Day 42 - 50 Day Journey To Christ

Daily Reading:

Lamentations 3

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Hope through God’s Mercy

א Alef

1 I am the man who has seen affliction

under the rod of God’s wrath.

2 He has driven me away and forced me to walk

in darkness instead of light.

3 Yes, He repeatedly turns His hand

against me all day long.

ב Bet

4 He has worn away my flesh and skin;

He has shattered my bones.

5 He has laid siege against me,

encircling me with bitterness and hardship.

6 He has made me dwell in darkness

like those who have been dead for ages.

ג Gimel

7 He has walled me in so I cannot escape;

He has weighed me down with chains.

8 Even when I cry out and plead for help,

He rejects my prayer.

9 He has walled in my ways with cut stones;

He has made my paths crooked.

ד Dalet

10 He is a bear waiting in ambush,

a lion in hiding.

11 He forced me off my way and tore me to pieces;

He left me desolate.

12 He strung His bow

and set me as the target for His arrow.

ה He

13 He pierced my kidneys

with His arrows.

14 I am a laughingstock to all my people,

mocked by their songs all day long.

15 He filled me with bitterness,

satiated me with wormwood.

ו Vav

16 He ground my teeth on gravel

and made me cower in the dust.

17 My soul has been deprived of peace;

I have forgotten what happiness is.

18 Then I thought: My future is lost,

as well as my hope from the Lord.

ז Zayin

19 Remember my affliction and my homelessness,

the wormwood and the poison.

20 I continually remember them

and have become depressed.

21 Yet I call this to mind,

and therefore I have hope:

ח Khet

22 Because of the Lord’s faithful love

we do not perish,

for His mercies never end.

23 They are new every morning;

great is Your faithfulness!

24 I say: The Lord is my portion,

therefore I will put my hope in Him.

ט Tet

25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,

to the person who seeks Him.

26 It is good to wait quietly

for deliverance from the Lord.

27 It is good for a man to bear the yoke

while he is still young.

י Yod

28 Let him sit alone and be silent,

for God has disciplined him.

29 Let him put his mouth in the dust—

perhaps there is still hope.

30 Let him offer his cheek

to the one who would strike him;

let him be filled with shame.

כ Kaf

31 For the Lord

will not reject us forever.

32 Even if He causes suffering,

He will show compassion

according to His abundant, faithful love.

33 For He does not enjoy bringing affliction

or suffering on mankind.

ל Lamed

34 Crushing all the prisoners of the land

beneath one’s feet,

35 denying justice to a man

in the presence of the Most High,

36 or suppressing a person’s lawsuit—

the Lord does not approve of these things.

מ Mem

37 Who is there who speaks and it happens,

unless the Lord has ordained it?

38 Do not both adversity and good

come from the mouth of the Most High?

39 Why should any living person complain,

any man, because of the punishment for his sins?

נ Nun

40 Let us search out and examine our ways,

and turn back to the Lord.

41 Let us lift up our hearts and our hands

to God in heaven:

42 We have sinned and rebelled;

You have not forgiven.

ס Samek

43 You have covered Yourself in anger and pursued us;

You have killed without compassion.

44 You have covered Yourself with a cloud

so that no prayer can pass through.

45 You have made us disgusting filth

among the peoples.

פ Pe

46 All our enemies

open their mouths against us.

47 We have experienced panic and pitfall,

devastation and destruction.

48 My eyes flow with streams of tears

because of the destruction of my dear people.

ע Ayin

49 My eyes overflow unceasingly,

without end,

50 until the Lord looks down

from heaven and sees.

51 My eyes bring me grief

because of the fate of all the women in my city.

צ Tsade

52 For no apparent reason, my enemies

hunted me like a bird.

53 They dropped me alive into a pit

and threw stones at me.

54 Water flooded over my head,

and I thought: I’m going to die!

ק Qof

55 I called on Your name, Yahweh,

from the depths of the Pit.

56 You hear my plea:

Do not ignore my cry for relief.

57 You come near when I call on You;

You say: “Do not be afraid.”

ר Resh

58 You defend my cause, Lord;

You redeem my life.

59 Lord, You see the wrong done to me;

judge my case.

60 You see all their malice,

all their plots against me.

שׂ Sin/ שׁ Shin

61 Lord, You hear their insults,

all their plots against me.

