Jeremiah 1:12
Then the LORD said to me, "You have seen well for I a ready to perform (Watch over) My word."
We'll be taking a look in the book of Jeremiah tonight at Vineyard Recovery.
Not a popular book. One that we kind of like to hold at arms length when we read it. We applaud Jeremiah's faithfulness to God and the call God placed on his life, but we really don't want anything to do with Jeremiah. We're afraid that life may really be like what we read in this particular book. That this call to follow Jesus may actually involve pain and suffering, along with major doses of being uncomfortable.
Comfort is the unspoken brass ring that our society chases today. We live for comfort. We buy comfort. We medicate ourselves so we can be comfortable. Am I against comfort? No! But in some respects, it has become our god. It takes center stage over everyone and everything else.
In the life of an addict, comfort IS the god of choice. Not knowing how to deal with life...not wanting to deal with any situation or problem that come along, the addict will seek the comfort of whatever their drug of choice is. Empty promises and a vain repetition only create a false comfort for the addict to live in.
As best as I can understand, life happens to us. Life with all its messes and ditches. Life with all the detours and roadblocks. Life happens to everyone who draws breath on this planet. There are no happy ever after fairy tale ending to this journey. But there is God. There is a promised life after this one. There is an abundant life, as promised by Jesus, on this side of heaven. Abundant does not always translate into material wealth. At this point in my journey, Vicki and I have been, and continue, to be blessed beyond our wildest dreams. Daily, we see the hand of God on our family. Does that mean that we are pain free? No. We have a healthy view of what it means to follow Jesus.....all the way to the end.
In the book 66 Love Letters the author writes the following concerning the book of Jeremiah.
God is speaking, answering a question that the author has posed to Him.
"I make no promise to protect you from suffering in this world. I do promise the power to believe in My goodness when bad things happen. The power to hope with confidence that a good plan is unfolding when nothing visible supports that hope. And the power to reveal the goodness of My love no matter how distraught or empty you feel, even to those who contribute to your distress and emptiness. That is the abundance I promise until you arrive at My party."
In Jeremiah 1:12, God speaks and tells Jeremiah that He is ready to watch over and perform His word. In other words, God's plans and desires are carried out through those He has called into relationship. So what does all this mean? Celebrate the good days. Those days when everything goes right. When the presence of God is so close you feel like He truly is living inside you. Drink it up! Put some in your pocket and save it, because there will be those other days when pain comes and life seems unfair. During those times, what changed about God. Did He suddenly become vindictive and distant? No, He's as close as ever. He hasn't moved or forsaken you. It is during the dark times that we lean into God. We lean into His promises, and we don't turn back no matter what. I read in the book of Revelation 7 times where promises are made to those who "OVERCOME". It didn't read "to those who win the race, or are successful.", but to those who simply overcome. You go on to Revelation 12:11 and it expounds on overcoming. It speaks of those who followed Jesus all the way and the battle they fought here on earth against the devil and his kingdom of darkness. It reads, "They overcame him (the devil) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death." Did you catch that? They overcame! How? By their salvation and relationship with Christ that was established through His shed blood....and they told their story. Their very life was the message.
I wanted today's posting to be one of encouragement and reality. I do believe that if you search your heart and listen closely, you'll hear the promises of Jesus to see you all the way. So do enjoy the good times, but don't let the dark days draw you away from Christ.
Hope to see you tonight at Vineyard Recovery.
God on you....
mb
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