The Simple Life

"For twenty-three years, from the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, to this day, the word of the Lord has come to me, and I have spoken persistently to you, but you have not listened. You have neither listened nor inclined your ears to hear, although the Lord persistently sent to you all his servants the prophets…." Jeremiah 25:3-4 (ESV)   If you're not listening, what is said does not matter. Those who believe they already know cannot be taught. Teaching is a two-way street. Those who teach need something to say, and those who learn need to desire to hear what is said. If those who teach have nothing to say, they waste everybody's time. If students want to learn, then the teaching style becomes irrelevant, and information, regardless of how it is transmitted, is valued.   There is no way to teach a culture in which students grow up thinking their opinions create truth. A culture like this flocks to those who affirm their belief system, and it ...

Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, declares the Lord, who steal my words from one another. Behold, I am against the prophets, declares the Lord, who use their tongues and declare, 'declares the Lord.' Behold, I am against those who prophesy lying dreams, declares the Lord, and who tell them and lead my people astray by their lies and their recklessness, when I did not send them or charge them. So they do not profit this people at all, declares the Lord. "When one of this people, or a prophet or a priest asks you, 'What is the burden of the Lord?' you shall say to them, 'You are the burden, and I will cast you off, declares the Lord.' And as for the prophet, priest, or one of the people who says, 'The burden of the Lord,' I will punish that man and his household." Jeremiah 23:30-34 (ESV)   Teachers who obtain their "lessons" from other teachers instead of from the Lord are playing a serious game of "telephone" teac...

"I did not send the prophets, yet they ran; I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied. But if they had stood in my council, then they would have proclaimed my words to my people, and they would have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their deeds." Jeremiah  23:21-22  (ESV)   Prophets are supposed to proclaim words that turn people from their evil ways? Before that happens, we need to identify what the evil way looks like. Today, it seems as if all evil is acceptable, and anyone who challenges someone is evil. It is as if the challenger is committing the sinful acts by the very act of challenging.   Our culture is used to being affirmed, and it has decided that false affirmation is actually better than no affirmation. Therefore, those who tell us what we want to hear become our leaders. The lines between right and wrong are blurred, and the broad way or popular vote has become the plumb line, instead of the narrow truth found in the Word of God. ...

Thus says the Lord of hosts: "Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord. They say continually to those who despise the word of the Lord, ‘It shall be well with you'; and to everyone who stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, ‘No disaster shall come upon you.'" For who among them has stood in the council of the Lord to see and to hear his word, or who has paid attention to his word and listened? Jeremiah  23:16-18  (ESV)   We need to be careful about from who we accept counsel. If we only listen to those who tell us what we want to hear, we are in great danger of living a lie. It's easy to think we are God and to speak as if our thoughts are God's, when in fact, our thoughts have nothing to do with God or His thoughts. We get in the habit of using His name in vain to get our way. This should not be.  https://www.podbean.com/relate365

"Both prophet and priest are ungodly; even in my house I have found their evil, declares the Lord. Therefore their way shall be to them like slippery paths in the darkness, into which they shall be driven and fall, for I will bring disaster upon them in the year of their punishment, declares the Lord. In the prophets of Samaria I saw an unsavory thing: they prophesied by Baal and led my people Israel astray. But in the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing: they commit adultery and walk in lies; they strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns from his evil; all of them have become like Sodom to me, and its inhabitants like Gomorrah." Jeremiah  23:11-14  (ESV)   Leaders who strengthen the hands of the evil so that no one turns from evil are evil. It is easy for a "leader" to justify a lifestyle of sin so they can maintain their popularity. Lot did not start a part of Sodom and Gomorrah, yet, he eventually was destroyed by his decision to be ...

"Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!" declares the Lord. Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who care for my people: "You have scattered my flock and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for your evil deeds, declares the Lord. Then I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. I will set shepherds over them who will care for them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be missing, declares the Lord." Jeremiah 23:1-4 (ESV)   The job of the shepherd is not to destroy and scatter the sheep, but to care for them. Sheep need protection, and shepherds are the protectors. Shepherds are not concerned with throwing a sheep party, but they are always, always, always on the lookout for whatever might endanger...

And to this people you shall say: Thus says the Lord: Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death." Jeremiah 21:8 (ESV)   Today we have choices, and our choices matter. We can tell if we have made the right choices by the fruit that is displayed in our lives.   If we choose to focus on self, we choose to struggle with depression, anger, and worthlessness. Focusing on self usually means we focus on what others are doing or saying, or not doing or not saying, and place our lives somewhere on our own-created relevance scale. If we choose to live the way we were intended to live, we do not focus on ourselves but on how we can use the circumstances of our lives to show the world who God is and to demonstrate to those around us the principles that give them purpose, life, and hope. We live disparaging lives because our focus i "Do you think you are a king because you compete in cedar? Did not your father eat and drink and do justice and righteousness? Then it was ...

"And to this people you shall say: Thus says the Lord: Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death." Jeremiah 21:8 (ESV)   Today we have choices, and our choices matter. We can tell if we have made the right choices by the fruit that is displayed in our lives.   If we choose to focus on self, we choose to struggle with depression, anger, and worthlessness. Focusing on self usually means we focus on what others are doing or saying, or not doing or not saying, and place our lives somewhere on our own-created relevance scale. If we choose to live the way we were intended to live, we do not focus on ourselves but on how we can use the circumstances of our lives to show the world who God is and to demonstrate to those around us the principles that give them purpose, life, and hope. We live disparaging lives because our focus is on ourselves, and our decisions are about what is best for us.   Jesus came to earth, was born in a stable, and was crucified because...

Then Jeremiah said to them: "Thus you shall say to Zedekiah, 'Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands and with which you are fighting against the king of Babylon and against the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the walls. And I will bring them together into the midst of this city. I myself will fight against you with outstretched hand and strong arm, in anger and in fury and in great wrath.'" Jeremiah 21:3-5 (ESV)   There is no weapon of war, no strategy, and no armed force that can prevail against God. If God says that He, Himself, will fight the fight, and His comments are directed at me, I have no hope.   Experiencing the mercy of God and living in the grace of God is easy and very "doable." To choose a life that ignores Him, His ways, and His purposes dooms us to certain and irrevocable disaster. For now, the choice is ours. https://www.podbean.com/relate365

If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it. Jeremiah 18:7-10 (ESV)   We need to live in a way that embraces the personal responsibility we have been given. It is our responsibility to walk with God. It is our responsibility to know Him and to listen to Him. When we do not do that, we will pay the price of being distanced from Him.   God knows what choices we will make, and our choices do not limit His choices. He has already arranged the victory, and our choices will allow us to participate with Him in the celebration as active participants, or to be the "onlookers" ...

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: "Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will let you hear my words." So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. Jeremiah 18:1-4 (ESV)   Man, as pottery, is a powerful illustration of reality. God made us for a purpose. He, being the potter, has the prerogative to make us into whatever He desires. Our shape, purpose, and eventual placement are His decisions, not ours.   We can look at the other pieces of pottery and wonder why we are not like them. We could wish we had a different function, and even claim the potter should have done otherwise, but in reality, the potter did, with His clay, as He wished.   The vessel should serve joyfully the purpose for which it was intended.   https://www.podbean.com/relate365

Thus says the Lord: Take care for the sake of your lives, and do not bear a burden on the Sabbath day or bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem. And do not carry a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath or do any work, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your fathers. Yet they did not listen or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck, that they might not hear and receive instruction. Jeremiah  17:21-23  (ESV)   Relationships are important. In fact, they are important enough to rearrange your life around them. Our relationship with God is something we need to prioritize. Our relationships with our spouse, children, friends, and coworkers should be a priority. We cannot have relationships with media, money, or things, so we should not allow them to steal us away from those with whom we do have relationships.   Somehow, we have "developed" into a nation of strangers, and we like it that way. We do not know God, even though we have ample opportunity to do ...

