Lamentations 3

They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. Lam 3:23

I have struggled with my weight ever since college. I went to Basic Training for the National Guard during my freshman year and got into the best shape of my life. Of course after getting home, I could never work out to that same level and I began to gain weight. Eventually I tried a method called "The Weighdown" which is more emphasizing how much you eat over what you eat. So I really just tried to moderate my portions, but I remember one day that I ate a lot of junk all through the day. My wife told me that the weighdown book says to put a day like that behind you and start over the next day. What a relief that was to me, that I hadn't totally blown everything in a day.

We've all had days like this, and apparently the great prophet Jeremiah was no different. He had moments that he felt completely cut off from God, and the first half of Lamentations 3 is pretty depressing. But then we see so much hope in the second half, that I could hardly pick which verse was my favorite. I love verse 21 where he recalls the God he serves and he has hope. But verse 23 is even better to me, because it reminds us of the lesson that God built into the days. The sun goes down and the moon comes up and the day is over and done. Then the sun rises again on a new day. It's the same with our sin. Did you fail in your efforts to resist and leave sin behind yesterday? Well, today is a new day! You can seek the Holy Spirit to give you reminders when you begin facing temptation. Ask Him to remind you of the failure and disappointment you felt in your day before. You can be a new person. God doesn't hold onto the past...people do. If you're willing to repent and move forward, the Lord is waiting on you. Nothing you can do will diminish His love for you. So lay out the failures of your yesterday to Him, and embrace the new day He has given you today and serve Him in it!

Lamentations 2

Your prophets have seen for you false and foolish visions; and they have not exposed your iniquity so as to restore you from captivity, Lam 2:14

I was watching a church service on TV one Sunday morning as I got ready for church. I always enjoyed hearing the music while I started my day, and one particular morning I got to hear the pastor preach. He was held in high regard as a preacher of the Word, and was talking about relationships. He said that in a church their size, several thousand strong, there were probably some people who were unmarried but living together in the congregation. He said that wasn't "the best idea", but never called it sin and didn't develop the point at all. I'm sure there were some there that day that found themselves in that situation, but because the pastor didn't really emphasize the problem with it, the people didn't either.

Talking about sin is not fun. It brings up old hurts, regrets and reminders of our failures. But as Christians, we need to be prepared to confront our sin at any moment. In Lamentations, we learn part of the failure of the people came from the men of God they trusted. These prophets were responsible to point out sin in the lives of the people, but not only would they not tell them the truth about their sin, but they would lie to make the people feel better! How would you react today if your pastor told you that they see sin in your life? Would you be embarrassed? Would you prefer he just lie and say nothing? The proper response would to be thankful. When a pastor shows a believer his/her sin, the purpose is to help you get over your sin. These prophets probably felt they could keep everyone happy if they were told who great they were. The problem was, their lives weren't great, and we need to be prepared to examine our own lives for sin, and to listen to the admonitions of those around us. Will you be quiet for a few moments today and ask the Holy Spirit to show you areas of sin that are remaining in your life? Will you ask Him to prepare you for the moment a pastor or friend shows you your sin? There are few acts more loving than that.

Lamentations 1

She weeps bitterly in the night and her tears are on her cheeks; she has none to comfort her among all her lovers. All her friends have dealt treacherously with her; they have become her enemies. Lam 1:2

Is there anything worse than the soap opera that makes up the lives of teenagers? My youth group growing up had 50 kids in it, and one of the worst things that could happen was that a boy and girl started dating from the group. As was the usual custom, they would break up soon after and then everyone had to pick a side of which friend they liked and which one they were mad at. It was completely ridiculous that one day two people could be friends and then next day, they just had anger towards one another. Not the best example in the church for lost teenagers.

