Jeremiah 24, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: JOHN’S CHOSEN MIRACLES

John, likely knowing his days are coming to an end, takes on one final task. Mark’s gospel is in circulation, Matthew and Luke have compiled their accounts of the life of Christ, and John wants to do the same. Yet his gospel will be different. He seeks to tell stories they didn’t and to add details to stories they told. He selects a cross section of signs.

John’s chosen miracles run the gamut from a wedding oversight to a violent execution, from abandoned hopes to buried friends. We watch a paralytic stand up and a blind man look up. And all these events stand together as one voice, calling on you to lift your eyes and open your heart to the possibility — indeed, the reality — that the greatest force in the universe is the One who means you well and brings you hope. Remember, friends, you are never alone.

Jeremiah 24

Two Baskets of Figs

 God showed me two baskets of figs placed in front of the Temple of God. This was after Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah from Jerusalem into exile in Babylon, along with the leaders of Judah, the craftsmen, and the skilled laborers. In one basket the figs were of the finest quality, ripe and ready to eat. In the other basket the figs were rotten, so rotten they couldn’t be eaten.

3 God said to me, “Jeremiah, what do you see?”

“Figs,” I said. “Excellent figs of the finest quality, and also rotten figs, so rotten they can’t be eaten.”

4-6 Then God told me, “This is the Message from the God of Israel: The exiles from here that I’ve sent off to the land of the Babylonians are like the good figs, and I’ll make sure they get good treatment. I’ll keep my eye on them so that their lives are good, and I’ll bring them back to this land. I’ll build them up, not tear them down; I’ll plant them, not uproot them.

7 “And I’ll give them a heart to know me, God. They’ll be my people and I’ll be their God, for they’ll have returned to me with all their hearts.

8-10 “But like the rotten figs, so rotten they can’t be eaten, is Zedekiah king of Judah. Rotten figs—that’s how I’ll treat him and his leaders, along with the survivors here and those down in Egypt. I’ll make them something that the whole world will look on as disgusting—repugnant outcasts, their names used as curse words wherever in the world I drive them. And I’ll make sure they die like flies—from war, starvation, disease, whatever—until the land I once gave to them and their ancestors is completely rid of them.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion   
Wednesday, September 16, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight:

2 Corinthians 9:6–11

Generosity Encouraged
6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9 As it is written:

“They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor;
    their righteousness endures forever.”[a]

10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

Insight
Second Corinthians 8–9 contain the most comprehensive teaching on giving in the New Testament. The believers in Jerusalem were suffering in poverty because of a severe famine (Acts 11:28–29; Romans 15:26). The Macedonians, who themselves were “in extreme poverty,” responded with generous aid (2 Corinthians 8:1–5). However, the wealthy Corinthians had promised financial help but didn’t follow through. Paul now urges them to fulfill their pledge (2 Corinthians 8:6–11; 9:1–6).

Stewardship that honors God is voluntary, not compulsory (2 Corinthians 8:3; 9:5, 7); generous, not tightfisted (8:2; 9:6, 13); joyful, not begrudging (8:2–3, 11–12; 9:7); purposeful, not arbitrary (9:7); and within one’s means (8:11–13). God blessed the Corinthians materially so they could share that abundance with those in need (8:14–15; 9:8–11). Paul, quoting Psalm 112:9, says this about the cheerful giver: “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever” (2 Corinthians 9:9).

To learn more about biblical stewardship, visit ChristianUniversity.org/ML101.

Give It All You’ve Got
Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give. 2 Corinthians 9:7

Scaling. It’s a term used in the world of fitness that allows room for anyone to participate. If the specific exercise is a push-up, for example, then maybe you can do ten in a row, but I can only do four. The instructor’s encouragement to me would be to scale back the push-ups according to my fitness level at the time. We’re not all at the same level, but we can all move in the same direction. In other words, she would say, “Do your four push-ups with all the strength you have. Don’t compare yourself with anyone else. Scale the movement for now, keep doing what you can do, and you may be amazed in time you’re doing seven, and even one day, ten.”

When it comes to giving, the apostle Paul was clear: “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). But his encouragement to the believers in Corinth, and to us, is a variation of scaling. “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart” (v. 7). We each find ourselves at different giving levels, and sometimes those levels change over time. Comparison is not beneficial, but attitude is. Based on where you are, give generously (v. 6). Our God has promised that the disciplined practice of such cheerful giving brings enrichment in every way with a blessed life that results in “thanksgiving to God” (v. 11). By:  John Blase

Reflect & Pray
How would you describe your giving: Cheerful? Reluctant? Under compulsion? Not comparing yourself to anyone else, what might cheerful giving look like?

