e-votional
a message to encourage and uplift from College Heights Baptist Church
Wednesday January 7, 2009
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We are excited to be able to provide the first twenty-six e-votionals (including a gospel presentation) in a printed booklet. The booklet, entitled Tough Life-Big God, is now available. The cost is $2 per book. You can email us if you would like to reserve a copy (or copies), or just pick some up on whenever the church is open. Also, you can check us out on-line at www.docdeer.wordpress.com.
1 Now these are the words of the letter which Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the rest of the elders of the exile, the priests, the prophets and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2 (This was after King Jeconiah and the queen mother, the court officials, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen and the smiths had departed from Jerusalem.) 3 The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, saying, 4 ”Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, 5 ’Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their produce . 6 ’Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease. 7 ’Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare .’ 8 ”For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Do not let your prophets who are in your midst and your diviners deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams which they dream. 9 ’For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them,’ declares the LORD. – Jeremiah 29:1-9, NASB
I have had a few jobs in my life. I have worked fast-food, retail, and in a warehouse. I have worked in a hospital and in grocery stores. Some jobs have been easy. Some of them have been quite difficult. I enjoyed some of my jobs, and really hated a few of them. The prophet Jeremiah had a really tough job. He had to share with the nation of Judah that God was going to send them into captivity.
One of the many issues that Jeremiah had to contend with was that the people didn’t believe him. Many rejected his message in favor of the message of the false prophets. The false prophets had a more palatable message – Judah would suffer, but only for a short time. God said otherwise. He tells Jeremiah that the nation would be in captivity for seventy years. Jeremiah’s task was to tell the people to resume their normal lives – in Babylon! Build houses. Plant gardens. Put down roots. This will not be a weekend excursion. You’re going to be there a while.
It’s not easy telling people what they don’t want to hear. No one wants that job. I’m sure it’s more pleasant for a doctor to tell a young lady she’s pregnant than it is to tell her she has cancer. It’s probably a lot easier for a supervisor to hire a new employee than to let one go. I’m sure it wasn’t easy for Nathan to tell King David, “you are the man” (2 Samuel 12:7)). Keep in mind, Nathan didn’t say “you da man” in a good way. His message was, “you are the man” in a bad way! Jeremiah’s task was difficult too.
As a matter of fact, we need to once again remind ourselves that the Bible warns us that people will not always want to hear what we have to say. Paul writes, “Preach the Good News. Be ready at all times, and tell people what they need to do. Tell them when they are wrong. Encourage them with great patience and careful teaching, because the time will come when people will not listen to the true teaching but will find many more teachers who please them by saying the things they want to hear. They will stop listening to the truth and will begin to follow false stories” (2 Timothy 4:2-4, NCV).
Maybe you find yourself in a tough place right now. You are trying to minster to someone, and they don’t want to hear what you are saying. Perhaps you are trying to bring home a wayward child or redirect a misguided friend. They aren’t buying what you are selling. That’s alright. Just stay true to the message. Let God continue to use you, even if the task is hard. He is with you and His plan will unfold in His time. Stay encouraged and stay faithful.
Pastor Darrell