It's amazing how the things we once loved become the source of our greatest disappointment, just like a boyfriend or girlfriend we thought we couldn't live without. Before Christ we did what we wanted, when we wanted. But now that we know who He is, it changes our lives. And those choices that were made so easily before have become our enemies. Those who lived for alcohol and eventually made the turn away from it, find it to be one of the hardest choices to leave behind. Sin all seems great until we realize that price that was paid on a cross to overcome sin. You know that your sin never gives you satisfaction, so why do you go back to it? It entices like a lover, but afterwards beats you up. Going back to the things that defined us before Christ will never give us the satisfaction that Satan promises it will. You need to make a clear and conscious effort to leave the old you behind. Just as Jerusalem realized, all their old pals were gone when the day came to pay for their sin. Jesus died to make you a new creation, not re-creation of the old.

Jeremiah 52

They also took away the pots, the shovels, the snuffers, the basins, the pans and all the bronze vessels which were used in temple service. Jer 52:18

There are plenty of real estate companies throughout our country, but did you know there are companies that only deal in church real estate? They sell old buildings to smaller congregations and help growing congregations find new locations. The more disturbing trend is when a church building is sold because the church is dying, not growing. To see businesses that are operating out of buildings that were once houses of worship for God is disturbing. We live in a country where the gospel witness is already dwindling and losing the presence of an entire church in a community certainly doesn't help.

The priests were actually warned that this event of verse 18 would happen when Babylon came into Jerusalem. These pagans would have no respect for the worship implements in the temple and only saw the material value in these items. So the priests were warned to hide the items so they would be preserved for use when the people returned to Jerusalem. Instead, these items lost their significance and were probably just melted down. I fear that the church as a whole is losing it's significance. Churches that were once growing and vibrant have in some cases died off altogether. When I lived near Memphis there were once-beautiful, large churches sitting mostly vacant on a Sunday morning because the area of town had gone bad. But which went bad first? Did the church lose it's first love and forget about the people? Or did the community go downhill and the Christians left? In either case the story is sad. It's certainly sad to see non-believers come into the temple and remove the significance from these items of worship, but I consider it much more sad to see Christians today remove the significance from entire churches! Does your church reach the people around it? Do non-believers see value in the existence of your church because of the care and love that your church shows for people in your community? If the church loses significance in our nation, let it not be because we helped it along.

Jeremiah 51

Then Jeremiah said to Seraiah, "As soon as you come to Babylon, then see that you read all these words aloud Jer 51:61

Barry Bonds' final year with the San Francisco Giants had to be a nightmare for him. The evidence that he had been using steroids was piling up for the home run hitter, and many fans felt he had disgraced the game and should quit. So from stadium to stadium there were masses of fans yelling "cheater" and holding up signs to the same affect. However, I never saw any stories of fans coming up to him in public and saying the same things. In fact, all his interactions with fans were by individuals asking him for his autograph. The boldness these fans had in a crowd was lost when the words would be completely their own.

There is a lot in this chapter, but I found myself praying on this issue last night so verse 61 was an easy one to settle on. Jeremiah writes this incredibly long prophecy against Babylon and he sends it with Seraiah to Babylon. Seraiah was on his way there with King Zedekiah, so I presume Jeremiah decided not to make the trip and to allow this man that he trusted to share the prophecy. No words can be said against Jeremiah on this issue, because he had certainly proven that he was willing to take the punishment for saying true things that were not well received. But think about the task given to Seraiah. He is supposed to walk into a bustling and thriving Babylon, and tell them they're all going down at the hands of God. That had to be a frightening proposition as he may have worried about what would happen to him for saying such things. He was in a large crowd coming from Judah, but when he started to say these words there would be no one on his right or his left. His only comfort was that he was speaking truth that had been given by God himself. Have you ever withheld words that you promised to say to somebody? Maybe you were going to address how they hurt you, or how they let you down, but when you were face to face with them you didn't say a word. Then you need to evaluate where your words are coming from. If you have doubts about sharing something to someone's face, you need to ask for wisdom. Perhaps the Holy Spirit was holding you back from saying something that you shouldn't, or perhaps you just became too worried about saying difficult, but truthful things to someone. Before you have difficult conversations you should pray, just as I'm sure Seraiah did before he shared those words with the Babylonians. Pray that the wisdom of God will lead you to say what you should, and hold back what is unnecessary.

