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Jeremiah 27 (ESV)

¹ In the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord. ² Thus the Lord said to me: “Make yourself straps and yoke-bars, and put them on your neck. ³ Send word to the king of Edom, the king of Moab, the king of the sons of Ammon, the king of Tyre, and the king of Sidon by the hand of the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. ⁴ Give them this charge for their masters: ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: This is what you shall say to your masters: ⁵ “It is I who by my great power and my outstretched arm have made the earth, with the men and animals that are on the earth, and I give it to whomever it seems right to me. ⁶ Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, my servant, and I have given him also the beasts of the field to serve him. ⁷ All the nations shall serve him and his son and his grandson, until the time of his own land comes. Then many nations and great kings shall make him their slave.

 

REFLECTION:

The yoke on the neck (v2) is a sign that King Nebuchadnezzar attacked Judah for the first time in 593 BC and took a large number of Judahites abducted. The yoke is a wooden frame used to put livestock on the rake. Jeremiah’s yoke symbolizes that Judah must obey Babylonian rule or they will be destroyed. God can appoint rulers of other countries who do not worship God to be His “servants” and impose judgments on Judah. ​​This method is really unimaginable. God did not actually ask King Nebuchadnezzar to preach His word, but through Nebuchadnezzar fulfilled the prophecy that God would judge sin. God’s power is in charge of everything. Today, He can still choose anyone at will, including those who do not believe in God, to accomplish His will, and even discipline us through unexpected methods. Therefore, we should be ready to receive God’s discipline at any time, even if it is a way beyond our expectations. At the same time, we should also know that for those who love God all things work together for good. As long as we love the Lord faithfully and obey God’s will in all things, we will be led and edified by God. Not only do we need to be fearless before God, but we must also rejoice and receive His rewards.

 

PRAYER:

Pray for God to make you more humble and obey God’s sovereignty in all things; for God to enlighten you so that you can see clearly what you have offended God, confess your sins to Him, and repent sincerely. At the same time, pray for God to make you understand that God is loving, and for those who love God all things work together for good. Whether it is smooth or difficult, you are willing to obey God and benefit from God.

 

HYMN:

Give Me Faith – youtu.be/SjFIhTNDyz0

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Jeremiah+026
 

Jeremiah 26 (ESV)

¹ In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from the Lord: ² “Thus says the Lord: Stand in the court of the Lord’s house, and speak to all the cities of Judah that come to worship in the house of the Lord all the words that I command you to speak to them; do not hold back a word. ³ It may be they will listen, and every one turn from his evil way, that I may relent of the disaster that I intend to do to them because of their evil deeds. ⁴ You shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord: If you will not listen to me, to walk in my law that I have set before you, ⁵ and to listen to the words of my servants the prophets whom I send to you urgently, though you have not listened, ⁶ then I will make this house like Shiloh, and I will make this city a curse for all the nations of the earth.’”

⁷ The priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the Lord. ⁸ And when Jeremiah had finished speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak to all the people, then the priests and the prophets and all the people laid hold of him, saying, “You shall die! ⁹ Why have you prophesied in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate, without inhabitant’?” And all the people gathered around Jeremiah in the house of the Lord…

²⁴ But the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah so that he was not given over to the people to be put to death.

 

REFLECTION:

Shiloh was the place where the tabernacle was set up after the Israelites occupied Canaan, and was destroyed by the Philistines in 1050 BC. “I will make this house like Shiloh” (v6) refers to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. God wanted Jeremiah to “not hold back a word” (v2) and speak His words as they were. It is possible that Jeremiah was weak and thought that some words were too harsh and could cause everyone to become enemies and bring him great danger, so he wanted to cut some of the content. However, God ordered Jeremiah not to change His words to suit Jeremiah’s own wishes, the tastes of the audience, and the environment he is in. Sure enough, the priests and false prophets were furious when they heard this, because the temple is the source of their power. People respect the temple, and they are also revered. Jeremiah said that the temple would be destroyed, undoubtedly challenging and shaking their power. Therefore, a mob of rebellious and foolish people was gathered to kill Jeremiah. Of course the almighty and righteous God will protect Jeremiah from harm through human hands. Today, when we preach the truth in the Bible to unbelievers, we may also feel that some messages are too harsh and may offend others. We always want to express or omit some messages euphemistically. We should understand that God is with us and He will add to our courage and strength, and we cannot change the word of God in order to please anyone.