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? "I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds." Like the partridge that gathers a brood that she did not hatch, so is he who gets riches but not by justice; in the midst of his days they will leave him, and at his end he will be a fool. A glorious throne set on high from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary O Lord, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you shall be put to shame; those who turn away from you shall be written in the earth, for they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living water. Jeremiah 17:9-13 (ESV)   We like to believe what we want to believe, and we believe that what we believe is what actually is, when it is often a lie. Lying to others may be detestable to us, but lying to ourselves, for some reason, we find totally acceptable.   We need to be in God's Word to have a way to chec...

Thus says the Lord: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit." Jeremiah 17:5-8 (ESV)   Our flesh fails, while God never fails. Our strength gives way, whereas God's strength is constant. Our view is limited, our dreams are dependent, our planning is often futile, and our resources are limited. God's view is unlimited; He cannot dream, for He is the cause of all that will happen, and He is the only one who can actually plan for the future, for He knows the future.   Tru...

O Lord, my strength and my stronghold, my refuge in the day of trouble, to you shall the nations come from the ends of the earth and say: "Our fathers have inherited nothing but lies, worthless things in which there is no profit. Can man make for himself gods? Such are not gods!" "Therefore, behold, I will make them know, this once I will make them know my power and my might, and they shall know that my name is the Lord." Jeremiah  16:19-21  (ESV)   We can see God as God now, or we will see and acknowledge Him as God later. If we do that now, we can live with no regrets. If we do that later, we will have only regrets.   We can, for now, believe whatever we want, and our belief will affect our lives, our decisions, and our eventual outcome, but it will not affect the overall results.   God is already the victor. He has already won the battle, and He is awaiting the celebration with all who have chosen to be part of the winning struggle. https://www.podbean.com/re...

Therefore thus says the Lord: "If you return, I will restore you, and you shall stand before me. If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless, you shall be as my mouth. They shall turn to you, but you shall not turn to them." Jeremiah 15:19 (ESV)   God is love, so God gives us choice, real choice. Real choice comes with real consequences; otherwise, it is a "fake" choice. God knows what choices we will make, so He has already adjusted to our decisions.   The fact is, if we make the right choices, we will be restored to the way it was meant to be. If we make wrong choices, we have no hope, for God is just and loving, and justice will prevail in the shroud of love.   We often struggle to understand God's attributes because there is no human way to grasp them. Since we make ourselves the ones who are all-knowing, we make it impossible for God to have characteristics we do not have, cannot understand, or that limit our status.   The facts are that when w...

You have rejected me, declares the Lord; you keep going backward, so I have stretched out my hand against you and destroyed you— I am weary of relenting. Jeremiah 15:6 (ESV)   There is a limit to the opportunities God gives to an individual, a family, and a nation. Our lives are finite, and our abilities are limited. The idea of God being weary of relenting is often hard to reconcile with what we think we know of God. Since we need to use finite words to describe the infinite, we often struggle with both the word usage and meaning.   God has foreknowledge; before the world was created, He knew what choices man would make and the consequences of those choices. The fact that He still wearies from seeing many choose wrong means He has never gotten used to the idea, which is a good thing. Knowing what someone will do and preparing for such action does not mean one is "good" with the action.   God has given us real choice because He really loves, and real choice will always ha...

Because of the wicked things Manasseh son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, did in Jerusalem, I will make my people an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. "Who will feel sorry for you, Jerusalem? Who will weep for you? Who will even bother to ask how you are?” Jeremiah 15:4-5 (NLT)   Because of the wicked things Manasseh did, he and his followers will face consequences. This is a simple truth of accountability. Throughout the Scriptures, we are told that those who know the truth will be held accountable for what they know and/or what they should know.   Luke 23:48 tells us this: "But someone who does not know, and then does something wrong, will be punished only lightly. When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required."   I need to be someone who seeks the truth, knows the truth, and lives according to the truth, and when it matters, all will be well  Because of the ...