Jeremiah 50

"In those days and at that time," declares the LORD, "the sons of Israel will come, both they and the sons of Judah as well; they will go along weeping as they go, and it will be the LORD their God they will seek. Jer 50:4

I know it's a happy moment, but watching families reunite is always tough for me to watch. I saw a video sometime back of military dads coming home and surprising their children at school after being away in Iraq. If a dad ever wanted to know what his kid thought of him, that's the moment that you see no contemplation of what to do or what to say. The tears, hugs and I love yous come freely. While I'm sure being away from your family for such a long time is so heartbreaking, being loved and received in such a genuine way has to restore all the loneliness that the solider felt away from his family. Those fathers were always ready to receive their children.

People often claim that the God of the Old Testament is an unfeeling, uncaring God. But in the midst of all the tragedy that the Jews will face at the hands of the Babylonians, He still loves them and plans to restore them. And we see here that He doesn't just restore Judah, but all the people of Israel. There will no longer be a divided kingdom, but one nation of God's people. What will make the change that allows this? It's not the willingness of the Lord, because He was always willing. The people are weeping and seeking the Lord. They have finally been broken, and as a result they will be restored. When we sin, it's just like we have been separated from our Father, who is always ready and waiting to receive us again. How do you come to the Lord when you have been disobedient? Do you come saying "I'm sorry"? Or do you come embarrassed over your sin, knowing that it has delayed your continuing development as a Christian? We try to rank big sins and little sins, but any sin is a moment that we choose to halt our walk to be more like Jesus and continue to be more like ourselves. Let's ask God to keep us humble, and that He would break us over our sin. Let us come to Him with our disappointments and failures, knowing that He is lovingly ready to restore us!

Jeremiah 49

Thus says the LORD of hosts, behold, I am going to break the bow of Elam, the finest of their might. Jer 49:35

I often listen to other preachers just to get another look at how other churches worship the Lord through their Sunday morning ministries. I was watching one preacher who was walking around with two pieces of paper and no Bible. I assumed that he probably had his scripture typed on the paper, so I continued to listen and watch. Then he started to "quote" scripture, and by quote I mean horribly paraphrase. I can't recall the chapter and verse, but he said that the Bible tells us that we need to show our strength and that God doesn't want weakness, but strength. Actually the Bible says that when we are weak is when we are strong. When we choose to trust in His strength over our own, that is when we can be used most effectively. Otherwise our own abilities, and our trust in them, gets in the way.

We all have strengths, but the issue becomes when we forget who gave them to us. The nation of Elam had a particular strength when it came to warfare, which was their archers. So how could God let Elam know right away in their battle with Babylon (really a battle with God), that they were not going to win? He takes away their strength. He removes their archers in some way during the battle, and once that occurred, all that was left was the losing. Have you identified your spiritual gifts as a believer? We all have them, and they have been given specifically by God to be used in our lives. The problem becomes when we accept the praise of people, and we fail to redirect the praise back to God. He is the reason we can do everything and anything. And when the pattern continues where we accept all the credit and distribute none to Him, that God may take that strength away from you first. And what will you do? Will you struggle to accomplish more by your own efforts, or will you swallow your pride and come in humility before God. I know that I can preach, but only because of the Lord. And times that I have walked off thinking too highly of myself have been followed by times of praising the Lord and repenting over my sin. I appreciate this gift, and I want to be a good steward of it in order to retain it.

Jeremiah 48

For because of your trust in your own achievements and treasures, even you yourself will be captured; and Chemosh will go off into exile together with his priests and his princes. Jer 48:7

I never quite figured out why, but my mom built a shrine to me in my own room. While I was in high school, I won lots of awards for public speaking and various other reasons. So she took all these plaques and hung them on a wall in my bedroom. I thought it was a bit weird, but sometimes you just let moms do their thing. As I moved from high school to college, many of those awards were listed on my application to help the university see my overall involvement and I'm sure it helped my entrance. But when I went for my first "adult" job with an insurance company in college, I didn't list those awards because they didn't matter. You realize the awards of high school are great, but they don't translate into real-world success. They just prove you rose above your fellow students, which isn't saying much in our current public school system.

