Jeremiah 12 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: LET JESUS TEACH YOU

Jesus invites, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest…let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28).

Do yourself a favor. Underscore, underline, and accept this invitation. Jesus says,  Let me teach you how to handle long Mondays, and cranky in-laws. Let me teach you why people fight, death comes, and forgiveness counts.

We need answers and Jesus offers them. But can we trust him? There’s only one way to know and that is to seek him out. Lift up your eyes, set your sights on Jesus. No passing glances or occasional glimpses. Search the crowded streets and shadow-casting roofs until you spot his face, then set your sights on him. You’ll find the Only One and Only!

Jeremiah 12

What Makes You Think You Can Race Against Horses?

You are right, O God, and you set things right.
    I can’t argue with that. But I do have some questions:
Why do bad people have it so good?
    Why do con artists make it big?
You planted them and they put down roots.
    They flourished and produced fruit.
They talk as if they’re old friends with you,
    but they couldn’t care less about you.
Meanwhile, you know me inside and out.
    You don’t let me get by with a thing!
Make them pay for the way they live,
    pay with their lives, like sheep marked for slaughter.
How long do we have to put up with this—
    the country depressed, the farms in ruin—
And all because of wickedness, these wicked lives?
    Even animals and birds are dying off
Because they’ll have nothing to do with God
    and think God has nothing to do with them.

5-6 “So, Jeremiah, if you’re worn out in this footrace with men,
    what makes you think you can race against horses?
And if you can’t keep your wits during times of calm,
    what’s going to happen when troubles break loose
        like the Jordan in flood?
Those closest to you, your own brothers and cousins,
    are working against you.
They’re out to get you. They’ll stop at nothing.
    Don’t trust them, especially when they’re smiling.

7-11 “I will abandon the House of Israel,
    walk away from my beloved people.
I will turn over those I most love
    to those who are her enemies.
She’s been, this one I held dear,
    like a snarling lion in the jungle,
Growling and baring her teeth at me—
    and I can’t take it anymore.
Has this one I hold dear become a preening peacock?
    But isn’t she under attack by vultures?
Then invite all the hungry animals at large,
    invite them in for a free meal!
Foreign, scavenging shepherds
    will loot and trample my fields,
Turn my beautiful, well-cared-for fields
    into vacant lots of tin cans and thistles.
They leave them littered with junk—
    a ruined land, a land in lament.
The whole countryside is a wasteland,
    and no one will really care.

12-13 “The barbarians will invade,
    swarm over hills and plains.
The judgment sword of God will take its toll
    from one end of the land to the other.
    Nothing living will be safe.
They will plant wheat and reap weeds.
    Nothing they do will work out.
They will look at their meager crops and wring their hands.
    All this the result of God’s fierce anger!”

14-17 God’s Message: “Regarding all the bad neighbors who abused the land I gave to Israel as their inheritance: I’m going to pluck them out of their lands, and then pluck Judah out from among them. Once I’ve pulled the bad neighbors out, I will relent and take them tenderly to my heart and put them back where they belong, put each of them back in their home country, on their family farms. Then if they will get serious about living my way and pray to me as well as they taught my people to pray to that god Baal, everything will go well for them. But if they won’t listen, then I’ll pull them out of their land by the roots and cart them off to the dump. Total destruction!” God’s Decree.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion   
Friday, August 14, 2020
Today's Scripture & Insight:

Isaiah 35:1–4

Joy of the Redeemed

The desert and the parched land will be glad;
    the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
Like the crocus, 2 it will burst into bloom;
    it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
    the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the Lord,
    the splendor of our God.

3 Strengthen the feeble hands,
    steady the knees that give way;
4 say to those with fearful hearts,
    “Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
    he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
    he will come to save you.”

Insight
Isaiah 34 and 35 provide a summary of the judgment and blessing described in the first half of the book. Chapter 34 describes judgment against “all nations” (vv. 1–2), then focuses on Edom (v. 5), an enemy of Israel, which was representative of all nations. The two chapters are linked by the warning of God’s vengeance “to uphold Zion’s cause” (34:8) and to save Zion (35:4). The restoration of Israel, or Zion, is described as ultimately involving the renewal of the land and people. The desert and wilderness will blossom (v. 1), Israel will be healed (vv. 5–6), be safe (vv. 7, 9), and be filled with joy (v. 10).

Hope Blossoms
The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Isaiah 35:1

In the city of Philadelphia, when weedy vacant lots were cleaned up and brightened with beautiful flowers and trees, nearby residents also brightened in overall mental health. This proved especially true for those who struggled economically.

“There’s a growing body of evidence that green space can have an impact on mental health,” said Dr. Eugenia South, “and that’s particularly important for people living in poorer neighborhoods.” South, a faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, is coauthor of a study on the subject.

The downtrodden people of Israel and Judah found fresh hope in the prophet Isaiah’s vision of their beautiful restoration by God. Amid all the doom and judgment Isaiah foretold, this bright promise took root: “The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy” (Isaiah 35:1–2).

