Daily Reading: Jeremiah 39-40 & 1 Peter 2
Old Testament: Jeremiah 39- Competition

Jeremiah 39:18
“’For I will surely deliver you, and you shall not fall by the sword; but your life shall be as a prize to you, because you have put your trust in Me,’ says the Lord.”

This promise was first given to a man from North Africa named Ebed-Melech. He was… Read More 
Jeremiah 40- Seek Counsel

Jeremiah 40:16
“But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, ‘You shall not do this thing, for you speak falsely concerning Ishmael.’”

After taking Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar appointed Gedaliah as governor of the province of Judah. No longer living in a free state, the people would… Read More 
New Testament: 1 Peter 2- Living Stone

1 Peter 2:5
“You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ”

Peter describes Christians as Living Stones. This simple phrase reveals the miraculous nature of our salvation. Individuals can no more have their sins forgiven than a stone can come to life. However… Read More 

Daily Reading: Jeremiah 37-38 & 1 Peter 1
Old Testament: Jeremiah 37- Praying Is The First Step

Jeremiah 37:3
“And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, ‘Pray now to the Lord our God for us.’”

Zedekiah was an ungodly king who refused to heed the word of the Lord, and continued to lead Judah down the road of destruction. Instead… Read More
Jeremiah 38- Shhhhh! It’s A Secret

Jeremiah 38:16
“So Zedekiah the king swore secretly to Jeremiah…”

As the book of Jeremiah moves forward, we find the prophet having repeated discourse with King Zedekiah. The king seems somewhat erratic in his behavior. One moment, he is treating Jeremiah favorably, while the… Read More

New Testament: 1 Peter 1- The Economy
1 Peter 1:18-19
“Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”

One day, Jesus was sitting with His disciples watching events transpire at the Temple. As they… Read More 

Daily Reading: Jeremiah 35-36 & James 5
Old Testament: Jeremiah 36- Fire Resistant

Jeremiah 36:27-28
“Now after the king had burned the scroll with the words which Baruch had written at the instruction of Jeremiah, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying: ‘Take yet another scroll, and write on it all the former words that were in the first scroll which Jehoiakim the king of Judah has burned.’”

In the fourth year of the… Read More

New Testament: James 5- Pray About It

James 5:13
“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.”

As this letter comes to a close, James addresses as many scenarios as he can think of that the believers might be facing. Some are suffering, others are cheerful, sick, or struggling with sin. In each case, the solution is the same. James says PRAY. The simplest definition… Read More

Jeremiah 36:2-3
“Take a scroll of a book and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel, against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah even to this day. It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the adversities which I purpose to bring upon them, that everyone may turn from his evil way, that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.”

Jeremiah has been called “The Weeping Prophet.” An apt title for a man whose heart was broken as he watched the city of God collapse under the weight of Babylonian oppression. But the title fails to tell the whole story of this servant of God. We might also refer to him as “The Hopeful Prophet.” With the rising tide of immorality and the masses turning away from God Jeremiah wrote a message of hope to his nation. This message was a plea for the people to turn away from sin and back to God. His plea included the promise that all who responded would experience the forgiveness of sin.

Forgiveness is a powerful thing. Anyone who has experienced it can testify to the heavy weight that was lifted from them as the offended party reached out their hand as a gesture of acceptance and the chasm that once divided them was finally mended. Biblically speaking forgiveness results in reconciliation between fallen man and a Holy and Righteous God. Our sins that once stained us are washed away and the barrier that kept us from God is forever removed. Jeremiah wrote his message down and delivered to the highest court in hopes that his leaders would hear the message, receive its promise, return to God and begin to lead the nation back to  the ways of God.

I think we can learn a lot from The Hopeful Prophet. Too often we become discouraged by the landscape before us. We see the affects of a nation filled with people who  mistreat the things of God. Instead of being discouraged we should be filled with a sanctified hope knowing that the message of the gospel has the power to bring a person into relationship with God and that God has the power to transform their life and their daily living.

I often wonder how different our days would be if we left our homes filled with hope that today we might have the opportunity to impact just one life for with the Gospel. Instead of looking at all that is wrong with the world, how about we learn to focus on the message that is able to bring about a change.

Pastor Jim

Daily Reading: Jeremiah 33-34 & James 4
Old Testament: Jeremiah 33- Mighty Things

Jeremiah 33:3
“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”
Each stage of life takes us down a road we have never traveled… Read More
Jeremiah 34- On Second Thought

Jeremiah 34:10-11
“Now when all the princes and all the people, who had entered into the covenant, heard that everyone should set free his male and female slaves, that no one should keep them in bondage anymore, they obeyed and let them go. But afterward they changed their minds and made the male and female slaves return, whom they had set free, and brought them into subjection as male and female slaves.”

As proof of true commitment to the Lord, the people were called upon to obey the Word of… Read More 

New Testament: James 4- Speaking Evil

James 4:11 “Do not speak evil of one another, brethren…” 
James 4:13 “Come now, you who say…”

James seems to be particularly interested in what the Christian has to say. In the last chapter, he spent a great deal of time talking about the tongue. In this chapter, he comes back to the topic of what we are saying. He refers to at least two kinds of evil speaking. The first would be critical or judgmental… Read More

Daily Reading: Jeremiah 31-32 & James 3
Old Testament: Jeremiah 31- Everlasting Love

Jeremiah 31:3
“The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: ‘Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love;Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.’”