I saw resumes of people trying to work at my company who had many high school achievements listed, and nothing else. And as a result, we didn't see those people get hired or stick around very long. They were trying to live off of expired achievements. We see the same thing here in Jeremiah 48. These last few chapters really correspond with Zephaniah chapter 2 which lays out the same destruction of these nations we've been reading about, including Moab (goes to prove the trustworthiness of the Bible...it's in constant agreement with itself over many years and authors). The crazy confidence of Moab wasn't in what they could do, but what they had done according to this passage. They were living in the past, with nothing to show in their present. Many Christians are living off a past accomplishment. They asked Jesus to come into their lives as Savior-Lord, and that's really all they ever did. They expect Heaven based on this event, and they have failed to accomplish anything for their Lord. What are your kingdom accomplishments? Have you shared the gospel with anyone or led someone to the Lord? Do you have a trail of sins that have been left behind you as you've chosen selflessness over selfishness? Or are you pretty much the same person you were when you prayed the Jesus prayer? If so, then your living on a pretty flimsy achievement from your past. Jesus' is absolutely enough to save you, but He didn't just save you from your sins, but from a purposeless life. So if your life still lacks purpose and effort towards the things of God, then your well short of the achievements God would like to see in your life.

Jeremiah 47

Because of the noise of the galloping hoofs of his stallions, the tumult of his chariots, and the rumbling of his wheels, the fathers have not turned back for their children, because of the limpness of their hands, Jer 47:3

When I was young, I used to see movies and television shows where a parent would sacrifice their life in order to save the life of their child. As a kid, I never understood that. I often thought, "If it was them or me, I pick me." Fast forward a couple of decades and now I have three young children of my own. If I could give up my life to save theirs, would I? Without blinking. I would willingly take the pain and death intended for one of my children for two reasons: as their daddy, it's my job to protect and watch out for my kiddos. And secondly, I love them. I could never abandon them.

Now as we look at Jeremiah 47, remember these aren't God's people. The Philistines are also falling under the judgment of the Babyloninans and look at the fear in them. They have decided it's every man for himself. They left their children behind them without even an attempt to turn back and rescue them. The world is leaving so many kids behind. Kids identify with the music of singers who haven't even written the songs they sing. Kids follow the crowd like a leaf on a river, just going wherever the current takes them. But what about Christians? Many Christian parents think they're doing a good job with their kids because they are "raising them in church". But raising them in church doesn't make our children Christians anymore than raising dogs in an aquarium makes them fish. If you have children, are you simply letting them live their lives or are you loving them as a parent? A parent's love keeps children from the things they may want to do, but that will bring them harm. A parent's love causes a mom or dad to never allow their child to be somewhere that they don't know about. It's about effort. If you are a parent, are you really putting in the effort to raise your children? If you are a child still at home, your parents may not always do the best job they could, but if you allowed them to be a part of your life instead of living separate from them, your relationship would be a lot better. Many children and parents that being to drift never really intended it, but just allowed it to happen. Take the time to reconnect with your parent/child because the love the world promises will only break your hearts.

Jeremiah 46

O Jacob My servant, do not fear," declares the LORD, "For I am with you. For I will make a full end of all the nations where I have driven you, yet I will not make a full end of you; but I will correct you properly and by no means leave you unpunished." Jer 46:28

I recently finished watching the PBS series "Carrier". It followed a six month tour of duty for the U.S.S. Nimitz aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf. It appeared to some on the ship that they weren't doing much. In six months there, the planes flying missions over Iraq never dropped a single bomb. So those on the boat felt that their mission was unimportant, but the pilots had a different perspective. They were often 20,000 feet up watching the movements of troops on the ground, prepared at a moment to swoop from the sky and give support to ground troops or to take out approaching enemies. These pilots commented on how many times they were told by ground commanders that even though they didn't engage the enemy, it gave their troops confidence to know someone was nearby, though unseen, that could help out at a moment's notice.