62 The slander and murmuring of my opponents

attack me all day long.

63 When they sit and when they rise, look,

I am mocked by their songs.

ת Tav

64 You will pay them back what they deserve, Lord,

according to the work of their hands.

65 You will give them a heart filled with anguish.

May Your curse be on them!

66 You will pursue them in anger and destroy them

under Your heavens.

Key:  Bold - Verse of the Day

Reflection:  Lamentations is a series of poems written by the prophet Jeremiah as he processed the destruction of Jerusalem.  If you study the entire series of poems so see it ascend, peak and then begin its emotional discension back down.  We see the apex in verse 24, when Jeremiah realizes that its not about him, or the city or anything, but that his hope is in the Lord.  

Discussion Topic:  Think about a rough time in your life, at what point did you look to the Lord and realize that everything is in His control.  

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Prayer:  Father, thank you for your judgement and the hope that comes from the midst of it.  Lord, we pray that as we take one step closer to You, that You search our hearts, and speak to us Lord.  Prepare us to come face to face with You, amongst the death and destruction we see all around us.  

Acknowledgements: Text - BibleGateway.com, Artwork - http://searchforbibletruths.blogspot.com/2011/10/destruction-of-jerusalem-607-bce.html

Day 41 - 50 Day Journey To Christ

Daily Reading:

Jeremiah 31

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

God’s Relationship with His People

1 “At that time”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be My people.”

² This is what the Lord says:

They found favor in the wilderness—
the people who survived the sword.
When Israel went to find rest,
³ the Lord appeared to him from far away.
I have loved you with an everlasting love;
therefore, I have continued to extend faithful love to you.
⁴ Again I will build you so that you will be rebuilt,
Virgin Israel.
You will take up your tambourines again
and go out in joyful dancing.
⁵ You will plant vineyards again
on the mountains of Samaria;
the planters will plant and will enjoy the fruit.
⁶ For there will be a day when watchmen will call out
in the hill country of Ephraim,
“Get up, let’s go up to Zion,
to Yahweh our God!”

God’s People Brought Home

⁷ For this is what the Lord says:

Sing with joy for Jacob;

shout for the chief of the nations!
Proclaim, praise, and say,
“Lord, save Your people,
the remnant of Israel!”
⁸ Watch! I am going to bring them from the northern land.
I will gather them from remote regions of the earth—
the blind and the lame will be with them,
along with those who are pregnant and those about to give birth.
They will return here as a great assembly!
⁹ They will come weeping,
but I will bring them back with consolation.
I will lead them to wadis filled with water
by a smooth way where they will not stumble,
for I am Israel’s Father,
and Ephraim is My firstborn.
¹⁰ Nations, hear the word of the Lord,
and tell it among the far off coastlands!
Say: The One who scattered Israel will gather him.
He will watch over him as a shepherd guards his flock,
¹¹ for the Lord has ransomed Jacob
and redeemed him from the power of one stronger than he.
¹² They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion;
they will be radiant with joy
because of the Lord’s goodness,
because of the grain, the new wine, the fresh oil,
and because of the young of the flocks and herds.
Their life will be like an irrigated garden,
and they will no longer grow weak from hunger.
¹³ Then the young woman will rejoice with dancing,
while young and old men rejoice together.
I will turn their mourning into joy,
give them consolation,
and bring happiness out of grief.
¹⁴ I will refresh the priests with an abundance,
and My people will be satisfied with My goodness.
          This is the Lord’s declaration.

Lament Turned to Joy

¹⁵ This is what the Lord says:

A voice was heard in Ramah,
a lament with bitter weeping—
Rachel weeping for her children,
refusing to be comforted for her children
because they are no more.

¹⁶ This is what the Lord says:

Keep your voice from weeping
and your eyes from tears,
for the reward for your work will come—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
and your children will return from the enemy’s land.
¹⁷ There is hope for your future—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
and your children will return to their own territory.
¹⁸ I have heard Ephraim moaning,
“You disciplined me, and I have been disciplined
like an untrained calf.
Restore me, and I will return,
for you, Lord, are my God.
¹⁹ After I returned, I repented;
After I was instructed, I struck my thigh in grief.
I was ashamed and humiliated
because I bore the disgrace of my youth.”
²⁰ Isn’t Ephraim a precious son to Me,
a delightful child?
Whenever I speak against him,
I certainly still think about him.
Therefore, My inner being yearns for him;
I will truly have compassion on him.
This is the Lord’s declaration.

