The Simple Life

Jeremiah also said to King Zedekiah, "What wrong have I done to you or your servants or this people, that you have put me in prison? Where are your prophets who prophesied to you, saying, 'The king of Babylon will not come against you and against this land'? Now hear, please, O my lord the king: let my humble plea come before you and do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the secretary, lest I die there." So King Zedekiah gave orders, and they committed Jeremiah to the court of the guard. And a loaf of bread was given him daily from the bakers' street, until all the bread of the city was gone. So Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard. Jeremiah 37:18-21 (ESV)   Truth will always win. Embracing lies may sound like a good idea, because the truth can be stark, unyielding, and even cold. Life is not about winning friends and influencing people. It is about obedience to God and, through your obedience, demonstrating who God is to others.   Those who have rep...

King Zedekiah sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, to Jeremiah the prophet, saying, "Please pray for us to the Lord our God." Now Jeremiah was still going in and out among the people, for he had not yet been put in prison. Jeremiah 37:3-4 (ESV)   People who ignore God seem to find those who love God and ask them for help connecting with God in times of trouble. Prayer seems more acceptable in any nation during a crisis.   We are told that Jeremiah had not yet been put in prison, meaning that prison awaited him. In fact, all who become spokesmen for our King await persecution. I wonder why. You would think that those who know God and listen to Him and proclaim the truth of His Word would be honored, not imprisoned. Yet, there are examples of those who loved God, walked with Him, and were imprisoned. Joseph, Daniel, and Paul are a few examples of this.   It would be best for a nation to align with God and His messengers, not impr...

It was the ninth month, and the king was sitting in the winter house, and there was a fire burning in the fire pot before him. As Jehudi read three or four columns, the king would cut them off with a knife and throw them into the fire in the fire pot, until the entire scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the fire pot. Yet neither the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words was afraid, nor did they tear their garments. Jeremiah 36:22-24 (ESV)   Those who stand against God in this life will not stand in the next. This king had power and authority that was given to him by God, the very one to whom He now claimed to be superior. This same action/attitude did not turn out well for Satan, and it will not turn out well for this king, or anyone else who thinks they are "king."   All legitimate power and authority come from God alone, and we would be best to live with that thought in mind. https://www.podbean.com/relate365

In the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: "Take a scroll and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel and Judah and all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah until today. It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the disaster that I intend to do to them, so that every one may turn from his evil way, and that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin." Jeremiah 36:1-3 (ESV)   What kind of fool hears a warning from a reliable source and ignores it? The Scriptures are clear as to what happens to those who ignore God, yet many continue to live as if He does not exist.   Those who ignore God, for any reason, will wish they had not. There is a time when all hope is lost, and those who lived self-centered lives will see the limitations of self and the reality that the universe revolves around God, and not them. We need to respond while we still have the oppo...

I have sent to you all my servants the prophets, sending them persistently, saying, 'Turn now every one of you from his evil way, and amend your deeds, and do not go after other gods to serve them, and then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to you and your fathers.' But you did not incline your ear or listen to me. Jeremiah 35:15 (ESV)   God is faithful to send spokespeople to warn people of impending dangers. Often, the spokesperson speaks of the need to amend our ways. In other words, we are told to live differently from the way we are living now, or we will pay a consequence that we will truly regret.   Today, those who sound the alarm are often considered "legalists," judgmental naysayers. I imagine Elijah was considered that by King Ahab, as was his successor Elisha by other kings.   Ezekiel was not listened to, Jeremiah was the weeping prophet, and Malachi gave a warning to a people who had no idea a warning was even necessary.   Ignoring the Word of God ...

You recently repented and did what was right in my eyes by proclaiming liberty, each to his neighbor, and you made a covenant before me in the house that is called by my name, but then you turned around and profaned my name when each of you took back his male and female slaves, whom you had set free according to their desire, and you brought them into subjection to be your slaves. “Therefore, thus says the Lord: You have not obeyed me by proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother and to his neighbor; behold, I proclaim to you liberty to the sword, to pestilence, and to famine, declares the Lord. I will make you a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth." Jeremiah 34:15-17 (ESV)   Mountaintop experiences are exciting and are rarely duplicated in real life. Hence, the term "mountain top experience." Those who make commitments during an emotional time in life will struggle to keep them during dull moments. Without making real changes that align with our new commitments i...