Generous God, I want to be a cheerful giver, to give it my best effort. I know that discipline in this area is crucial. Give me the wisdom not to compare, the strength to sow generously, and the faith to leave the results in Your hands.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, September 16, 2020
Praying to God in Secret

When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place… —Matthew 6:6

The primary thought in the area of religion is— keep your eyes on God, not on people. Your motivation should not be the desire to be known as a praying person. Find an inner room in which to pray where no one even knows you are praying, shut the door, and talk to God in secret. Have no motivation other than to know your Father in heaven. It is impossible to carry on your life as a disciple without definite times of secret prayer.

“When you pray, do not use vain repetitions…” (Matthew 6:7). God does not hear us because we pray earnestly— He hears us solely on the basis of redemption. God is never impressed by our earnestness. Prayer is not simply getting things from God— that is only the most elementary kind of prayer. Prayer is coming into perfect fellowship and oneness with God. If the Son of God has been formed in us through regeneration (see Galatians 4:19), then He will continue to press on beyond our common sense and will change our attitude about the things for which we pray.

“Everyone who asks receives…” (Matthew 7:8). We pray religious nonsense without even involving our will, and then we say that God did not answer— but in reality we have never asked for anything. Jesus said, “…you will ask what you desire…” (John 15:7). Asking means that our will must be involved. Whenever Jesus talked about prayer, He spoke with wonderful childlike simplicity. Then we respond with our critical attitude, saying, “Yes, but even Jesus said that we must ask.” But remember that we have to ask things of God that are in keeping with the God whom Jesus Christ revealed.

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

There is no condition of life in which we cannot abide in Jesus. We have to learn to abide in Him wherever we are placed.  Our Brilliant Heritage, 946 R

Bible in a Year: Proverbs 25-26; 2 Corinthians 9

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, September 16, 2020
The Need to Need What You Know - #8788

Every time I hear anyone mention the first Gulf War, it brings back to my memory an interview with a soldier who was there as they were about to go to war from Kuwait and into Iraq. She said, "You know, we've gotten training when we were in boot camp about chemical warfare. We kind of dozed off, you know, and didn't take notes, It was boring, threw paper wads, whatever. It was just boring stuff." She said, "Now they're covering chemical warfare again, because we're about to go into Iraq where they have them." She said, "We're taking notes, we're asking questions this time, we're staying late after class." I thought, "Wow! What a big difference; same material, same information." What was different? All of a sudden soldiers knew that their life could depend on what they were learning, and they were going to need it, not just know it.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Need to Need What You Know."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Matthew 28:18. Jesus is just about to ascend into heaven and leave His disciples. "Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.'" Wow! What a great statement! And Jesus has saved it until this moment. You can almost hear His disciples say, "Oh, that's a good one. Remember that one. That's a great statement. 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.' I like that. That's powerful. Huh, John? Huh, Peter?"

Do you know why He waited until now to give it to them? Listen to what He says next, "Therefore..." What's the "therefore"? Well, because all authority was given to Me, "Therefore on that basis," go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."

Here's eleven guys standing on a mountain, and Jesus says, "I want you guys to go and take care of the whole world." It's a good thing He said, "All authority has been given to Me." All of a sudden that's not just a nice wall plaque. That is not just a great quotation to write down. There are lives, there are ministries that are going to depend on what Jesus said there. He is giving them a mission that is so much bigger than they are. They're going to need that power as they've never needed it before.

See, you don't know God's power until you really need God's power. You have the need to need what you know. I've watched a lot of yawning youth group kids suddenly grabbing their Bible, learning to pray, asking questions. You know why? Because they were on a mission trip, they're away from home, they're pushed to the limits physically and emotionally. And suddenly they need for the first time what they'd be hearing for years.

Like those soldiers in that class. They weren't interested in the material until they knew they'd need it to stay alive. Now, what's that all mean to you? Well, you need to be out on a limb for the Lord, because you're going to really experience His power there. And people who never get out of the boat, never know what it is to walk on water. Safe Christianity is boring Christianity. You need to get busy doing something for the Lord; not just knowing things about Him, learning about Him. You've got to do something.

So, take the plunge. Take that Sunday School class. Yeah, go ahead and take it. Or working with that youth group. Get involved in that outreach program. Go on that mission trip. Get involved with some group of people who need you or some community outreach. Become committed to actively sharing Christ with the people around you so they have a chance to be in heaven. Or say "yes" to that invitation to get involved in some part of the Lord's work as a volunteer.

Get out on a limb where you're taking some risks for your Lord serving Him so you get beyond yourself. Because that's where you will meet Him in a way you can't meet Him anywhere else because now, you need to need what you know.