"To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the Lord is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it." Jeremiah 6:10
No delight in the Word of God? The words of the Living Almighty a reproach?
The Spanish translation puts it a little differently: His Word is an embarrassing thing and they do not love it.
I wince inwardly when I read these words. No wonder Jeremiah wanted to pour out the fulness of his fury on such a people (verse 11)!
Yet, how often have I been guilty of the same thing? Of uncircumcised ears that didn't want to hear my God's instructions? Of treating His Word reproachfully? Of choosing not to read it because "I was too busy" or just not interested?
I know this has happened more than once. And I hang my head in sorrow and shame, for I see the piercing sorrow it creates in the heart of my Creator.
May God grant me the strength and resolve to always delight in His Word; to always approach Holy Scripture with an ear to hear; to never be ashamed or embarrassed to say, "Thus saith the Lord!"
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"Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth Me, that I am the Lord which exercise loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord." Jeremiah 9:23-24
These are some of my favorite words in all of Scripture! I love the fact that God is so personal. That He longs to be known and understood! This is the deepest desire of my heart: to know Him and love Him more each day.
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"Forasmuch as there is none like unto Thee, O Lord; Thou art great, and Thy name is great in might. Who would not fear thee, O King of nations?...forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto Thee...The Lord is the true God, He is the living God, and an everlasting King: at His wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide His indignation.
He hath made the earth by His power, He hath established the world by His wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by His discretion. When He uttereth His voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and He causeth the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; He maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of His treasures." Jeremiah 10:6-12
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"For the pastors are become brutish, and have not sought the Lord: therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered." Jeremiah 10:21
The recipe for success and prosperity in God's definition of the terms?
Seek the Lord.
Jesus confirms this principle in Matthew 6:33 - "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you."
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"But Thou, O Lord, knowest me: Thou hast seen me, and tried mine heart toward thee..." Jeremiah 12:3
When I first read this verse the other morning, it seemed to leap off the page at me! What a wonderful comfort to know that the trials God allows in my life are to pull my heart toward Him!
I feel like these last six months in Bolivia have contained a lot of trials. Yet, I can truly see how each one of them has turned my heart more and more toward my God and drawn me closer to Him. What a blessing that He knows me, sees me, and uses the trials to deepen our relationship.
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"This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing. For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the Lord; that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear." Jeremiah 13:10-11
This truly is tragedy defined.
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"Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and Thy Word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by Thy name, O Lord God of hosts." Jeremiah 15:16
Nothing feeds and nourishes the heart like the Word of God! O taste and see that the Lord is good!
Yesterday it was great fun (read: wild, crazy, chaotic fun) to take the children bowling as our final hurrah together before I depart for home on Monday. They have only been bowling one other time last year, so getting to do something like this was a special treat for them. Thanks to the generosity of the owner of the bowling alley (a fellow American and director of another local orphanage) our first round of games were completely free of charge and a second game was sponsored by a monetary gift from dear friends far away. God is so good!