 

PRAYER:

Pray for God to give you more courage to not be afraid to offend people when preaching the truth of God, not to delete, add, or change any of God’s words, but to clearly preach all the truths that God has entrusted us to communicate. Pray that God will enable you to have more commitment, so that you can live a holy and abundant life, not only in words, but also with your own practical actions to manifest the glory of God.

 

HYMN:

By Faith – youtu.be/fXB8ihepUpE

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Jeremiah+025
 

Jeremiah 25 (ESV)

¹ The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah (that was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), ² which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the people of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem: ³ “For twenty-three years, from the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, to this day, the word of the Lord has come to me, and I have spoken persistently to you, but you have not listened. ⁴ You have neither listened nor inclined your ears to hear, although the Lord persistently sent to you all his servants the prophets, ⁵ saying, ‘Turn now, every one of you, from his evil way and evil deeds, and dwell upon the land that the Lord has given to you and your fathers from of old and forever. ⁶ Do not go after other gods to serve and worship them, or provoke me to anger with the work of your hands. Then I will do you no harm.’ ⁷ Yet you have not listened to me, declares the Lord, that you might provoke me to anger with the work of your hands to your own harm.

 

REFLECTION:

This message from Jeremiah was preached in 605 BC, the year when King Nebuchadnezzar officially took power. Jeremiah’s mission as a prophet began in 627 BC, and he had preached for a full 23 years before the seventy years of exile. It’s hard to imagine what it would be like to keep preaching the same message for 23 years and being rejected constantly. This is what happened to Jeremiah. Because he dedicated his life to God, no matter how others reacted, he insisted on continuing to preach the message that God wants him to preach: “Turn now, every one of you, from his evil way and evil deeds.” (v5) Today, God also calls us to participate in His Great Commission, and we are often rejected in the process of preaching the gospel. Are we discouraged? May we be inspired by Jeremiah’s unswerving loyalty to God, no matter how others react, we will be faithful to bear witness to God and answer His call.

 

PRAYER:

Pray for God to fix your eyes on His abundance and power, and make Him a source of your strength, so that you can continue to serve Him faithfully. If you are rejected or even laughed at because of being a testimony for God, pray that God will grant you a brave and firm heart, no matter how others react, you can do what you should do, not to please people, but to please God.

 

HYMN:

Facing A Task Unfinished – youtu.be/zOpt_bulJxY

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Jeremiah+024
 

Jeremiah 24 (ESV)

¹ After Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken into exile from Jerusalem Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, together with the officials of Judah, the craftsmen, and the metal workers, and had brought them to Babylon, the Lord showed me this vision: behold, two baskets of figs placed before the temple of the Lord. ² One basket had very good figs, like first-ripe figs, but the other basket had very bad figs, so bad that they could not be eaten. ³ And the Lord said to me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” I said, “Figs, the good figs very good, and the bad figs very bad, so bad that they cannot be eaten.”

⁴ Then the word of the Lord came to me: ⁵ “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Like these good figs, so I will regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I have sent away from this place to the land of the Chaldeans. ⁶ I will set my eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up, and not tear them down; I will plant them, and not pluck them up. ⁷ I will give them a heart to know that I am the Lord, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart.

