Jeremiah 31:18-19 (KJV) Through Repentance

Jeremiah 31:18-19 (KJV)
I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the LORD my God.
Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth.

In verse 17 God promised, “there is hope in thine end…” That hope is realized in the verses we consider here. Notice the progression:

They resisted God
He chastened them but they refused. Like a calf unaccustomed to the yoke, they fought against His will, His Word, His designs to lead them in His own direction. 

They quit fighting God
The young calf eventually surrenders to the yoke. In the same manner, one day Ephraim, in this case meaning Israel, will turn to the Lord. They will quit their fight. They will surrender their will to His. 

They repent before God

In that day that they turn to God they will finally see their sins against God. It is then they will be set for His blessings. 

Is not the same progression seen in each of us?

• At first we resist God and all He teaches
• Then we accept God through His Son, Jesus Christ 
• It is then we can see how far from Him we are and we can begin, 
• Through repentance, to walk closer to Him

I wonder how many of us are still, like that calf, fighting God’s yoke?

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and more than 4400 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
My author spotlight at Lulu.com:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/marvinmckenzie

My author Page for Kindle/Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/author/marvinmckenzie

Jeremiah 31:18-19 (KJV) Through Repentance

photos from pexels.com

Please consider helping our church’s teen department by signing up for cash back shopping at http://www.dubli.com/M04VB. This program has three levels of participation, the first being completely free.

Jeremiah 30:15 (KJV) Incurable Sorrow

Jeremiah 30:15 (KJV)
Why criest thou for thine affliction? thy sorrow is incurable for the multitude of thine iniquity: because thy sins were increased, I have done these things unto thee.

There is, in this chapter,
A prophecy of tribulation 
Jeremiah uses the term “Jacob’s Trouble” 
Vs 7 
I supposed this term to be Daniel’s. Daniel does describe the trouble but it is Jeremiah who uses this title for the Tribulation. 

A promise of deliverance 
Vs 17-18
As bad as it might be God assured them that Israel would return to their home and their enemies would be judged

A pronouncement of purpose
Vs 10
They experienced these troubles because of their own sin. 

There is, in verse 15, a secondary lesson I wish to propose. God asked them why they cried. It’s as if He were saying to them that their weeping wasn’t necessary. He then answers, “…thy sorrow is incurable for the multitude of thine iniquity….” In other words, they did not have to be overwhelmed in sorrow. It was their own fault. They had everything necessary to cure their sorrow and dry their tears. 

I think I have known people whose only reason for being so inconsolably sorrowful is that they refused to accept that God could give them joy. Their greatest iniquity, their most perverse evil, was that they would not allow God to give them peace and comfort. 

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and more than 4400 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
My author spotlight at Lulu.com:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/marvinmckenzie

My author Page for Kindle/Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/author/marvinmckenzie

Jeremiah 30:15 (KJV) Incurable Sorrow

photos from pexels.com

Please consider helping our church’s teen department by signing up for cash back shopping at http://www.dubli.com/M04VB. This program has three levels of participation, the first being completely free.

Jeremiah 28:9 (KJV) True or False?

Jeremiah 28:9 (KJV)
The prophet which prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the LORD hath truly sent him.

Nothing has changed in regards to the preacher. There were false prophets in the days of the Old Testament just as there are false teachers and preachers in our day. 

• Just like today, the majority followed the false prophets. 
• Just like our day, the false prophets brought the more popular, easy to hear, comforting messages. 
• Just like today it would have been difficult to know which was true and which was false. 
• Just like today, the true prophet pointed out the false and the false accused the true. 

The standard for the true prophet was exacting. If his message came to pass, he was a true prophet. If not, he was a false prophet and to be rejected. 

I believe it is much easier to tell the true from the false today. Today’s message must be from God’s Word.

• Every Christian can possess the Bible and study it for himself. 
• Every Christian can hear from the Holy Ghost and confirm if the preacher’s message is true. Therefore,
• Every Christian will stand before God and give account if they chose the false over the true. 

