Saturday, August 31,
2013, 3:44 a.m. – the Lord Jesus woke me with the song “Abide in Him” playing in my mind. Speak, Lord, your words to my
heart. I read Jeremiah 17:1-17
(NIV): http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah%2017&version=NIV
The Price He Paid
Jesus Christ, God the Son, came to earth, took on human
flesh, suffered like we suffer, was tempted like we are tempted, yet without
sin, and then he was crucified on a cross for our sins. When he died, our sins
died with him. When he was buried, our sins were buried with him. When he rose
from the dead, he conquered death, hell, Satan and sin. He went through all of
this so that we could be saved from our bondage to sin, set free from eternal
damnation, and so we could be free to walk daily in his love, truth and
righteousness.
For
it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from
yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. ~
Eph. 2:8-9
Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny
himself (his self-life), take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and self)
and follow (obey) him. He said if we hold on to these old lives of sin, we will
lose them for eternity, but if we willingly die to our old ways of living for
sinful pleasure, we will save our lives for eternity (See Lu. 9:23-25). Paul
said the way we come to know Christ is by forsaking (putting off) our former
lives of living in sin, by being transformed in heart and mind (of the Spirit
of God) and by putting on our new lives “created to be like Christ in true
righteousness and holiness” (See Eph. 4:17-24; Cf. Gal. 2:20; Rom. 6; 1 John, et
al). James said that faith without works is dead. In other words, we are saved
by grace, and it is not of our own works that we are saved, but we must respond
to God’s grace with true abiding faith (includes repentance and obedience) if
we want to receive this salvation and the hope of eternal life with God.
Yet, scripture is clear that coming to Christ does not mean
we will never sin again, so it warns, encourages, counsels, corrects, rebukes
and trains us in righteousness, because faith is a walk, and it is daily that
we must die to sin and self and put on the armor of God. So, it is with that
understanding that we can learn from this passage in Jeremiah what God has to
teach us with regard to the danger of allowing sin to become deep-rooted (entrenched)
in our lives once again, even after we have come to salvation by his grace
through faith.
Trust in Man
(17:1-6)
“Judah’s
sin is engraved with an iron tool,
inscribed with a flint point,
on
the tablets of their hearts
and on the horns of their altars.
Even
their children remember
their altars and Asherah poles
beside
the spreading trees
and on the high hills…
This
is what the Lord says:
“Cursed
is the one who trusts in man,
who draws strength from mere flesh
and whose heart turns away from the Lord.
That
person will be like a bush in the wastelands;
they will not see prosperity when it comes.
They
will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
in a salt land where no one lives.
Sadly enough, many who profess faith in Jesus Christ live
their lives as though they had not been saved from sin at all. They live just
like the world lives, only maybe a little more cleaned up. They follow after
the ways of this world with the passion and desire they once had (or should
have had from the beginning) for Jesus Christ, their first love. They watch the
same TV shows, movies, etc., listen to the same music, play the same games, tell
the same raunchy jokes, gossip, cheat, lie, steal, etc., just as this sinful
world does. Not all these things are bad, in and of themselves, but they are
bad if what we take into our minds daily and what we participate in daily is
what is sinful, i.e. that either involves us in sinful thoughts, behavioral
practices, or that leads us to be entertained by others’ sinful behavior, thus
giving approval to their sin.
What is even sadder is that much of these sinful practices
and being entertained by others’ sinful practices has entered into the life of
the church and into its times of corporate worship and fellowship. So much of
what we call church is just a cleaned-up version of what the world is offering
us in the way of entertainment and social gatherings. Sensuality has entered
into the times of worship and praise of our God. The gospel is being diluted,
too, in order to make people more comfortable, to not offend people with the
truth of the gospel, and to make it so the world will want to come back to our
services. If the sinful world is comfortable in our gatherings and is never
offended with the gospel of Jesus Christ, then something is terribly wrong. As
well, humanistic books, written by humans, are replacing God’s word. Marketing
schemes for how to build big businesses are also replacing Christ as the head
and the true builder of Christ’s church, his body.