"I will send four kinds of destroyers against them," says the LORD. "I will send the sword to kill, the dogs to drag away, the vultures to devour, and the wild animals to finish up what is left.” Jeremiah 15:3 (NLT)   We rightfully enjoy focusing on God's mercy and grace. In this, we often forget that God will hold people accountable to the truths of His Word. We do not want to think about God punishing the disobedient. We want to believe that He will always extend another opportunity for mercy and grace.   For love to have any value, it must include choice. Nothing created without choice can love, and if choice is a key component of love, the consequences of our choices must be real.   There will be a day of judgment for all humans, and God alone will be the judge. He understands our hearts, motives, and actions, and we will be held accountable. This is not a scary thing unless we are not aligned with His will. God is a loving father who desires to extend mercy and ...

And if they say to you, 'But where can we go?' tell them, 'This is what the LORD says: "Those who are destined for death, to death; those who are destined for war, to war; those who are destined for famine, to famine; those who are destined for captivity, to captivity.'” Jeremiah 15:2 (NLT)   I want to focus our thoughts on the most powerful phrase, "This is what the Lord says." Regardless of what I think, feel, or wish, what God says will happen, and I will either be aligned with God or I will wish that I was.   This is both humbling and empowering. It is humbling in the fact that my thoughts and feelings and community could be harmful unless they are aligned with God's will. It is empowering to think of what could and does happen when I, my thoughts, feelings, and community are aligned with God's will.   There are times when those in authority, parents, for example, must demand obedience because of their position. This occurs when those in subor...

Then the LORD said to me, "Even if Moses and Samuel stood before me pleading for these people, I wouldn't help them. Away with them! Get them out of my sight!” Jeremiah 15:1 (NLT)   There is great love between Godly leaders of nations and their people, yet the people will always be held personally accountable for their actions. Communities are important and have a vital role in shaping the thoughts and ideas that drive their members. The leadership of these communities will be held accountable for their actions and how their actions affected their communities.   We are told that those who actually follow God will be few. They are the ones who have chosen the narrow gate, road, and lifestyle. Those who follow God are unique or holy, and will always stand out in the community.   Believers are indeed part of the body of Christ, the community of believers. Yet, there will come a day when we stand before God without that community support and be held accountable for ourselves ...

But the Lord said to me, "These prophets are prophesying a lie in My name. I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a false vision, worthless divination, the deceit of their own minds." Jeremiah 14:14 (HCSB)   The Ten Commandments tell us not to use the Lord's name in vain. We have, for good reason, considered that using the Lord's name as an expletive or disrespectfully in conversation falls into this category.   Often, we hear leaders or church members talk of "God's" will revealed to them, thereby justifying their actions. If someone came to me and told me that God has told them something, I am in no position to counter what God has said. The trouble may be that God did not say that, and that this individual is using the name of God to avoid accountability questions from someone walking with God.   Using God's name in vain, no matter how it is done, will always be evil. https://www.podbean.com/relat...

This is what the Lord says concerning these people: Truly they love to wander; they never rest their feet. So the Lord does not accept them. Now He will remember their guilt and punish their sins. Then the Lord said to me, "Do not pray for the well-being of these people. If they fast, I will not hear their cry of despair. If they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I will not accept them. Rather, I will finish them off by sword, famine, and plague." Jeremiah  14:10-12  (HCSB)   Those who wish to find fulfillment apart from God may get the chance to try and fail. Once again, there is no hope for those who wander from God. Once again, Jeremiah is told not to pray for such wanderers, because there is no way fix this self-induced problem. Prayer in this case would be a waste of Jeremiah's time.   Many in the modern church want to believe that God never reaches a point where man has no way to return, but it is evident here that this is the case. It's not for me to sa...