Repentance and Restoration

²¹ Set up road markers for yourself;
establish signposts!
Keep the highway in mind,
the way you have traveled.
Return, Virgin Israel!
Return to these cities of yours.
²² How long will you turn here and there,
faithless daughter?
For the Lord creates something new in the land—
a female will shelter a man.

²³ This is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “When I restore their fortunes, they will once again speak this word in the land of Judah and in its cities, ‘May the Lord bless you, righteous settlement, holy mountain.’ ²⁴ Judah and all its cities will live in it together—also farmers and those who move with the flocks— ²⁵ for I satisfy the thirsty person and feed all those who are weak.”

²⁶ At this I awoke and looked around. My sleep had been most pleasant to me.

²⁷ “The days are coming”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of beast. ²⁸ Just as I watched over them to uproot and to tear them down, to demolish and to destroy, and to cause disaster, so will I be attentive to build and to plant them,” says the Lord. ²⁹ “In those days, it will never again be said:

The fathers have eaten sour grapes,
and the children’s teeth are set on edge.

³⁰ Rather, each will die for his own wrongdoing. Anyone who eats sour grapes—his own teeth will be set on edge.

The New Covenant

³¹ “Look, the days are coming”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. ³² This one will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant they broke even though I had married them”—the Lord’s declaration. ³³ “Instead, this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days”—the Lord’s declaration. “I will put My teaching within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people. ³⁴ No longer will one teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know Me, from the least to the greatest of them”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “For I will forgive their wrongdoing and never again remember their sin.”

³⁵ This is what the Lord says:

The One who gives the sun for light by day,
the fixed order of moon and stars for light by night,
who stirs up the sea and makes its waves roar—
Yahweh of Hosts is His name:
³⁶ If this fixed order departs from My presence—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
then also Israel’s descendants will cease
to be a nation before Me forever.

³⁷ This is what the Lord says:

If the heavens above can be measured
and the foundations of the earth below explored,
I will reject all of Israel’s descendants
because of all they have done—
this is the Lord’s declaration.

³⁸ “Look, the days are coming”—the Lord’s declaration—“when the city from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate will be rebuilt for the Lord. ³⁹ A measuring line will once again stretch out straight to the hill of Gareb and then turn toward Goah. ⁴⁰ The whole valley—the corpses, the ashes, and all the fields as far as the Kidron Valley to the corner of the Horse Gate to the east—will be holy to the Lord. It will never be uprooted or demolished again.”

NOTE: Please read Jeremiah 33

Key:  Bold - Verse of the Day

Reflection:  What a beautiful picture God paints in this portion of scripture.  God gives hope to His chosen people, promising them that they will some day be together as one, dancing with joy singing songs to the Lord.  The house of Israel and the house of Judah will be as one and all will live together under a new covenant.

Discussion Topic: Please share an example of something you experienced when you first had the new covenant written on your heart.  

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Prayer:  Thank You Father for continuing to stay faithful to the promises You made to Your people.  I eagerly await the day when that promise will be fulfilled and when all people, Jews and Gentiles alike, will be able to live under the new covenant surrounded by Your glory.  May that day come soon, Father.  In Jesus name I pray, Amen!

Acknowledgements: Text - BibleGateway.com, Artwork - 

Day 40 - 50 Day Journey To Christ

Daily Reading:

Jeremiah 23

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

The Lord and His Sheep

1 “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!” This is the Lord’s declaration. 2 “Therefore, this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says about the shepherds who shepherd My people: You have scattered My flock, banished them, and have not attended to them. I will attend to you because of your evil acts”—this is the Lord’s declaration. 3 “I will gather the remnant of My flock from all the lands where I have banished them, and I will return them to their grazing land. They will become fruitful and numerous. 4 I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them. They will no longer be afraid or dismayed, nor will any be missing.” This is the Lord’s declaration.

The Righteous Branch of David

5 “The days are coming”—this is the Lord’s declaration—

“when I will raise up a Righteous Branch of David.

He will reign wisely as king

and administer justice and righteousness in the land.

6 In His days Judah will be saved,

and Israel will dwell securely.

