"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart;"~Jeremiah 1:5
I feel so privileged to be the one to open up this book of the Bible because it contains my favorite set of verses. Jeremiah 29:11-13 is the most meaningful passage to me in all of the Bible. I absolutely LOVE the way The Message states this passage and I want to share it with you:
"I know what I am doing. I have it all planned out - plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I'll listen. When you come looking for me, you'll find me. Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I'll make sure you won't be disappointed."
Let those words fall all over you for a minute. Those few verses are PACKED with some POWERFUL promises! CLAIM THEM!!!
I would also like to share with you once again some of the words from the introduction to the book of Jeremiah out of The Legacy Bible, as I feel they do a fantastic job of bringing in some key insights to a book before you ever start reading it:
"Truth often has a very small fan club; personal opinions are much more popular...God's opinions are absolute truth. We can ignore them, but they will not change or go away...Jeremiah's faithful legacy shows us that the life of a godly person is not always easy. And God makes that clear to us as well. But the eternal hope of our relationship with God makes every day worthwhile and every burden worth bearing. We are never alone when we trust God."Do I hear an Amen? How true are those statements?
Chapter 1 of Jeremiah tells about the call of Jeremiah and when he fits into the picture in the timeline of the kings of Israel. Chapters 2 and 3 tell us about the forsaking of God by Israel and about Israel's unfaithfulness to the Lord. So I ask you...have you ever failed the Lord and disappointed God? When someone pointed out to you the error of your ways, how well did it go over with you? Did you take the criticism and truth of their words well or were you angry with them for saying such things to you? Hmmm...some important things to think about! This is EXACTLY what Jeremiah was doing to the people of Israel and his words certainly did not go over well! There is a reason whey he is called the "weeping prophet"! Wouldn't you want to cry all the time if your job was pointing that out to people and having to deal with their angry reactions? But despite all of that, Jeremiah was faithful to the Lord and did his job that he had been assigned to do. So I challenge you today, be faithful to the Lord...always...even when it causes you great pain and heartache.
Welcome to the the 24th book of the Bible!
So very glad that you mentioned your verse today. This is also the verse my grandson and his wife took for Baby Benjamin. I want to take this time to ask you to pray for him. They got the results back on his test and found he has a spot on his brain the size of a quarter. It is freezing up his body or his muscles. He is know going to therapy once a week to loosen up his muscles. His mom is working with him daily and they can already see an improvement. The little guy has been through so much but we know God has a plan for him. Thanks
ReplyDeleteTalk about peer pressure! Poor Jeremiah! Being used of God in such a mighty way is hard - I thought of all the missonaries in foreign countries and what they must go through on a daily basis. What a wonderful job you did today Mindy with these first verses - and your pictures - WOW!
ReplyDeleteI love those verses in Jeremiah and have thought and prayed them over and over for my children and now grandchildren. If we could only see God's plan for our lives ahead - but then where would our faith come in?? I hadn't counted the books we have read so far - so thanks - and it is going by so quickly. Before you know it it will be Christmas. I have gleaned so much from everyone's thoughts and posts. Thanks to all!!
Ah MIndy! We all need the friends who will call us out. We don't always want to keep them after they do though! What a journey we've been on. 24th book! Wow...and it is almost september. You're right Barbara, Christmas will be here before I get a second look. This has sped by, but I have learned so much. Ms. Boots, I will be praying for your grandson. Mindy, great post as always!
ReplyDeleteAmen Mindy! Jeremiah is a book of hope. I am so glad that God has given us such promises as Jeremiah 29:11 & 1:5 just to name a couple of verses. The song by Jeremy Camp "Overcome" came to mind as I read the scripture today!!! Lord, help me to remember your promises in times of stress and struggles. We will overcome with Him at our sides!!!!! Ms.Boots, I too will put Baby Benjamin on my prayer list.
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