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and more than 4400 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
My author spotlight at Lulu.com:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/marvinmckenzie

My author Page for Kindle/Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/author/marvinmckenzie

Jeremiah 28:9 (KJV) True or False?

photos from pexels.com

Please consider helping our church’s teen department by signing up for cash back shopping at http://www.dubli.com/M04VB. This program has three levels of participation, the first being completely free.

Jeremiah 27:1-2 (KJV) Your Bonds and Yokes

Jeremiah 27:1-2 (KJV)
In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word unto Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
Thus saith the LORD to me; Make thee bonds and yokes, and put them upon thy neck,

I understand that Jeremiah made this yoke as an illustration of God’s will for Jerusalem and those nations surrounding her. (God wanted all of these nations: Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Zion to all surrender to Babylon.) The yoke was meant to illustrate their bond and yoke and not Jeremiah’s. 

As I read this passage today it came to me that this is really the plan of God for all His children. We are to make our own yoke and put it in ourselves. 

• We are to accept the calling of God. 
• We are to prepare ourselves for that calling and then 
• We are to fulfill that calling 

The life of the believer is to be a life of service. We are to embrace it, immerse ourselves in it. Though we have been made free from the service of sin, it would be foolish to view ourselves as free from service. 

The problem with so many Christians is that they won’t make themselves capable of being the best servant possible. If they don’t fight their yoke, they certainly don’t make their yoke or put it on for themselves. They are sluggish, slothful. They are distracted and disinterested. 

Christian, make your bonds and yokes and put them upon thy neck. 

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and more than 4400 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
My author spotlight at Lulu.com:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/marvinmckenzie

My author Page for Kindle/Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/author/marvinmckenzie

Jeremiah 27:1-2 (KJV) Your Bonds and Yokes

photos from pexels.com

Please consider helping our church’s teen department by signing up for cash back shopping at http://www.dubli.com/M04VB. This program has three levels of participation, the first being completely free.

Jeremiah 26:20-24 (KJV) Trust God’s Care

Jeremiah 26:20-24 (KJV)
And there was also a man that prophesied in the name of the LORD, Urijah the son of Shemaiah of Kirjathjearim, who prophesied against this city and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah:
And when Jehoiakim the king, with all his mighty men, and all the princes, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death: but when Urijah heard it, he was afraid, and fled, and went into Egypt;
And Jehoiakim the king sent men into Egypt, namely, Elnathan the son of Achbor, and certain men with him into Egypt.
And they fetched forth Urijah out of Egypt, and brought him unto Jehoiakim the king; who slew him with the sword, and cast his dead body into the graves of the common people.
Nevertheless the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, that they should not give him into the hand of the people to put him to death.

What a contrast we find in this chapter. Jeremiah preached and it offended the prophets and priests but the people and the princes saved his life. Urijah preached the same message. The Bible even says that it was according to the words of Jeremiah. But he was captured and killed. 

I am reminded of Peter and James in prison. Herod slew James but God delivered Peter. The plan of God is beyond us. We cannot fathom His working. We can but trust that He is good and will ultimately prevail.

Urijah doesn’t appear to be a prophet. He is a man repeating the message of Jeremiah. It seems to me his only real mistake was in fleeing to Egypt. He put his trust in an untrustworthy source. If he had stayed and trusted God, as Jeremiah did, perhaps the people would have feared to kill him as they did Jeremiah. If he had stayed, and they had killed him anyway, his reputation would have been better. It’s not always wrong to flee. Paul did it many times. It’s a matter of why and whose help we seek. 

If the message is from God and we have delivered it faithfully, we can stand in confidence of God’s good care. 

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and more than 4400 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
My author spotlight at Lulu.com:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/marvinmckenzie

My author Page for Kindle/Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/author/marvinmckenzie

Jeremiah 26:20-24 (KJV) Trust God’s Care

photos from pexels.com

Please consider helping our church’s teen department by signing up for cash back shopping at http://www.dubli.com/M04VB. This program has three levels of participation, the first being completely free.