This is what He will be named:

Yahweh Our Righteousness.

7 “The days are coming”—the Lord’s declaration—“when it will no longer be said, ‘As the Lord lives who brought the Israelites from the land of Egypt,’ 8 but, ‘As the Lord lives, who brought and led the descendants of the house of Israel from the land of the north and from all the other countries where I had banished them.’ They will dwell once more in their own land.”

False Prophets Condemned

9 Concerning the prophets:

My heart is broken within me,

and all my bones tremble.

I have become like a drunkard,

like a man overcome by wine,

because of the Lord,

because of His holy words.

10 For the land is full of adulterers;

the land mourns because of the curse,

and the grazing lands in the wilderness have dried up.

Their way of life has become evil,

and their power is not rightly used

11 because both prophet and priest are ungodly,

even in My house I have found their evil.

This is the Lord’s declaration.

12 Therefore, their way will be to them

like slippery paths in the gloom.

They will be driven away and fall down there,

for I will bring disaster on them,

the year of their punishment.

This is the Lord’s declaration.

13 Among the prophets of Samaria

I saw something disgusting:

They prophesied by Baal

and led My people Israel astray.

14 Among the prophets of Jerusalem also

I saw a horrible thing:

They commit adultery and walk in lies.

They strengthen the hands of evildoers,

and none turns his back on evil.

They are all like Sodom to Me;

Jerusalem’s residents are like Gomorrah.

15 Therefore, this is what the Lord of Hosts says concerning the prophets:

I am about to feed them wormwood

and give them poisoned water to drink,

for from the prophets of Jerusalem

ungodliness has spread throughout the land.

16 This is what the Lord of Hosts says: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They are making you worthless. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the Lord’s mouth. 17 They keep on saying to those who despise Me, ‘The Lord has said: You will have peace.’ They have said to everyone who follows the stubbornness of his heart, ‘No harm will come to you.’”

18 For who has stood in the council of the Lord

to see and hear His word?

Who has paid attention to His word and obeyed?

19 Look, a storm from the Lord!

Wrath has gone out,

a whirling storm.

It will whirl about the heads of the wicked.

20 The Lord’s anger will not turn back

until He has completely fulfilled the purposes of His heart.

In time to come you will understand it clearly.

21 I did not send these prophets,

yet they ran with a message.

I did not speak to them,

yet they prophesied.

22 If they had really stood in My council,

they would have enabled My people to hear My words

and would have turned them back from their evil ways

and their evil deeds.

23 “Am I a God who is only near”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“and not a God who is far away? 24 Can a man hide himself in secret places where I cannot see him?”—the Lord’s declaration. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?”—the Lord’s declaration.

25 “I have heard what the prophets who prophesy a lie in My name have said, ‘I had a dream! I had a dream!’ 26 How long will this continue in the minds of the prophets prophesying lies, prophets of the deceit of their own minds? 27 Through their dreams that they tell one another, they plan to cause My people to forget My name as their fathers forgot My name through Baal worship. 28 The prophet who has only a dream should recount the dream, but the one who has My word should speak My word truthfully, for what is straw compared to grain?”—this is the Lord’s declaration. 29 “Is not My word like fire”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“and like a hammer that pulverizes rock? 30 Therefore, take note! I am against the prophets”—the Lord’s declaration—“who steal My words from each other. 31 I am against the prophets”—the Lord’s declaration—“who use their own tongues to make a declaration. 32 I am against those who prophesy false dreams”—the Lord’s declaration—“telling them and leading My people astray with their falsehoods and their boasting. It was not I who sent or commanded them, and they are of no benefit at all to these people”—this is the Lord’s declaration.

The Burden of the Lord

33 “Now when these people or a prophet or a priest asks you, ‘What is the burden of the Lord?’ you will respond to them: What is the burden? I will throw you away”—this is the Lord’s declaration. 34 “As for the prophet, priest, or people who say, ‘The burden of the Lord,’ I will punish that man and his household. 35 This is what each man is to say to his friend and to his brother, ‘What has the Lord answered?’ or ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ 36 But no longer refer to the burden of the Lord, for each man’s word becomes his burden and you pervert the words of the living God, the Lord of Hosts, our God. 37 You must say to the prophet: What has the Lord answered you? and What has the Lord spoken? 38 But if you say, ‘The burden of the Lord,’ then this is what the Lord says: Because you have said, ‘The burden of the Lord,’ and I specifically told you not to say, ‘The burden of the Lord,’ 39 I will surely forget you and throw away from My presence both you and the city that I gave you and your fathers. 40 I will bring on you everlasting shame and humiliation that will never be forgotten.”

