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Obedience talk is cheap and easy.

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to make a proclamation of liberty to them, that everyone should set free his Hebrew slaves, male and female, so that no one should enslave a Jew, his brother. And they obeyed, all the officials and all the people who had entered into the covenant that everyone would set free his slave, male or female, so that they would not be enslaved again. They obeyed and set them free. But afterward they turned around and took back the male and female slaves they had set free, and brought them into subjection as slaves. Jeremiah 34:8-11 (ESV)   Obedience talk is cheap and easy, and it is a great idea, until we experience the cost. When we decide to obey God, but for some reason turn back to our old ways, we have not obeyed God. Leaving the door open for a return to disobedience means we usually return to our disobedient ways.   We need to decide to make no provision for ou...

There is no real hope in this life apart from God.

"Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it—the Lord is his name: Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known." Jeremiah 33:2-3 (ESV Strong's)   Some understand the un-understandable. Some are at peace during turbulent times. Some have faith when all hope seems lost. What is common among those who live rather than endure life? They call on the Lord, and the Lord, who will not hide, reveals to them great and otherwise hidden things.   It may be smart to consult a doctor, but it is wise to call on the Lord. No matter the outcome, those who call on the Lord will not be disappointed. God can heal, or He will personally greet those who are His children, who are not healed on this earth.   There is no real hope in this life apart from God, and those who seek hope apart from Him will be gravely disappointed.   https://www.podbean.com/relate365

Stay Focused

They have turned to me their back and not their face. And though I have taught them persistently, they have not listened to receive instruction. Jeremiah 32:33 (ESV)   To learn, you need to position yourself to listen. The prideful will not listen. The angry do not listen. The arrogant do not listen.   Listening does not mean you agree or disagree. It means that you are paying attention to what someone else is saying. Paying attention to what someone else is saying means you are actually trying to understand what they are saying. After one listens, one can respond, and hopefully respond correctly.   The academic atmosphere today seems to be one continual debate, rather than the exchange and consideration of ideas. If we know that something is right, no matter how a person debates the issue, they remain right. Those who want to debate every idea someone has, and every word they say, are wearisome and, eventually, will have no one to debate, for they have worn out all those...

My goal is to abide in Him.

"Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?" Jeremiah 32:27 (ESV)   What is it that we worry about? Why? What value does worry possess? If the God of the universe, the only God, the all-powerful God, loves you and is guiding your footsteps, worry makes no sense.   Yet, we find it easy to worry. I worry when God is not guiding me. I worry because I knowingly ignore the leading of the Holy Spirit, disobey the revealed Word of God, and actually worry that God will do what He said He would do, while hoping He makes His first exception.   Worry is a waste of time and robs us of the ability to enjoy today. Today's investments often determine tomorrow's activities, and worry is not an investment strategy, but it is a withdrawal "strategy." If we know that nothing is too hard for God and that He is our Father, then we need to go to Him and leave our "worries" with Him. He knows what to do, how to do it, and, in the end, will ...

Jeremiah 32:16-19 (ESV)

"After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord, saying: 'Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you. You show steadfast love to thousands, but you repay the guilt of fathers to their children after them, O great and mighty God, whose name is the Lord of hosts, great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are open to all the ways of the children of man, rewarding each one according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds.'" Jeremiah 32:16-19 (ESV) https://www.podbean.com/relate365

God knows our hearts and our ways.

For I will restore health to you, and your wounds I will heal, declares the LORD, because they have called you an outcast: 'It is Zion, for whom no one cares!' "Thus says the LORD: Behold, I will restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob and have compassion on his dwellings; the city shall be rebuilt on its mound, and the palace shall stand where it used to be. Out of them shall come songs of thanksgiving, and the voices of those who celebrate. I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will make them honored, and they shall not be small. Their children shall be as they were of old, and their congregation shall be established before me, and I will punish all who oppress them. Their prince shall be one of themselves; their ruler shall come out from their midst; I will make him draw near, and he shall approach me, for who would dare of himself to approach me? declares the LORD. And you shall be my people, and I will be your God." Jeremiah 30:17-22 (ESV)   God k...

Today, I have choices to make.

"For thus says the Lord: Your hurt is incurable, and your wound is grievous. There is none to uphold your cause, no medicine for your wound, no healing for you. All your lovers have forgotten you; they care nothing for you; for I have dealt you the blow of an enemy, the punishment of a merciless foe, because your guilt is great, because your sins are flagrant. Why do you cry out over your hurt? Your pain is incurable. Because your guilt is great, because your sins are flagrant, I have done these things to you." Jeremiah 30:12-15 (ESV)   Those who love God grieve, but not as those who have no hope. To those who love God, there will be an end to suffering. To those who love self, there is no hope for the future, and the suffering in this life will just be multiplied in the next. We are all terminal, yet the end is not yet determined. Indeed, God knows the end, yet His knowing it and it being determined are two different ideas.   Today, I have choices to make, and my choices mat...