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
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