The Simple Life

For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: "Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns." Jeremiah 4:3 (ESV)   God often uses agricultural examples. These stories are easy to understand and apply. In this case, we are told that the men need to break up the fallow ground in their lives. Our lives have many fields, and the fields we leave "uncultivated" are not only worthless, but they also encourage the growth of weeds that eventually transfer to our cultivated areas.   It is a waste of time to sow seeds on ground that is not prepared, and foolish to think that the throwing of the seed on the unprepared ground will produce results. For those who do this, the process of buying the seed, throwing it on the ground, and waiting for a harvest is, at best, an exercise in futility. The uncultivated ground, land that is ignored, becomes a breeding ground for all that will destroy what could have been done by intentionality.   Charles Spurgeon said th...

Go, and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, "'Return, faithless Israel, declares the Lord. I will not look on you in anger, for I am merciful, declares the Lord; I will not be angry forever. Only acknowledge your guilt, that you rebelled against the Lord your God and scattered your favors among foreigners under every green tree, and that you have not obeyed my voice, declares the Lord. Return, O faithless children, declares the Lord; for I am your master; I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion. And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.'" Jeremiah  3:12-15  (ESV)   The shepherds of God's people need to have a heart for God. They need to see the importance of feeding the sheep entrusted to them with knowledge and understanding. To feed the sheep with knowledge and understanding, they need to have found an abundance of it and be willing to share it.  ...

Thus says the Lord: "What wrong did your fathers find in me that they went far from me, and went after worthlessness, and became worthless? They did not say, 'Where is the Lord who brought us up from the land of Egypt, who led us in the wilderness, in a land of deserts and pits, in a land of drought and deep darkness, in a land that none passes through, where no man dwells?'" Jeremiah 2:5-6 (ESV)   Why would anyone exchange the valuable for the worthless? You would think I was crazy if I asked you to exchange Monopoly money for real money, and then I got excited about it. You would be even more amused if I took the Monopoly money and told all who were with me about my good fortune and persuaded them to exchange their real money for Monopoly money as well.   We could convince ourselves that we have done well when, in reality, we have traded something of value for something worthless. Really, our thinking is what is worthless. Right living always starts with right think...

“And I will declare my judgments against them, for all their evil in forsaking me. They have made offerings to other gods and worshiped the works of their own hands. But you, dress yourself for work; arise, and say to them everything that I command you. Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them. And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the Lord, to deliver you." Jeremiah  1:16-19  (ESV)   God is the judge, and we are judged. When we judge, we mess up. Our focus should be on obedience. We were not made to be a judge. We were made to be followers of the one who judges, for He alone knows how well we followed.   Those who listen to God will never be alone or disappointed with the final results.   https:...

But the Lord said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a youth'; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord." Jeremiah 1:7-8 (ESV)   There is always a "good" reason to ignore God: I'm too young, I'm too old, I'm not experienced enough, I'm lacking resources, and so on. Successful people focus on and listen to God. They realize that their inadequacies allow them the opportunity to point to God, and thereby fulfill the reason for which they were created. Excuses demonstrate the fact that we do not trust God.   Sometimes it seems as if we do our best to eliminate God from our lives. We think that we need to get good enough, rich enough, powerful enough, or smart enough to make it without Him, hoping that will yield more stability than trusting in our sovereign, most powerful, all-loving God.   Amazingly, we can think such bizarr...

Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations." Then I said, "Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth." Jeremiah 1:4-6 (ESV)   Those who desire to teach evolution also attempt to hide the fact that man was made, on purpose, in the image of God. There is no human being who has ever been an accidental blob of protoplasm. God is deliberative, purposeful, and perfectly capable of carrying out His work.   Those who want to ignore the evidence will not, because they cannot, find their purpose in life. Purpose always begins with God and will end with Him judging as to whether or not the intended purpose was achieved. Therefore, the most essential thing in life would be to align ourselves with His thoughts and purposes.   If we do that, even if we do not understand everything, everything will make sense. For now, we...