The Simple Life

"I have made you a tester of metals among my people, that you may know and test their ways. They are all stubbornly rebellious, going about with slanders; they are bronze and iron; all of them act corruptly. The bellows blow fiercely; the lead is consumed by the fire; in vain the refining goes on, for the wicked are not removed. Rejected silver they are called, for the Lord has rejected them." Jeremiah 6:27-30 (ESV)   "In vain the refining goes on…."   I was working on a water pipe I needed to replace that had been in place for over 30 years. I could not loosen the joints. The more stubborn the joint, the more heat and force I applied. Eventually, the heat and force prevailed. The process would either break the pipe or fix it.   The "repair," or refining process, can be hot, uncomfortable, and, at times, downright brutal. I can understand going through a refining process if, in the end, I have been refined, but to go through the refining process and, in th...

"I set watchmen over you, saying, 'Pay attention to the sound of the trumpet!' But they said, 'We will not pay attention.' Therefore hear, O nations, and know, O congregation, what will happen to them. Hear, O earth; behold, I am bringing disaster upon this people, the fruit of their devices, because they have not paid attention to my words; and as for my law, they have rejected it." Jeremiah  6:17-19  (ESV)   There are "watchmen" whom God gives to His people. They can watch and warn. These "watchmen" are the reprovers, rebukers, and exhorters. Their message is not always pleasant, and their ways are often unique.   There is a great danger in dismissing the guards, for they only exist to watch and warn so that the people might be ready for what is sure to come. In our day, we have minimized the role of the watchmen and thereby marginalized the problems that will now come without warning. Our hope is often fueled by ignorance rather than our...

"For from the least to the greatest of them, everyone is greedy for unjust gain; and from prophet to priest, everyone deals falsely. They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, 'Peace, peace,' when there is no peace." Jeremiah  6:13-14  (ESV)   Greedy people use what they should be loving, and love what they should be using. We use cars, lawn mowers, and ovens; we do not love them. We use food, vacations, and sporting events; we do not love them.   Love is reserved for God and people. Love is a commitment to another. It is a commitment to follow God and to follow what is right for another person.   Those who try to sell the idea that all is well when all is not well are abusive people bent on caring for themselves at the expense of those they claim to love. When they speak of love, it is as meaningless as if they talk of peace.   This kind of lifestyle and rhetoric lead to confusion, not peace, and are the reason we need to use the correct defi...

"To whom shall I speak and give warning, that they may hear? Behold, their ears are uncircumcised, they cannot listen; behold, the word of the Lord is to them an object of scorn; they take no pleasure in it. Therefore I am full of the wrath of the Lord; I am weary of holding it in." Jeremiah  6:10-11  (ESV)   Those who do not want to listen to God cannot blame God for their problems. Those who choose to ignore God must try to do just that, or constantly be confronted with their foolishness.   We tend to allow people, thoughts, and ideas into our lives that reinforce what we want to believe. We tend to make our belief system into truth, and then live in a way that denies any outside source the power to challenge what is "true."   Without a way to evaluate outside thoughts, ideas, and opinions, we have established our own "truth" and have stolen a characteristic from God, His immutability, as our own. The trouble with this kind of thinking/lifestyle is that ...

"But even in those days, declares the Lord, I will not make a full end of you. And when your people say, 'Why has the Lord our God done all these things to us?' you shall say to them, 'As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your land, so you shall serve foreigners in a land that is not yours.'" Jeremiah  5:18-19  (ESV)   We often play the role of the victim rather than the conqueror. Victims blame life's outcomes on fatalism; conquerors speak of destiny. Victims quit; conquerors press on. Victims feel no responsibility; conquerors understand their personal responsibility and accept whatever role they play in the ultimate victory.   God is often a target for those who have lived their lives in ignorance of Him. It seems that, in many of their minds, God exists only when they need a scapegoat, since they are responsible for the good things in life and make Him responsible for the bad. Those who forsake God are not victims; they are fools.   His l...

"How can I pardon you? Your children have forsaken me and have sworn by those who are no gods. When I fed them to the full, they committed adultery and trooped to the houses of whores. They were well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing for his neighbor's wife. Shall I not punish them for these things? declares the Lord; and shall I not avenge myself on a nation such as this? "Go up through her vine rows and destroy, but make not a full end; strip away her branches, for they are not the Lord's. For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have been utterly treacherous to me, declares the Lord. They have spoken falsely of the Lord and have said, 'He will do nothing; no disaster will come upon us, nor shall we see sword or famine. The prophets will become wind; the word is not in them. Thus shall it be done to them!'" Jeremiah 5:7-13 (ESV)   It is tragic when those entrusted with the truth are no longer guided by the truth, and lies become the new "tr...