The people of God were under the judgment of God for a period of 70 years. So, the Lord was giving them specific instructions for them only. For they had false prophets lying to them about the 70 years, and so the Lord was correcting those errors. And then the Lord told them that when the 70 years were completed that he would visit them, and that he would fulfill his promise to them to bring them back to their homeland. Then he said:
Jeremiah 29:11-14 ESV
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you…”
Far too many people are quoting Jeremiah 29:11 out of its original context, and they are interpreting it in ways not consistent with the context, and not consistent with the teachings of the Scriptures overall. For this is not a promise for all people of all generations who claim to believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit – that no harm will ever come to us but only good.
And yet we read in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV these words:
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
So, what is this saying? We can learn something from all Scripture, even if it doesn’t specifically apply to us, for there are often general contexts, as well as specific contexts, that we can turn into biblical lessons as long as we are not, in the process, teaching something contrary to Scripture. Like we can use the story of David and Goliath to encourage us in our own battles against our enemy Satan, to use the armor of God to fight our battles.
So, is there a general context that we can use here that will be consistent with the whole of Scripture? I believe there is. For God has plans for all of us who are of genuine God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ. But it isn’t that no harm will come to us but only good. For the Scriptures are abundantly clear on that issue that, as followers of Christ, we will have trials and tribulations and persecutions and we will be hated, rejected, forsaken, and forgotten because we follow Jesus and we share his gospel message.
[Matt 5:10-12; Matt 10:16-25; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 6:22-23; Lu 21:12-19; Rev 6:9-11; Rev 7:9-17; Rev 11:1-3; Rev 12:17; Rev 13:1-18; Rev 14:1-13]
But what is that gospel message? It is not that we can “pray a prayer” to receive Jesus Christ into our lives and now all our sins are forgiven and heaven is guaranteed us when we die, but regardless of how we live. It is that Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness, and live for him, and no longer for self, and that he died to free us from our slavery (addiction) to sin so that we will now honor God with our bodies in walks of moral purity and faithfulness and obedience to our Lord and his commands.
[1 Peter 2:24; 2 Corinthians 5:15; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Romans 6:1-23]
And none of this is self-generated. All this comes from God. Even the faith to believe in Jesus is authored and perfected by Christ, is gifted to us by God, is persuaded of God, is empowered of God, and it is not of our own doing – not of the will nor of the flesh of man. So we do not get to determine what that faith looks like. God does. And the faith he provides dies with Christ to sin and lives to God and to his righteousness in obedient walks of faith and in moral purity, honesty, faithfulness, and in true worship of God.
[Hebrews 12:1-2; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; Ephesians 2:8-10]
So, if we want to know the plans that God has for our lives, and the good that he has planned for us, and not the evil, we need to read the New Testament books from beginning to end, in context. For his plan is that we die with him to sin, not just once, but daily, and that we walk in obedience to his commands in holy living, and that we no longer make sin our practice. For if sin is what we practice, and not righteousness, and not obedience to our Lord, then we will not inherit eternal life with God.
[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-24; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-11; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]
As the Deer
By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1
As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZv3jzOTE70
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