Jeremiah 24:1 (KJV) Pride and Humility

Jeremiah 24:1 (KJV)
The LORD shewed me, and, behold, two baskets of figs were set before the temple of the LORD, after that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, with the carpenters and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon.

Here is a simple object lesson using two baskets of figs: one good and one bad. The figs represent pride and humility. 

Humility 
Jeremiah’s message was one of submission. Jerusalem was to submit to the Lord by

submitting to Nebuchadnezzar. It was a difficult pill to swallow, that’s for sure. Nebuchadnezzar was a Gentile, a foreign invader and an idolater. He was also a man created by, loved by and used by the Lord. Those who submitted would be blessed and one day return to their land. Look at Daniel and others as proof of this. 

Pride
The opposite of humility, pride cannot see beyond itself. Pride has 

• Little love, 
• Little repentance and 
• Little usefulness

Pride, even of a spiritual nature, blinds the eyes and deafens the ears to the will of God. Pride tears down any bridges leading to the blessings of God. 

James 4:6
But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. 

1 Peter 5:5-6
Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of yoube subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and more than 4400 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
My author spotlight at Lulu.com:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/marvinmckenzie

My author Page for Kindle/Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/author/marvinmckenzie

Jeremiah 24:1 (KJV) Pride and Humility

photos from pexels.com

Please consider helping our church’s teen department by signing up for cash back shopping at http://www.dubli.com/M04VB. This program has three levels of participation, the first being completely free.

Jeremiah 23:28 (KJV) The Real Thing

Jeremiah 23:28 (KJV)
The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD.

Jeremiah 23 is a scathing word against the people and against the priests but most especially against the pastors and against the prophets of the day. 

The priests
Whose job it was to intercede to God on behalf of the people

The pastors 
Whose job it was to gather the people and

The prophets
Whose job it was to preach God’s Word to the people

Had all failed miserably. Today each of these responsibilities rests in the office we call pastor. 

Our text for consideration is addressed to the prophets who, in that day, claimed to have a message from God but it was not. They had carelessly assumed whatever they said could be attributed to God. They had given themselves to rehearsing the words of one another, presuming that to be the same as from God. 

God compares them to chaff rather than wheat. Chaff and wheat grow up together. They have some of the same genetic code. They could rightly be said to be related. But they are as different as any two Things can be. 

The chaff is light. 
It has no weight, no substance. 

The chaff is of no value
It is good for nothing 

The chaff is waste
In those days it would have been burnt up

The wheat is weighty
Like gold, silver and precious stones

The wheat is valuable 
For food. It can be converted into any number of life sustaining products

The wheat is fruitful 
And worthy of preservation 

There are a lot of religious actions that look like they are the real thing. They may even contain some of the real thing and even have roots in the real thing. But only the real thing is the real thing. 

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and more than 4400 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
My author spotlight at Lulu.com:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/marvinmckenzie

My author Page for Kindle/Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/author/marvinmckenzie

Jeremiah 23:28 (KJV) The Real Thing

photos from pexels.com

Please consider helping our church’s teen department by signing up for cash back shopping at http://www.dubli.com/M04VB. This program has three levels of participation, the first being completely free.

Matthew 18:1-4 (KJV) Jesus On Humility

Matthew 18:1-4 (KJV)
At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,
And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

We tend to be impressed with greatness:

• Power
• Wealth
• Influence
• Popularity 
• Fame

We are so impressed with it that we have developed systems whereby one may have all of the above and still believe himself (and others believe it of him) humble. 

It seems to me that the Lord debunked all that. 

• The powerlessness of a child
• The neediness of the handicapped 
• The helplessness of a lost sheep
• The brokenness of the forgiven

These are the descriptors of humility Jesus employed. 

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and more than 4400 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books are available at:
My author spotlight at Lulu.com:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/marvinmckenzie

My author Page for Kindle/Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/author/marvinmckenzie

Matthew 18:1-4 (KJV) Jesus On Humility

photos from pexels.com

Please consider helping our church’s teen department by signing up for cash back shopping at http://www.dubli.com/M04VB. This program has three levels of participation, the first being completely free.