Yet, the Lord warns his children much against putting our
trust in humans; in mortals who cannot save. Our trust may be in ourselves,
i.e. in our own intellect, will and ways, or it may be in other humans, or in
man-made creations (philosophies, religion, entertainment, prestige or
possessions, etc.), or in created things of God rather than in the creator. These
things are all destined to perish, and they cannot prove trustworthy. If we
trust in our own strength or we trust in our possessions, jobs, health, and/or other
people, etc., they are bound to fail us. When we place our faith in things or
people other than God, then it also impacts our relationships with Jesus
Christ, i.e. we can become fearful, doubters, adulterers and the like because
we allowed other people, ourselves or the things of this world to take the
place of God in our hearts, and to lead us astray from our pure devotion to
God.
Confidence in Christ
(17:7-8, 14-17)
“But
blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
They
will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It
does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It
has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.”
Heal
me, Lord, and I will be healed;
save me and I will be saved,
for you are the one I praise.
They
keep saying to me,
“Where is the word of the Lord?
Let it now be fulfilled!”
I
have not run away from being your shepherd;
you know I have not desired the day of
despair.
What passes my lips is open before you.
Do
not be a terror to me;
you are my refuge in the day of disaster.
Yet, when we place our faith and trust in Jesus Christ (in
God) for all things, we are blessed. We will be steadfast in our faith and our
commitment to love, honor and obey our Lord. We will be firm in our vow to
follow him wherever he leads us, even despite all opposition from the enemy and
enemy forces. We will not have to give way to fear. Our surrender to our Lord
will be sure and unwavering. Our testimony for Jesus Christ will be enduring.
Our service for our Lord in obedience to him will be continuing and persistent.
We will find healing for our hurts and comfort for our sorrows. We will find
direction for our lives and counsel and encouragement in the way we should go.
And, we will know the assurances of God’s promises, that they will be
fulfilled. We can have confidence in Christ when the enemy attacks us and he
accuses us falsely. We can know the truth and proclaim it even when Satan
throws his fiery darts of lies against us. And, we can take refuge in the Lord
and know that he will be our all-sufficiency for everything we need for life,
love and godliness.
Heart Examination
(17:9-10, 13)
The
heart is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?
“I
the Lord search the heart
and examine the mind,
to
reward each person according to their conduct,
according to what their deeds deserve.”
Lord,
you are the hope of Israel;
all who forsake you will be put to shame.
Those
who turn away from you will be written in the dust
because they have forsaken the Lord,
the spring of living water.
So, we should examine our hearts before the Lord Jesus to
see where we are at fault in any of this or where we are on the right path.
Knowing that our own hearts can deceive us into thinking we are ok, when we are
not, we should ask the Holy Spirit of God to reveal to us what is in our
hearts, and to point out these areas where we have allowed sin to be entrenched
in our lives once again. And, we should respond to the voice of the Holy Spirit
within us in total surrender and complete obedience to his word and to Christ’s
commands. And, we should once again, or perhaps for the first time ever, begin
to walk daily in Christ’s truth, love and righteousness, forsaking all other “gods.”
Abide in Him / An
Original Work / July 31, 2013
Based off Ps. 27:14; Is. 40:31; Jn. 14-15
If you wait for the
Lord,
Put your hope now in
Him,
He will give you His
strength
And endurance within.
He will renew your
strength,
So you will not lose
heart.
You will soar on wings
like eagles,
Never depart.
“If you abide in Me,
And My words live in
you,
You will walk with Me
daily
And follow what’s
true.
I will live now in you;
Give you peace now
within,
If you obey My
teachings
And turn from your
sin.”
“If you listen to Me,
And do all that I say,
I will give you My
comfort;
Be with you always.
I will heal all your
pain;
Life with Me now
you’ll gain,
If in fellowship with
Me
You always remain.”
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