We read these words here against Egypt and find that there is a great destruction coming. Part of it is due to the disobedient Jews who fled there, but Egypt had plenty of reasons for God to bring judgement upon them. As God finishes talking about more destruction, He gives some final words of comfort to His people. He promises that He is near, even when they can't clearly see or hear Him. While they see the nations fall around them, those nations are being brought down without plans to restore them. God tells Judah that even though He needs to punish them to bring correction, He is still there. He hears their cries as they feel crushed under the weight of His judgment. God isn't hands off. He doesn't send angels to do His bidding while He remains aloof and uninvolved. Whether good moments or bad, God is constantly near to us as children of God. God's presence never leaves us. Have you ever prayed and felt that God wasn't available to hear? It's not because He's too far away...it may be because you are. Judah had much sin in their lives, and as a result they felt a disconnect from God, but He was still there and waiting for their ultimate repentance. If you have sin in your life, you are likely exaggerating the distance that exists between you and God. He's still around, but He's waiting for you to make the big decisions for change instead of ignoring your sin. Even as I write this, I do so recognizing that God is in the room with me right now. There is nowhere I can go that He cannot.

Jeremiah 45

Thus you are to say to him, 'Thus says the LORD, "Behold, what I have built I am about to tear down, and what I have planted I am about to uproot, that is, the whole land. Jer 45:4

Have you ever had someone try to comfort you in a situation, simply by telling you how much worse the situation could be? I remember watching a show one time where two guys are out on the ocean in a boat on a beautiful day. Suddenly the boat begins to take on water, and these two guys get their life jackets and prepare to go into the water. Eventually the boat sinks and these two guys are left treading water. The owner of the boat is devastated, but his friend tries to cheer him up by saying, "We'll it could have been worse." "How could it have been worse?" The friend says, "There could have been sharks in the water here." And of course, then a fin begins to circle them. Don't worry...this was a comedy so they didn't get eaten.

Baruch had simply done what God wanted him to do. He had written and delivered the words of Jeremiah and as a result had received much of the same grief and trouble that Jeremiah endured. I'm sure Baruch found this difficult to take, and probably slightly unfair. However the assurance that God gave was that Baruch's nation was going to crumble around him, and that God was going to allow it to happen. But Baruch was told that his life will be spared. He's not promised that it will be easy, but he's promised that he will live. I'm sure Baruch may have felt much like the man who jumped from a sinking ship into shark-infested waters. What did he have to live for? God wanted to continue using him. The Lord tells Baruch that his life will be preserved for all the places he will go. So there would be a lot of change in this man's life. You may feel that you're moving from one bad situation to another, or that your string of misfortune is more than most people around you are going through. Never forget that God is completely aware of who and where you are. There is never a time that He is taken by surprise by an event in your life, and just because your plans are thrown off kilter, doesn't mean that His are. Don't allow yourself to dwell on circumstances. Instead, pray diligently for wisdom and understanding on how you should handle situations you find yourself in. People who fail to pray, find themselves praying even harder later in an attempt to undo the work they attempted on their own.

Jeremiah 44

But since we stopped burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have met our end by the sword and by famine. Jer 44:18

Athletes are a very superstitious bunch. I read of a pitcher that always wore the same pair of underwear every time it was his turn to start a game. On a particular outing, he got blasted early and lost the game. He later said that he hadn't worn his lucky underwear that day. I don't know if he really believed that or not, but I did wonder if he went on the mound thinking that he had already messed up and that it got into his head a little bit. His ability came from his arm, but not underwear, but he was having a little trouble giving the proper credit to the proper things in his life.

