The Simple Life

"As for you, do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede with me, for I will not hear you. Do you not see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? The children gather wood, the fathers kindle fire, and the women knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven. And they pour out drink offerings to other gods, to provoke me to anger. Is it I whom they provoke? declares the Lord. Is it not themselves, to their own shame?" Jeremiah  7:16-19  (ESV)   When was the last time you were told not to pray for someone? You would think whoever would say that would be heretical. Often, we talk of prayer as something we do to unleash the power of God, but in this instance, it seems that the absence of God will make the statement.   There are passages that "preach" easier than this one, yet all of the Scriptures are profitable for teaching, and none should be avoided.   https://www.podbean.com/relat...

"Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, 'We are delivered!'—only to go on doing all these abominations?" Jeremiah 7:8-10 (ESV)   Words can be used to either reinforce truth or manipulate the masses with cleverly masked lies. The lies can be so well said that those who speak them believe them. If you are a liar, you are either lying on purpose or you have been deceived and believe the lie is the truth. Those who lie feel personally attacked when you confront them with a lie, and rightfully so.   Honest people are willing to examine what they believe, and then evaluate it against the truth. Dishonest people have no way to evaluate what they believe. They alone are the authority for this belief, making any challenge against what they have said a cha...

 "Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place. Do not trust in these deceptive words: 'This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.'" Jeremiah 7:3-4 (ESV)   Amend your ways," the plans, the road you're on, the direction you are headed. Amend or "change" the way you are headed. This starts in the head, not in the actions. To change our actions, we need to change our direction, and our direction comes from our thoughts.   As you examine your actions, you will see they come from what you have considered normal, and that "normal" has become your worldview, which then directs your actions. What you need to examine is whether your normal is actually right or wrong, and to determine in your heart to make the right normal, even if it's not "normal."   Actions are the consequences of our ideas, and if we want to change them, w...

"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...

How long must I see the standard and hear the sound of the trumpet? "For my people are foolish; they know me not; they are stupid children; they have no understanding. They are 'wise'—in doing evil! But how to do good, they know not." Jeremiah  4:21-22  (ESV)   There is a warning to those who refuse to know God. The trumpet has been sounding, and the anger of the Lord will be unleashed on the disobedient. Living in the shadow of impending doom is much different from living in the shadow of the Almighty as your protector. One generates fear; the other creates peace. One gives hope; the other brings despair.   Those who choose to ignore God are choosing not to live in the way life was meant to be, and they can never find purpose in this life. Success will always be out of reach, and pleasures, if experienced at all, will be temporary and empty.   The key factor in a meaningful life is knowing God, and knowing God comes to those who choose to spend time with Him. h...

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...

Thus says the Lord: "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word." Isaiah 66:1-2 (ESV)   God honors those who honor Him. When we think correctly, we think in terms of the all-powerful God and the non-powerful man. We think about the mercy God has extended to us, the grace He has made available, and we respond in harmony with both.   The older I get, the dumber I am. The older I get, the less powerful I feel. There will come a time when, as it was in my beginning, I will be helpless and realize that I can do nothing without help.   I am not self-perpetuating. I cannot control my destiny, but I can love the one who can, and will, and I can rest in the fact that He loves me. https://www.podbean.c...

But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. Isaiah 64:8 (ESV) God makes it clear who has the authority in this life. Clay has no way to claim authority over the potter, and for man to do such a thing is ludicrous.   It is interesting that Adam, the first man, was formed from clay, and this sculpted clay was lifeless until God breathed the breath of life into it. In a way, man is nothing more than living, breathing clay, and when his breath runs out, he goes back to clay.   The prophet continues to talk of the craziness of some people by saying this: "I spread out my hands all the day to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, following their own devices…." Isaiah 65:2 (ESV)   Created clay listening to its own advice and ignoring the creator's directives--there may be nothing crazier.   Yet, how often do I listen to my "advice?" How frequently do I even acknowledge God in my ever...

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. Isaiah 53:7 (ESV)   It is incredible to hear of the one who is all-powerful using that power to die for us, to redeem us, and to demonstrate His love to us. He did not use His power or authority for himself. He used it on our behalf.   There will always be authority and authoritative people. Authority will always have some "power" that comes with it. Those who understand life and leadership also recognize that the only legitimate use of power is for the benefit of others.   Power becomes abusive when it is used to benefit the one who holds the power. Those who have any power need to examine Christ's example of how power is used correctly, and then adjust their lives accordingly.   Jesus did not need to die. He chose to die.   Power is never the purpose, and always needs to ...

Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:1-6 (ESV)   Long before Jesus came, we knew He would come, and why He would come. We need not defend these statements. We need to be awe...

