Good morning to all on this Sunday morning. Its a beautiful day in Georgia. A little warm but not too bad. We are all looking forward to the birth of Michelle and Marco's baby boy next month and my brother Koichi has a BIG birthday coming up this month. The longer I live the more I understand and embrace the power and significance of FAMILY!! My mother and father are very happy to see that their life here on earth did so much good for so many people. Their little family that started from their love has grown and keeps on growing. Thanks Mom and Dad.
I am continuing my journey in Jeremiah 32, verses 1 - 25, "This is the Word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. The army of the king of Babylon was then besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was confined in the courtyard of the guard in the royal palace of Judah. Now Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him there, saying, “Why do you prophesy as you do? You say, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it. Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape the Babylonians but will certainly be given into the hands of the king of Babylon, and will speak with him face to face and see him with his own eyes. He will take Zedekiah to Babylon, where he will remain until I deal with him, declares the Lord. If you fight against the Babylonians, you will not succeed. Jeremiah said, “The word of the Lord came to me: Hanamel son of Shallum your uncle is going to come to you and say, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth, because as nearest relative it is your right and duty to buy it. Then, just as the Lord had said, my cousin Hanamel came to me in the courtyard of the guard and said, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. Since it is your right to redeem it and possess it, buy it for yourself. I knew that this was the Word of the Lord; so I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel and weighed out for him seventeen shekels of silver. I signed and sealed the deed, had it witnessed, and weighed out the silver on the scales. I took the deed of purchase—the sealed copy containing the terms and conditions, as well as the unsealed copy— and I gave this deed to Baruch son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel and of the witnesses who had signed the deed and of all the Jews sitting in the courtyard of the guard. In their presence I gave Baruch these instructions: This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Take these documents, both the sealed and unsealed copies of the deed of purchase, and put them in a clay jar so they will last a long time. For this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land. After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord: Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. You show love to thousands but bring the punishment for the parents’ sins into the laps of their children after them. Great and mighty God, whose name is the Lord Almighty, great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds. Your eyes are open to the ways of all mankind; you reward each person according to their conduct and as their deeds deserve. You performed signs and wonders in Egypt and have continued them to this day, in Israel and among all mankind, and have gained the renown that is still yours. You brought your people Israel out of Egypt with signs and wonders, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with great terror. You gave them this land you had sworn to give their ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey. They came in and took possession of it, but they did not obey you or follow your law; they did not do what you commanded them to do. So you brought all this disaster on them. See how the siege ramps are built up to take the city. Because of the sword, famine and plague, the city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians who are attacking it. What you said has happened, as you now see. And though the city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians, you, Sovereign Lord, say to me, ‘Buy the field with silver and have the transaction witnessed." Amen and may the Lord add a blessing to the reading and hearing of His Word.
Hallelujah, what an AWESOME God we serve. Judah was getting ready to be over-run by the Babylonians. The whole city was under seize and would soon be captured and God tells Jeremiah to buy some property. God really has a sense on humor as He tests our FAITH. This is akin to telling someone of our generation to buy some bank stock in a failing bank. Put the stock up in your safe and forget about it until the time it will be rendered profitable. Now all the physical signs say that this investment is about the worst investment anyone could make but if you are to be obedient you should buy the stock and let God add the increase! That's the point. God not only knows the future HE HOLDS THE FUTURE. He was teaching Jeremiah and all who observed, even people of power, that it is not important to now and control circumstances, it is only important to know the ONE who controls all. The children of Israel would be punished for their sin of turning their hearts against God, and they would be restored not because of anything they did but because God is always good for His promises. He has promised that we as Christians are redeemed for eternity and would experience abundance as our FAITH allows. Little faith, little abundance. Big faith, Big abundance.
In my current walk with God, He is teaching me to look to Him for all the decisions Big and small. If Waine and I find ourselves debating over the "what-ifs", we stop immediately and give that concern to God and then we walk away from it and live our lives according the prayers we have prayed JUST AS IF OUR PRAYERS HAVE ALREADY BEEN ANSWERED. There is a freedom in living like this. Some people will tell you that wealth is freedom. I am here to tell you that wealth and power are fleeting. God's love, mercy and grace are abundant and sustainable AND NOTHING IS TOO HARD FOR GOD!
Celebrate God's love for you today and live your life boldly. He's Got It!
Now may the Lord bless you and keep you; my 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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