The people of Judah were giving credit to the wrong person. They had been sacrificing to false gods, and everything seemed to be going just fine. Then when Babylon came, the people's lives were thrown into turmoil and their daily routines were interrupted. Many of the people credited that interruption of devotion to a false god as the reason for their upheaval. They didn't realize that the reason they had been able to remain in their nation during days of disobedience to God was as result of His patience and continued efforts to make all the Jews aware of the judgement to come. There were so many prophets all giving the same declaration of impending doom, but the people ignored it. Who's getting the credit in your life? Are you telling others of the great work God is doing in your life, or do fully accept the praise that people give you? Don't give yourself too much credit for the good things you have, because pride is always the downfall of the Christian. We begin to think that we deserve certain things, and we rely more on ourselves and less on our God. Who is your trust really in? If you're unsure, think about how many times this week you've listened to God's instruction and how many times you've simply went with your own plans. The ability to do anything comes from God, and He may take away those abilities if they are causing us more harm than good.

Jeremiah 43

He will also come and strike the land of Egypt; those who are meant for death will be given over to death, and those for captivity to captivity, and those for the sword to the sword. Jer 43:11

When I got ready to leave for Army Basic Training, I called my uncle who is an officer in the Army. I asked him what I should expect, and all he would tell me is "don't volunteer for anything." So when we were all snapped to attention in week three, I tried to look as inconspicuous as possible. They started calling names, and I did my best to be invisible. The drill sergeants were just berating these guys as they pulled them out of formation. Finally my name was called and I went through an hour of being put in stress positions before being told I was now placed in charge of the platoon. I couldn't have avoided being called on, because they had already chosen me and five squad leaders to lead the platoon. It seemed random, but had been completely thought through and set up.

It seems that the original reason these Jews in Jeremiah 43 were leaving was because they were afraid they would be blamed for a murder they didn't commit. After God makes it clear that they will not, the people accuse Jeremiah of lying about what God said and they head off to Egypt anyway. Their intention no longer seems to be avoiding punishment for the murder, but to avoid living under Babylonian rule. But the Babylonians came because all of Judah, including these people, had lived in rebellion against God. They would not be permitted to just escape correction, so now they have carried their sins amongst the Egyptians who will also suffer because of the disobedience of the Jews. These Jews thought that they had just hit some bad luck and they were trying to escape. Just like my experience in basic training, the Jews were receiving the judgment that was specifically laid out for them. Some would die, some would fight, and some would simply be imprisoned. They couldn't even escape to Egypt to avoid it. God would have made things easier if they had obeyed, but they chose their own way. Do you want to avoid judgment over your sin? Do you know how to do it? Repent. It doesn't mean we'll always miss the correction that God brings, but there are plenty of examples in the Bible where people were able to lessen the judgment by recognizing their sin (Zeph 2:1-3, 1 Corinthians 11:29-31). So what sin have you been trying to ignore, in the hopes that God will too? Perhaps He has withheld correction to give you a chance to recognize the problem as you choose to make different choices. Stop trying to avoid the truth of your sin, and confront it in the grace and forgiveness of Jesus Christ.

Jeremiah 42

Whether it is pleasant or unpleasant , we will listen to the voice of the LORD our God to whom we are sending you, so that it may go well with us when we listen to the voice of the LORD our God. Jer 42:6

There are really only two kinds of visits you can have to the dentist: pleasant or unpleasant. As a kid, I had a lot of problems with my teeth because I ate sugar and rarely brushed. So I hated going in for checkups because I knew the only thing they would check is how many fillings I would need this time. But, as unpleasant as it is to go to the dentist, the pain of a dental problem is much worse. I've had two root canals and the pain of a broken tooth is rough. In those cases I couldn't wait to get into the dentist, because I knew an unpleasant visit would bring a pleasant result.

