Alignment
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 subordination cannot or choose not to understand the reasoning behind the order.
Jeremiah is proclaiming that very truth here. God has said something, so that it will happen.
(This is similar to the phrase in Ezekiel 24:14: "I, the LORD, have spoken! The time has come, and I won't hold back. I will not change my mind, and I will have no pity on you. You will be judged on the basis of all your wicked actions, says the Sovereign LORD.")
We all need to be in alignment with what God proclaims because truth is never found through a democratic process: it is proclaimed by God.
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 subordination cannot or choose not to understand the reasoning behind the order.
Jeremiah is proclaiming that very truth here. God has said something, so that it will happen.
(This is similar to the phrase in Ezekiel 24:14: "I, the LORD, have spoken! The time has come, and I won't hold back. I will not change my mind, and I will have no pity on you. You will be judged on the basis of all your wicked actions, says the Sovereign LORD.")
We all need to be in alignment with what God proclaims because truth is never found through a democratic process: it is proclaimed by God.
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