Jeremiah 15:6
“‘You have forsaken Me’, says the Lord, ‘You have gone backward…'”

When I first moved to Florida I was introduced to a surf spot called “Monster Hole.” The wave breaks about 1/4 mile offshore on a sand covered reef. To reduce our paddling time, we jumped into the water and road the outgoing current from the nearby inlet. Since this spot only breaks with a good swell, a few months went by before I was able to surf there again. I parked my car, ran north to the inlet, jumped in the water, put my head down and began to paddle with all my strength. What I did not consider was that the tide was actually coming in not going out. After a few minutes of vigorous paddling, I looked up only to find that I had been sucked backwards. Still determined, I stroked harder and harder, but…

Hebrews 7:1

“For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, . . .”

Abraham and his nephew Lot experienced great blessings from the Lord. When they first arrived in Canaan, they had very little, but as the years passed, they acquired great wealth. As nomadic farmers, great success meant an increase in livestock, and increased livestock meant a need for larger pasture lands. Soon their wealth became so great they were forced to separate. Abraham chose to continue to live the simple life of a farmer, while Lot left the family business and began to dwell, with his family, in the city of Sodom. Sodom, and her sister city, Gomorrah, was known for the wickedness that was practiced within the city walls. The king of Sodom had been conquered by Chedorlaomer, a…

Jeremiah 14:10

“Thus says the Lord to this people:
“Thus they have loved to wander;
They have not restrained their feet.”

Jesus simplified life into two categories. He said we are either walking on the narrow road that leads to life or the broad road that leads to destruction. The way off the wide and unto the narrow is through the gateway of Christ. In fact, on one occasion, He even referred to himself as the door. The Gospel message is nothing short of offering us a ticket off the wide road to destruction, through the doorway of Jesus, on to the narrow road that leads to eternal life. Here Jeremiah warns of the danger of wandering off that road. He even explains what caused Judah to wander off.

“They have not restrained their feet.” 

Years ago, while working in youth ministry, I went on my first and only backpacking…

Jeremiah 13:1
“Thus the Lord said to me:’Go and get yourself a linen sash, and put it around your waist…'”

Often the prophets were instructed to illustrate their messages. God so greatly desired His message to be heard that He would wrap it in packages that would be difficult to forget. In this case, Jeremiah was instructed to strut around town wearing a beautiful sash. Since the normal attire of a prophet was quite drab, this sash would certainly grab the people’s attention. After some time, Jeremiah buried the sash in the muddy banks of the Euphrates river. There it sat until it was ruined and could no longer serve its purpose. Jeremiah then dug it up, put it on and once again strutted through the city. As much as the beautiful sash had captured the attention of the people, this filthy, worn and tattered garment would be difficult to…

Hebrews 6:4-6
“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.”

When Jesus was in the wilderness he faced three severe temptations from the devil. Through His experience we learn a lot about how the devil seeks to trip up the Christian. One of his most effective tools is to twist the Scriptures into saying something they do not mean. This passage in Hebrews carries a very strong warning to all, concerning the danger of falling away from the Lord. But the devil has used it to fill numerous Christians with fear…

Jeremiah 11:8
“Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but everyone followed the dictates of his evil heart…”

It is very common today to hear phrases like, “follow your heart.” This seems to be the most common counsel given as it relates to decision making today. When someone is trying to determine if a relationship is good or not, or whether they should take a job, or change careers, the most common advice seems to be, “follow your heart.” It’s as if the most trustworthy guide for human behavior and decision making is an inner compass called the heart. There are some significant problems with that advice.

First off, when we refer to the heart in this context, we are not speaking of an actual organ or even mechanism, instead we are making reference to what philosophers define as the seat of emotion. Some cultures refer to the…

Hebrews 5:1

“For every high priest taken from among men is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins.”

Hebrews 5:4

“And no man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was.”

The purpose in referring to the old testament priesthood, was to show that the ministry of Jesus is far superior to their ministry. However, by bringing these verses to our attention, the text gives some key insights into serving the Lord. There are four words in these two verses that are worthy of our consideration. We are told the priests were “taken” and “appointed.” This means they were chosen out of the tribe of Levi, and the family of Aaron, and set apart for the service of God. Next we are told, their service was an “honor” and a…

Jeremiah 10:23
“O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.”

Human beings are the highest expression of God’s creative order. We have been fashioned in the image of God, and are fascinating creatures, with seemingly unlimited potential. We marvel at the animal creatures within the kingdom for achieving accomplishments like building their own homes, navigating their way back to the place of their birth, or working together as a pack to ward of a predator. But the achievements of human beings are so vast, they seem to be almost unlimited. I am sitting in my living room typing on a tablet with the capacity to not only store the information, but to send it around the world. At the same time, my wife is traveling across the country on an airplane. She had dinner…

Jeremiah 9:9
“’Shall I not punish them for these things?’ says the Lord.
‘Shall I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?’”

Jeremiah went to great lengths to expose the sinful behaviors of his nation. Not only had they violated the covenant with idolatry, but they were also horribly mistreating one another. A nation that was supposed to love, care for, and serve one another, was instead committing heinous sins against one another. Adultery, theft, corruption, deceit and injustice filled homes, courtrooms and politics. A nation designed to be a light to the world, had become just like the world they were supposed to impact. It is no wonder that God asks,

“’Shall I not punish them for these things?’ says the Lord.”

It seems whenever the subject of judgment comes up, God is accused of wrongdoing. It is as though righteous assessment of wrong behavior is somehow…