Key:  Bold - Verse of the Day

Reflection:  Although a prophecy is made concerning the coming of One who would be called the Righteous Branch of David, most of this chapter concerns false prophets and those who speak out of their own flawed wisdom, scattering the flock or leading the flock astray.  What was said in Jeremiah's time can be said of society today.  There are those who preach prosperity and who do not preach repentance; those who lull their flock to sleep with flattering words that never speak of sin or accountability.  Those who interpret their own dreams and reveal it as a word from God.  What does God say about these types of individuals?

       "21 I did not send these prophets,

yet they ran with a message.

I did not speak to them,

yet they prophesied.

22 If they had really stood in My council,

they would have enabled My people to hear My words

and would have turned them back from their evil ways

and their evil deeds."

Discussion Topic:  There are many people around us who have fallen under the false teaching of a spiritual leader, whether it be someone on television, their own pastor or a friend; teachings that lead them away from a life focused on Jesus in favor of a life focused on self.  When we encounter false teaching, the correct response would be to pray and to gently and lovingly discuss the matter, using scripture to expose false teaching.  So many people are living a generic "christian" walk, devoid of any authority and power which comes from God alone because of the guidance that they have received from those who can be considered their spiritual mentors.  How have you been able to minister to individuals whom you have found living a "christian" life without having a true relationship with Christ; who are submitting to "christian" teaching that seems to take them away from God?

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Prayer:  Oh heavenly Father, the enemy's hands are in all aspects of human existence, even in leadership roles in the church.  Just as the enemy used Your words to confuse and tempt Eve in the Garden, just as he used scripture to tempt Jesus after He fasted 40 days in the desert, he now uses scripture in a way to deceive your children.  I pray that Your Holy Spirit will open the eyes of those who are truly seeking a relationship with You and that your Holy Spirit will reveal the deception of the enemy.  Please bring them out from under the false teaching they are receiving and lead them to an earthly shepherd that You have placed in authority over a portion of your flock here on earth; one who will lead them to the true Shepherd.  Please lead them to a body where they can grow in You, Lord; where they can be fed the meat of Your word and grow strong so that they can live a life that is pleasing to you and a life where they can disciple others.  Thank you, Father, for loving us so much that You would continue to have patience with us, even when we find ourselves heading in the wrong direction! In Jesus precious name I pray, Amen.

Acknowledgements: Text - BibleGateway.com, Artwork - Mission Venture Ministries

Day 39 - 50 Day Journey To Christ

Daily Reading:

Jeremiah 11

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Reminder of the Covenant

1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Listen to the words of this covenant and tell them to the men of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem. 3 You must tell them: This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let a curse be on the man who does not obey the words of this covenant, 4 which I commanded your ancestors when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the iron furnace.’ I declared: ‘Obey Me, and do everything that I command you, and you will be My people, and I will be your God,’ 5 in order to establish the oath I swore to your ancestors, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is today.”

I answered, “Amen, Lord.”

6 The Lord said to me, “Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: Obey the words of this covenant and carry them out. 7 For I strongly warned your ancestors when I brought them out of the land of Egypt until today, warning them time and time again, ‘Obey My voice.’ 8 Yet they would not obey or pay attention; each one followed the stubbornness of his evil heart. So I brought on them all the curses of this covenant, because they had not done what I commanded them to do.”

9 The Lord said to me, “A conspiracy has been discovered among the men of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem. 10 They have returned to the sins of their ancestors who refused to obey My words and have followed other gods to worship them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah broke My covenant I made with their ancestors.

11 “Therefore, this is what the Lord says: I am about to bring on them disaster that they cannot escape. They will cry out to Me, but I will not hear them. 12 Then the cities of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods they have been burning incense to, but they certainly will not save them in their time of disaster. 13 Your gods are indeed as numerous as your cities, Judah, and the altars you have set up to Shame—altars to burn incense to Baal—as numerous as the streets of Jerusalem.