I, I am he who comforts you; who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, of the son of man who is made like grass, and have forgotten the Lord, your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, and you fear continually all the day because of the wrath of the oppressor, when he sets himself to destroy? And where is the wrath of the oppressor? Isaiah 51:12-13 (ESV)   God is the only one who can comfort. All others can only numb our pain. The people in our lives can temporarily ease our pain using methods such as medication, entertainment, and conversation, but God alone can comfort us in our pain.   The Godless have gotten used to seeking and finding temporary comfort in the things of this world. It is possible to get lost in a movie, a splendid meal, or find relief in drugs, alcohol, or sex. Yet, when the effects of such wear off, the desperate situation remains.   Without God, there is no absolute comfort or purpose in your pain and in ...

"Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the Lord: look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he was but one when I called him, that I might bless him and multiply him.” Isaiah 51:1-2 (ESV)   Those who desire to seek God should look backward to gain perspective, and they should look forward to gain momentum.   "The remembrance of God's mercy in the past is helpful to us in many ways. Isaiah was led by the Spirit of God to admonish the Israelites to look back that they might be cheered and encouraged in a time of gloom and sadness, and that they might be animated with fresh confidence in God's power to bring them up again from their sad condition, as they thought of all that He had done for them in times past, when they were equally low, or when, peradventure, they were even in a worse plight than they were at present. It is a great thing for people to...

Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God. Isaiah 50:10 (ESV)   When there is nothing, there is still something. When there is complete darkness, there is light. Trust is what makes or breaks us in this life. We cannot trust someone we do not know, and we cannot know someone with whom we have never spent time.   There is an old hymn titled "Trust and Obey," and one of its lines says this: "Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey." There is a cycle here that needs to be addressed. One can obey out of fear or out of trust. Either way, obedience is vital to our success. We might have fear, the fear of God, and that fear motivates us to obey. Yet, fear is the beginning of wisdom, whereas love is the end goal.   Fear puts us in a position to love correctly, to see that there is no other way than to trust and o...

Listen to me, O coastlands, and give attention, you peoples from afar. The Lord called me from the womb, from the body of my mother he named my name. Isaiah 49:1 (ESV)   "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations." Jeremiah 1:5   But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother's womb and called me through His grace, was pleased…. Galatians 1:15     For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb. Psalm 139:13   Evil enjoys destroying what God has created. Those who desire to normalize the destruction of babies in the womb are the epitome of evil. The destruction of a society always begins with a disregard for legitimate authority, and God is the only legitimate authority.   The cycle throughout history is clear. First, we replace truth with lies and validate our lies by consensus. Next, we undermine our detractors' credibility through relentles...

Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go. Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea; your offspring would have been like the sand, and your descendants like its grains; their name would never be cut off or destroyed from before me." Isaiah 48:17-19 (ESV)   Hindsight is always 20/20. Those who love God, and who walk with Him in reverence and obedience, will one day be successful. Those who choose to ignore Him will regret their actions. Hearing God does not mean we obey Him, but in order to listen to Him, we need to hear Him.   I am thankful that God is willing to guide me. He alone knows what the future holds, and He alone can control every detail of life. I know not the future and can control very little, other than my attitude.   For now, the choices are mine. ...

You are wearied with your many counsels; let them stand forth and save you, those who divide the heavens, who gaze at the stars, who at the new moons make known what shall come upon you. Behold, they are like stubble; the fire consumes them; they cannot deliver themselves from the power of the flame. No coal for warming oneself is this, no fire to sit before! Such to you are those with whom you have labored, who have done business with you from your youth; they wander about, each in his own direction, there is no one to save you. Isaiah 47:13-15 (ESV)   We often quote the verse about the wisdom available in many counselors. We seldom quote the verse that tells us that we can become wearied by our many counsels. It matters who the counselors are and what they are saying. If the counselors love God and walk with Him, the advice will be golden. If they ignore God and walk in ignorance, their advice will be destructive.   For now, we have the choice of to whom we will listen, and ...

You felt secure in your wickedness, you said, "No one sees me"; your wisdom and your knowledge led you astray, and you said in your heart, "I am, and there is no one besides me." But evil shall come upon you, which you will not know how to charm away; disaster shall fall upon you, for which you will not be able to atone; and ruin shall come upon you suddenly, of which you know nothing. Isaiah 47:10-11 (ESV)   Feeling secure in wickedness is the most insecure security available to man. Those who are wicked will one day be found out. They will be exposed as evil, and all that they supposedly lived for will be exposed as fraudulent. There is no way for the wicked to prosper, because they can never be secure in their wickedness. Wickedness bears the fruit of anxiousness, and anxiousness eventually leads to hopelessness and depression.   If we deal with the wickedness in our lives, the anxious, hopeless depression will disappear. We need no miracle drug or activity; we n...

"Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,' calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it." Isaiah 46:8-11 (ESV)   God said that He has a purpose and that He will do it. He is not random. He will accomplish His purpose no matter what I think, do, or say. If I want to be a part of what He does, I need to choose to be a part of it. If I choose to ignore Him or say no to Him, I lose.   One cannot think that God is random or tied to our personal responses. He is not. My only hope is to be in sync with Him. https://www.podbean.com/relate365