. This world needs that message. We are not alone and God is both "nearby" and "faraway"; he has the complete vision of us, our circumstance and our needs. There is nothing lacking if we only believe. So easy and yet until you take the first step, so hard. I thank God for each of you and the love of Jesus Christ.
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
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