One of the great pitfalls for every believer is failing to realize how God actually feels about us. Because so much of our experience in this life is based upon performance, we project that onto our relationship with God. We think, if we are doing the right things He loves us, but if we do something wrong, He is angry, disappointed, and may even shun us. How precious to hear the… Read More 

Jeremiah 32- Locked Up

Jeremiah 32:2
“For then the king of Babylon’s army besieged Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the prison, which was in the king of Judah’s house.”

Judah was on the brink of… Read More

New Testament: James 3- What Did You Say?

James 3:5
“Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things.”

The largest mammal on the planet is a blue whale, whose tongue can weigh upwards of 2.5 tons. This is approximately the size of an adult elephant. In contrast, the human tongue, on average, is about 4 inches long and weighs less than 4 ounces. The tongue is certainly not one of the… Read More

Daily Reading: Jeremiah 29-30 & James 2
Old Testament: Jeremiah 29- Promises 

Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

The Bible is like a treasure chest filled with great and precious promises. It is designed to help the child of God navigate his way through life, and provide comfort… Read More

Jeremiah 30- Journey Of A Lifetime

Jeremiah 30:2
“Thus speaks the Lord God of Israel, saying: ‘Write in a book for yourself all the words that I have spoken to you.’”

Years ago, when I first began walking with the Lord, I was given a study Bible as a gift. I remember being so excited to have such an amazing resource at my fingertips. It had a topical index in the front, as well as a concordance in the back, and was filled with cross references and commentary on various passages… Read More

New Testament: James 2- Work In Progress

James 2:14  “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?”
James 2:17 “Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

James asks a very important question, “What is the profit of faith without works?” He then adds, “Can that faith save?” To help lead us to… Read More

Daily Reading: Jeremiah 27-28 & James 1
Old Testament: Jeremiah 27- Testing 123

Jeremiah 27:14
“Therefore do not listen to the words of the prophets who speak to you, saying, ‘You shall not serve the king of Babylon,’ for they prophesy a lie to you”

Not everyone who speaks is telling the truth. A salesman may tell you what he thinks you want to hear, rather that what is factual. A friend may tell you what they think is kind, so as not to hurt your feelings or damage the relationship. This principle is… Read More

Jeremiah 28- Trust In A Lie

Jeremiah 28:15
“Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, ‘Hear now, Hananiah, the Lord has not sent you, but you make this people trust in a lie.’”

As far back as we have… Read More

New Testament: James 1- I’m A Little Lost

James 1:5
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”

Wisdom might best be defined as “knowing what to do.” In life, we are constantly faced with circumstances in which we have no experience. We are left wondering what in the world we should do. When James writes, “If any man lacks wisdom…” he is not suggesting that only some of us are in circumstances for which we do not have solutions, but that ALL of us are in constant need… Read More

Daily Reading: Jeremiah 25-26 & Hebrews 13
Old Testament: Jeremiah 25- Unstoppable

Jeremiah 25:3
“From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, even to this day, this is the twenty-third year in which the word of the Lord has come to me; and I have spoken to you, rising early and speaking, but you have not listened.”

Jeremiah goes down in history as one of the greatest men who has ever… Read More

New Testament: Hebrews 13- Praise God

Hebrews 13:15-16
“Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But do not forget to do good and to share; for with such sacrifices, God is well pleased.”

Worship is a very important part… Read More 

Jeremiah 26:3
“Perhaps everyone will listen and turn from his evil way, that I may relent concerning the calamity which I purpose to bring on them because of the evil of their doings.”

Jeremiah lived in trying times. A nation that once glorified God and served as a light to the world around them was now turning from the ways of God. The people had lost sight of God and were involved in practices that would soon bring calamity upon the nation. Jeremiah had been doing his best to warn the people and win them back to God. After several years of trying he once again receives a message from the Lord. The message is a commission for Jeremiah to stand in the courtyard of the temple and invite all the people to come to the Lord. This was not Jeremiah’s first attempt and it won’t be his last. The driving force behind the message is, “Perhaps everyone will listen and turn from his evil way.”

The word perhaps is used to express uncertainty or possibility. It is a word of hope. Maybe the last time Jeremiah shared no one listened, but perhaps this time will be different. Maybe the last time his message was met with mockery or hostility but perhaps this time will be different. I don’t think we can overemphasize the importance of hope as it relates to serving the Lord. Hope is a great motivator. It causes us to look at all that is possible if we continue to do what is right. Not all hope has the same value. Hoping that while playing the lottery we will win the Powerball is really a hope against hope. It is like standing in line with 150 million people for a single prize. Hope that the message of the gospel will be received and transform lives is not an empty hope. In fact it happens every day. There is a good chance that if you are reading this it has happened to you.

It would do us all good to be a little more hopeful as we look for opportunity to be used by the Lord. Instead of focusing upon those who reject the message we should fix our thoughts upon the possibility of those who will respond as we once did and see God transform their life and their living.

Pastor Jim