So here you have this group of people who are left over from the last chapter. They didn't kill Babylon's newly appointed governor, but they were in the vicinity and so they're afraid of being guilty by association. The people are preparing to escape to Egypt, until the commanders of the people asked Jeremiah to seek if God wanted them to go to Egypt or stay put. And they assured Jeremiah that as long as he told them truth, they would do whatever God said whether they liked it or not. So Jeremiah comes back to tell them that going to Egypt is bad, and if they stay, God will protect them. Suddenly the people call Jeremiah a liar and refuse to listen. Why such a change of heart on following God? I would say it's because they never intended to follow God. They had made up their minds to go to Egypt and they were hoping that Jeremiah would give them the ok from God. When this didn't happen, it becomes clear that they didn't want God to give them instruction. They wanted God to go with their plan. Often we make our plans and then pray and ask God to bring them about. Our first step in an issue should not be to come up with a plan, but to seek God's plans. If we ask for wisdom, He will grant it, and planning without the wisdom of God is likely to get you a plan that God is not for. His ways are higher and greater than ours and as a result, His plans are not often going to be the ones we would have picked. Are you willing to follow God in any circumstance? Or are you simply looking for Him to verify your own thoughts? God's plan may not always be as pleasant as the one you picked, but the final result will ultimately be what's best for you and bring you closer to becoming the person God wants you to be.

Jeremiah 41

And they went and stayed in Geruth Chimham, which is beside Bethlehem, in order to proceed into Egypt because of the Chaldeans; for they were afraid of them, since Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had struck down Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed over the land. Jer 41:17-18

There are a lot of names in this account, but here is gist of what's going on. Babylon conquered Jerusalem, and in order to help maintain order on their new territory, the king of Babylon appointed a Jewish person, Gedaliah, as governor over the region. It was a way to help ease the transition of power, and really a very generous move on the part of the Babylonian king. Ishmael was also a Jew and considered Gedaliah to be a traitor agreeing to serve in this way, so Ishmael gets some men together to assassinate him and they even carry away some prisoners just to show how serious they are. Johanan was a captain in Judah's army and he hears of this and goes to free the prisoners, which goes fine. As a result of the action of Ishmael, all of these people are now on the run though. Even though they had nothing to do with the assassination of Gedaliah, they feared there would be repurcussions on them, so they planned an escape to Egypt.

One person can really gum up the works. I'm sure Ishmael felt that he was doing a great service for God's people by assassinating the Jewish governor. However, God had been communicating through Jeremiah that Babylon would be in charge for a while, and they needed to submit to that rule for a time. And so the actions of one man, put a large group of people in danger. It's very frustrating to see people make choices without thinking about the consequences or effects on other people. As a father, I recognize that the choices I make will have a direct impact on my wife and on my children. My son sees the choices I make, and perhaps they won't float to the surface for many years, but it's very likely that his choices as a husband and father will be influenced by what he saw me do. Who are you influencing around you? Before you answer that too quickly, really take an inventory of the people that you interact with on a daily basis. Some of the people we are with most often (family and co-workers) are the people who start to lose importance because of familiarity with them. You are making an impact. You need to consider your words and actions from yesterday. Our most important evaluation is what God thought of our day yesterday, but second is what did people think of us yesterday? Did they see us as someone living out a genuine faith? Or were they put off by our attitudes and actions?

Jeremiah 40

Now the captain of the bodyguard had taken Jeremiah and said to him, "The LORD your God promised this calamity against this place; Jer 40:2

My co-workers in college knew that I was a Christian. In the early years, it was mainly because of the things I talked about and the items I had around my desk. I was talking about Jesus and God, but I wasn't always actively living my faith out. They didn't seem to be impressed by my words, but they were impressed when I would do unselfish acts. There were lots of extra paperwork responsibilities that people in the office didn't like to do, so I started doing them. I didn't tell people what I was doing to help, but eventually people would see me from time to time. That made a bigger impact on people listening to me about my faith than anything else.

I love it when God's work becomes clear to non-believers. In this passage you have a Babylonian general who holds Jeremiah in great respect. I'm sure he never read the Hebrew bible and knew little about the God of the Jews, but he knew when a prophecy came true. Everything Jeremiah had spoken for God came true, and Nebuzaradan holds Jeremiah in higher respect that Jeremiah's own people did. I wish more people would be vocal about their faith, but I think there is something to the idea that living our lives as Christians will influence others as well. Here an unbeliever was influenced by a believer who did everything God wanted him to, even when it was tough. That's authentic. Jeremiah didn't know about God...He knew God. Do people around you consider you religious? Perhaps they make comments about your office decorations or your church attendance, but it doesn't necessarily affect their lives. I don't think that non-believers are impressed by our religious stuff. They are impressed when we act as selfless people and show that we consider others around us more important than ourselves. We can draw the lost simply by being authentic in our relationship with God. The world doesn't need more religious people carrying around their churchy checklist. They need sincere followers of Christ who live their entire day considering the desires of God and the needs of people.