Say this to them: This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Every jar should be filled with wine. Then they will respond to you, 'Don't we know that every jar should be filled with wine?' And you will say to them: This is what the Lord says: I am about to fill all who live in this land — the kings who reign for David on his throne, the priests, the prophets and all the residents of Jerusalem — with drunkenness. I will smash them against each other, fathers and sons alike" — this is the Lord's declaration. "I will allow no mercy, pity, or compassion to keep Me from destroying them." Jeremiah  13:12-14  (HCSB)   This is an interesting use of "wine." God basically tells the people to cast off restraint, indulge in "wine," and see the results. Alcohol has a way of taking over one's thinking, allowing a person to let their "inhibitions" be displayed. When reality no longer checks our inhibitions, disaster awaits.   Often...

If they will diligently learn the ways of My people — to swear by My name, 'As Yahweh lives,' just as they taught My people to swear by Baal — they will be built up among My people. However, if they will not obey, then I will uproot and destroy that nation." This is the Lord's declaration. Jeremiah  12:16-17  (HCSB)   There are principles and methods. Methods are used to teach principles and will change with age, experience, culture, and so on. The principles never change. Effective teachers understand this and never "adjust" the principle, while always challenging the method.   The principle in this passage is clear. A nation that has, for whatever reason, abandoned God will wish it had not. However, God wants to communicate this principle; it is up to Him, and whether or not we listen will be irrelevant to the fact that abandonment equals disaster.   God does not change. His Word does not change. People change, and Satan loves to take advantage of our abili...

If you have raced with runners and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in a peaceful land, what will you do in the thickets of the Jordan? Jeremiah 12:5 (HCSB)   Some are worn out in the ordinary of life so that when the extraordinary occurs, they have little to no strength with which to face it. The struggles in life are real. The winds of change, sadness, and stress are often blowing and can quickly reach tornado-like levels.   Standing ground in the face of tremendous winds is not the goal; forward progress is. God alone can tame the wild winds; walking in His wake allows us to maintain steady progress, regardless of the external pressures. If you become weary in the ordinary, you will never have the strength to maintain, much less excel, when the exceptional happens.   Satan does not care how he destroys us. He is patient, not wanting any to succeed. Our goal must be proximity to our God and Father, for there is no chance for the Ev...

Therefore, here is what the Lord says concerning the people of Anathoth who want to take your life. They warn, "You must not prophesy in the name of Yahweh, or you will certainly die at our hand." Jeremiah 11:21 (HCSB)   "There is the story of a conversation between the burgomaster in Hamburg and holy Dr. Ducken when he first began to preach. The burgomaster said to him, "Do you see that little finger, sir? While I can move that little finger, I will put the Baptists down." Mr. Ducken said, "With all respect to your little finger, Mr. Burgomaster, I would ask you another question. Do you see that arm?" "No, I do not see it." "Just so," said Mr. Ducken, "but I do; and while that great arm moves, you cannot put us down, and if it comes to a conflict between your little finger and that great arm, I know how it will end." It was my great joy to see the burgomaster sitting in the chapel at Hamburg, among the audience that list...

"As for you, do not pray for these people. Do not raise up a cry or a prayer on their behalf, for I will not be listening when they call out to Me at the time of their disaster." Jeremiah 11:14 (HCSB)   "It is futile to pray for those who have deliberately cast off the covenant of Jehovah and made a covenant with His adversary. Prayer cannot save, nothing can save, the impenitent; and there is a state of mind, in which one's own prayer is turned into sin; the state of mind in which a man prays, merely to appease God, and escape the fire, but without a thought of forsaking sin, without the faintest aspiration after holiness. There is a degree of guilt upon which sentence is already passed, which is "unto death," and for which prayer is interdicted alike by the prophet of the new and of the old covenant." ( C. J. Ball, M. A. )   We cannot substitute obedience with prayer. We need to be intimate with God and obedient to Him, and then our communication wit...