No matter our situation today, we too can rejoice in the beautiful ways our heavenly Father restores us with fresh hope, including through His creation. When we feel down, reflecting on His glory and splendor will bolster us. “Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way,” Isaiah encouraged (v. 3).

Can a few flowers rekindle our hope? A prophet said yes. So does our hope-giving God. By:  Patricia Raybon

Reflect & Pray
When you feel hopeless, how do you usually respond? How could spending time outdoors in God’s creation transform your despair to renewed hope in God?

Dear God, thank You for the splendor of Your creation, pointing me to Your glory, and reviving my hope in You.

For encouragement, read Hope: Choosing Faith Instead of Fear at discoveryseries.org/q0733.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, August 14, 2020
The Discipline of the Lord

My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him. —Hebrews 12:5

It is very easy to grieve the Spirit of God; we do it by despising the discipline of the Lord, or by becoming discouraged when He rebukes us. If our experience of being set apart from sin and being made holy through the process of sanctification is still very shallow, we tend to mistake the reality of God for something else. And when the Spirit of God gives us a sense of warning or restraint, we are apt to say mistakenly, “Oh, that must be from the devil.”

“Do not quench the Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:19), and do not despise Him when He says to you, in effect, “Don’t be blind on this point anymore— you are not as far along spiritually as you thought you were. Until now I have not been able to reveal this to you, but I’m revealing it to you right now.” When the Lord disciplines you like that, let Him have His way with you. Allow Him to put you into a right-standing relationship before God.

“…nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him.” We begin to pout, become irritated with God, and then say, “Oh well, I can’t help it. I prayed and things didn’t turn out right anyway. So I’m simply going to give up on everything.” Just think what would happen if we acted like this in any other area of our lives!

Am I fully prepared to allow God to grip me by His power and do a work in me that is truly worthy of Himself? Sanctification is not my idea of what I want God to do for me— sanctification is God’s idea of what He wants to do for me. But He has to get me into the state of mind and spirit where I will allow Him to sanctify me completely, whatever the cost (see 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).

WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS

The great word of Jesus to His disciples is Abandon. When God has brought us into the relationship of disciples, we have to venture on His word; trust entirely to Him and watch that when He brings us to the venture, we take it.
Studies in the Sermon on the Mount

Bible in a Year: Psalms 89-90; Romans 14

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, August 14, 2020
Giving it to Your Guard - #8765

I was doing a little reading about the unusual man that was President when my mom was a little girl, Calvin Coolidge. Now he was a classic Vermonter, but not a classic politician. He was a man of very few words, great common sense, and very strong character. Even after his presidency he remained very popular with the American people. Now, Calvin Coolidge was remarkably cool under pressure, even that day when a letter was handed to him in Los Angeles that warned him of a plot to assassinate him. Coolidge blandly handed the note to his guard with just five simple words, "Guess this belongs to you."

I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "Giving it to Your Guard."

Our word for today from the word of God comes from 1 Peter 2:21 where God says, "Christ suffered for you leaving you an example that you should follow in His steps." Now before we read on, that word "example" means in the Greek language the alphabet that was at the top of a school child's slate. It's like, you know, you copy this if you want to do it right. It was called a copyhead.

Now, for us, that pattern is Jesus. Copy this if you want to do it right. Alright what's that? Well, this is what we're supposed to copy. "He committed no sin and no deceit was found in His mouth. When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate; when he suffered, He made no threats. Instead, He entrusted himself to Him who judges justly."

Now here's Jesus under the greatest pressure that any man has ever endured. He's carrying the redemption of the world on His shoulders, He's being insulted and spat on, beaten; humiliated by the men He created. He's suffering gross injustice, terrible indignity, agonizing pain. Now this is what we're supposed to copy. He did not retaliate, He made no threats, He committed no sin, no defending Himself against the accusations, no retaliation for the hurts. How could He possibly do that?

Well, it says what He did was He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly. When the threats came, Jesus turned to His Father and said, "This belongs to You, Father. You take care of it." When He was treated unfairly, He handed it over to the Father and said, "This belongs to You. You take care of it." That's what we're supposed to copy.

Look at Jesus during His arrest, His trial, His torture, and His execution. The people supposedly in charge of this thing, they were the ones who were out of control. And the one who is supposed to be the victim is the strongest person in the room. He's under control because He's committed His case and His cause to the God of the universe.

Maybe you're under attack in some way right now. You're feeling that pressure, maybe you're being treated unfairly, maybe you're being accused, or you have been really wounded. As perhaps no other time in your life, you have a chance to experience and demonstrate the difference Jesus Christ makes - the One who judges justly. You don't have to waste a lot of time defending yourself. Psalm 37:6 promises that "The justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun."

Ask God for the Jesus grace to not retaliate when the harshness is just being hurled at you. Don't answer it. Don't stoop to their level and become like them. The Bible says a soft answer turns away anger. You see you win by not having the final hurting word or by offering the great self defense, but by being the peace person in a sea of hostility; the gentle person in a sea of harshness.

That is possible only by believing that someone better than you is defending your cause, and He is. It is the living God! So when the hit comes, turn to your all-powerful Father and protector and say, "Lord, I guess this belongs to You."