14 “As for you, do not pray for these people. Do not raise up a cry or a prayer on their behalf, for I will not be listening when they call out to Me at the time of their disaster.

15 What right does My beloved have

to be in My house,

having carried out so many evil schemes?

Can holy meat prevent your disaster

so you can rejoice?

16 The Lord named you

a flourishing olive tree,

beautiful with well-formed fruit.

He has set fire to it,

and its branches are consumed

with a great roaring sound.

17 “The Lord of Hosts who planted you has decreed disaster against you, because of the harm the house of Israel and the house of Judah brought on themselves, provoking Me to anger by burning incense to Baal.”

18 The Lord informed me, so I knew.

Then You helped me to see their deeds,

19 for I was like a docile lamb led to slaughter.

I didn’t know that they had devised plots against me:

“Let’s destroy the tree with its fruit;

let’s cut him off from the land of the living

so that his name will no longer be remembered.”

20 But, Lord of Hosts, who judges righteously,

who tests heart and mind,

let me see Your vengeance on them,

for I have presented my case to You.

21 Therefore, here is what the Lord says concerning the people of Anathoth who want to take your life. They warn, “You must not prophesy in the name of Yahweh, or you will certainly die at our hand.” 22 Therefore, this is what the Lord of Hosts says: “I am about to punish them. The young men will die by the sword; their sons and daughters will die by famine. 23 They will have no remnant, for I will bring disaster on the people of Anathoth in the year of their punishment.”

(Note: Read Jeremiah 25)

Key:  Bold - Verse of the Day

Reflection:  Jeremiah was the Lord's prophet, hand picked from an early age (like Samuel), the Lord placed His words into Jeremiah's mouth (Jer 1:10).  When YHWH spoke to the people of Jerusalem, He spoke through Jeremiah.  This did not make Jeremiah a very popular person, nor the book of Jeremiah a very popular book.  In today's selection the Word of the Lord is calling us to examine ourselves, reminding us that we are His, and we must return to Him.  We have put other things, priorities and altars before our God.  We have made it more about the program, and not the Programmer; the gifts and not the Gift; the lights and not the Light; the tree and not the Tree. We fill our lives with things to do, promising to say grace @ dinner, and go to church on Sunday.  We must repent.  We must turn back to God.  Examine your heart before its too late.  We too have been sealed by a covenant, we too are guilty of the sins of Israel. 

Discussion Topic:  What idols do you have in your own life that you are not aware of?   

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Prayer:  Father in Heaven, Your grace overwhelms my heart, Your judgment my soul.  I long to be made whole in You.  Thank You for Your Covenant, thank You for Your Law.  Holy Spirit, please search my heart and reveal to me the idols I have suppressed  or passed off as normal or tolerable.  Show me, Lord, the things I do that keep me from the fullness of Your grace.  Lord Jesus, thank You for Your obedience, that despite my disobedience, You gave up Heaven to come to earth for my salvation.  You were led to slaughter, docile. You were chopped down for our sins.  Teach me to always make it about You.  It is for Your name, in Your name, and because of Your name I pray.  Amen. 

Acknowledgements: Text - BibleGateway.com, Artwork - Stories Of

Day 38 - 50 Day Journey To Christ

Daily Reading:

Jeremiah 5

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

The Depravity of Jerusalem

1 Roam through the streets of Jerusalem.

Look and take note;

search in her squares.

If you find one person,

any who acts justly,

who seeks to be faithful,

then I will forgive her.

2 When they say, “As the Lord lives,”

they are swearing falsely.

3 Lord, don’t Your eyes look for faithfulness?

You have struck them, but they felt no pain.

You finished them off,

but they refused to accept discipline.

They made their faces harder than rock,

and they refused to return.

4 Then I thought:

They are just the poor;

they have played the fool.

For they don’t understand the way of the Lord,

the justice of their God.

5 I will go to the powerful

and speak to them.

Surely they know the way of the Lord,

the justice of their God.

However, these also had broken the yoke

and torn off the chains.

6 Therefore, a lion from the forest will strike them down.

A wolf from an arid plain will ravage them.

A leopard keeps watch over their cities.

Anyone who leaves them will be torn to pieces

because their rebellious acts are many,

their unfaithful deeds numerous.

7 Why should I forgive you?

Your children have abandoned Me

and sworn by those who are not gods.