Jeremiah 39

For I will certainly rescue you, and you will not fall by the sword; but you will have your own life as booty, because you have trusted in Me," declares the LORD. Jer 39:18

I read about Pastor James telling his congregation of his early lessons in flight school. He had wanted to learn to fly for years, and was becoming very good at it. Fairly early in his training, his flight instructor told James to put the plane into a steep dive. After a short time, the engine stalled and the plane was out of control. James realized the instructor was not going to help him, so he began going through the checklist, and was able get the plane righted. As James took out his frustration on the instructor, the teacher said, "There is no position you can get this airplane into that I can't get you out of." It was a lesson to help James know that He could trust the instructor no matter how bad the situation might appear.

Jeremiah had a continued ministry as God's mouthpiece even after Babylon came within the city walls of Jerusalem. One of the men who lived there, Ebed-melech, was told by Jeremiah that his life would be spared because He trusted in God. God says that his booty, or his treasure, will be his life. This man wouldn't escape with all of his possessions, but he did escape with his life. If he had failed to trust in the Lord, he would have lost his life along with his stuff. The faith of Ebed-melech is notable. This man clearly hadn't just trusted before Babylon came into town, but he still trusted God. People of this mindset in Jerusalem were few during these days. How was he able to trust? I would like to think that this wasn't the first time the man had trusted in God. Faith isn't built up by words, but it's built up as we rely on God for everything. We don't just rely on Him during difficult moments, but during every moment. Think about how you are or are not trusting God? Which situations do you quickly give to Him, and which ones do you hold for yourself? There aren't big situations and small ones in life. Even the smallest decision can lead to the biggest consequences. We need to be aware that moments that we fail to trust and seek the Lord, are moments that Satan will work in our lives. He will lead us to self-sufficiency as we look around and think, "I'm handling things pretty well today." Just remind yourself of the times that your life has taken a bad turn due to your self-reliance.

Jeremiah 38

Then the officials said to the king, "Now let this man be put to death, inasmuch as he is discouraging the men of war who are left in this city and all the people, by speaking such words to them; for this man is not seeking the well-being of this people but rather their harm." Jer 38:4

Most coaches know what to do in a blowout. You play hard as long as you can, even if there is just a faint glimmer of hope. Usually in college football, blowouts happen more often than with the pros. So a coach might keep his best players in until the 4th quarter, but if he's down by 40 points, he usually brings in his backup players. This gives them a chance to play and keeps his best players from getting injured in a game that's already been lost. But I was watching a game recently where the home team was down by 40 and the coach kept in his best players. None of them got hurt, but there was no chance to win and it wasn't worth the risk. He didn't want to admit the game was lost, but apparently he was the only one who didn't know.

I'm sure Jeremiah was called "unpatriotic" because he was such a doomsayer against his own people. But his call to the city was a call from God, and we can see that with King Zedekiah, Jeremiah is trying to preserve the king's life. Ultimately they just don't truly believe that Jeremiah knows what he's talking about. Even though the bread in the city has run out, they are still putting their trust in their fighting men. The city leaders worried that Jeremiah was demoralizing the men, but Jeremiah preferred they be demoralized by the truth, than killed for a lie. I wish the right thing and the easy thing were often the same. But, they're generally not. We keep our mouth shut in a lot of situations where we should open it. And other times we talk when nothing really needed to be said. When talking to others who are going through serious issues, we should think about whether the words we are sharing are our best guess, or if we are sharing biblical truth. People can get shaky advice anywhere, but when we have the opportunity to counsel someone, we need to do so from the Word of God. Only God can share words that will specifically and assuredly impact the lives of people. We can only guess.