I satisfied their needs, yet they committed adultery;

they gashed themselves at the prostitute’s house.

8 They are well-fed, eager stallions,

each neighing after someone else’s wife.

9 Should I not punish them for these things?

This is the Lord’s declaration.

Should I not avenge Myself

on such a nation as this?

10 Go up among her vineyard terraces and destroy them,

but do not finish them off.

Prune away her shoots,

for they do not belong to the Lord.

11 They, the house of Israel and the house of Judah,

have dealt very treacherously with Me.

This is the Lord’s declaration.

12 They have contradicted the Lord

and insisted, “It won’t happen.

Harm won’t come to us;

we won’t see sword or famine.”

13 The prophets become only wind,

for the Lord’s word is not in them.

This will in fact happen to them.

Coming Judgment

14 Therefore, this is what the Lord God of Hosts says:

Because you have spoken this word,

I am going to make My words

become fire in your mouth.

These people are the wood,

and the fire will consume them.

15 I am about to bring a nation

from far away against you,

house of Israel.

This is the Lord’s declaration.

It is an established nation,

an ancient nation,

a nation whose language you do not know

and whose speech you do not understand.

16 Their quiver is like an open grave;

they are all mighty warriors.

17 They will consume your harvest and your food.

They will consume your sons and your daughters.

They will consume your flocks and your herds.

They will consume your vines and your fig trees.

They will destroy with the sword

your fortified cities in which you trust.

18 “But even in those days”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“I will not finish you off. 19 When people ask, ‘For what offense has the Lord our God done all these things to us?’ You will respond to them: Just as you abandoned Me and served foreign gods in your land, so will you serve strangers in a land that is not yours.

20 “Declare this in the house of Jacob; proclaim it in Judah, saying:

21 Hear this,

you foolish and senseless people.

They have eyes, but they don’t see.

They have ears, but they don’t hear.

22 Do you not fear Me?

This is the Lord’s declaration.

Do you not tremble before Me,

the One who set the sand as the boundary of the sea,

an enduring barrier that it cannot cross?

The waves surge, but they cannot prevail.

They roar but cannot pass over it.

23 But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts.

They have turned aside and have gone away.

24 They have not said to themselves,

‘Let’s fear the Lord our God,

who gives the rain, both early and late, in its season,

who guarantees to us the fixed weeks of the harvest.’

25 Your guilty acts have diverted these things from you.

Your sins have withheld My bounty from you,

26 for wicked men live among My people.

They watch like fowlers lying in wait.

They set a trap;

they catch men.

27 Like a cage full of birds,

so their houses are full of deceit.

Therefore they have grown powerful and rich.

28 They have become fat and sleek.

They have also excelled in evil matters.

They have not taken up cases,

such as the case of the fatherless, so they might prosper,

and they have not defended the rights of the needy.

29 Should I not punish them for these things?

This is the Lord’s declaration.

Should I not avenge Myself

on such a nation as this?

30 A horrible, terrible thing

has taken place in the land.

31 The prophets prophesy falsely,

and the priests rule by their own authority.

My people love it like this.

But what will you do at the end of it?

Key:  Bold - Verse of the Day

Reflection:  The Lord speaks, and used Jeremiah to speak his message of impending judgement, and fortold destruction.  The Lords message didn't sit well with the people of Israel when Jeremiah prophesied it.  He was ostersized from the community, and ridiculed by his peers.  Think about this, did the way Jeremiah was treated, change the message of God?  Where the questions and statements God made true of humanity?

Discussion Topic:  I would like to talk about a history that repeats itself, and discuss the implications of this prophesy.. v28 talks about obsesity, evil deeds, rampant injustice, and the rights of the fatherless, or disregaurd for the needy.    Are we just as guilty now as Israel was then.  Does Gods judgement still apply?

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Prayer:  Father, I am without words.  My heart is broken, I too represent a broken people, a broken government, a broken land.  My only hope is in You.  Your loving patience endures, Your abundent mercy overshadows our sins.  Please forgive us Lord, and lead us back to you.  Point us to a place of repentance, in our own lives, the lives of our families and within our own communities.  Break us Lord, with Your loving correction.   

Acknowledgements: Text - BibleGateway.com, Artwork - http://jerusalem.com/files/articles/mainpics/374511886Jerus.jpg