⁸ “But thus says the Lord: Like the bad figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten, so will I treat Zedekiah the king of Judah, his officials, the remnant of Jerusalem who remain in this land, and those who dwell in the land of Egypt. ⁹ I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a reproach, a byword, a taunt, and a curse in all the places where I shall drive them. ¹⁰ And I will send sword, famine, and pestilence upon them, until they shall be utterly destroyed from the land that I gave to them and their fathers.”

 

REFLECTION:

“Good figs” represent the Judahites who were taken captive to Babylon. This does not mean that they are good citizens themselves, but their hearts still respect God, so God will take care of them and bring them back to their homeland. “Bad figs” represent those who remain in Judah or fled to Egypt. They are self-righteous and think that they will be blessed if they stay in Judah or fled to Egypt. This is exactly the opposite of their thoughts. God wants to refine His people through the process of exile, take care of them, and bless them. We may think that a smooth life is a blessing, and a bad life is a curse. However, if hardships and difficulties can make us more persevere, adversity is also a blessing; if we leave God in good times, it becomes a curse. Therefore, when you are in trouble, ask God to strengthen you for Him; when your life is going well, ask the Lord to teach you how to use the opportunities to serve Him.

 

PRAYER:

Thank God for making you a “good fig.” This is not because you behave better than others, but because of God’s love and grace. Make a resolution to God, you are willing to take more practical actions to be grateful in the future, live in His words every day, obey the guidance of the Holy Spirit, work hard to share the gospel, manifest Christ’s character of “loving others as yourself,” so that your life can be improved and bear more fruit.

 

HYMN:

Oceans – youtu.be/6GGFb6LcX3U

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Jeremiah+023
 

Jeremiah 23 (ESV)

⁵ “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. ⁶ In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’

⁷ “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when they shall no longer say, ‘As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ ⁸ but ‘As the Lord lives who brought up and led the offspring of the house of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.’ Then they shall dwell in their own land.”

 

REFLECTION:

In this passage, Jeremiah compares the coming Messiah with the corrupted leaders at that time, forming a sharp contrast. The coming Messiah is the king from the tribe of David. This perfect king will rule all of Israel and all nations. Because he continued the life of the root of David, he was called “the righteous branch” (cf. Isa. 11:1). This branch is full of righteousness and fairness like the creator, and when he grows up, he is full of God’s attributes. This is the image of the incarnated Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ. Jeremiah’s beautiful prophecy about the righteous branch and the coming Messiah was a ray of light in the darkness, and it brought infinite hope to those who could not change the reality at that time but were still seeking God. Today, this prophecy has become a reality, the precious salvation has long been accomplished, and the power of resurrection has long been manifested. However, we still seem to be living in a dark world. We often lament our weakness and the evil of the world, and seem to be unable to change many things in reality. Let us not forget that when the Lord Jesus was resurrected and ascended to heaven, he left us with a newer and more beautiful hope: He will come again to execute a righteous judgment and justice for the oppressed. May this hope be the light in your life and bring you infinite comfort.

 

PRAYER:

Use Niebuhr’s “Serenity Prayer” as your prayer today: ask God to give you serenity to accept the things you cannot change; ask God to give you the courage to change things you can change; ask God to give you wisdom so that you can distinguish the difference between the two.

 

HYMN:

Serenity Prayer – www.youtube.com/watch?v=htJJmLeQAZM

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Jeremiah+022
 

Jeremiah 22 (ESV)

¹ Thus says the Lord: “Go down to the house of the king of Judah and speak there this word, ² and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, who sits on the throne of David, you, and your servants, and your people who enter these gates. ³ Thus says the Lord: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place. ⁴ For if you will indeed obey this word, then there shall enter the gates of this house kings who sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their servants and their people. ⁵ But if you will not obey these words, I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that this house shall become a desolation. ⁶ For thus says the Lord concerning the house of the king of Judah:

“‘You are like Gilead to me,
like the summit of Lebanon,
yet surely I will make you a desert,
an uninhabited city.
⁷ I will prepare destroyers against you,
each with his weapons,
and they shall cut down your choicest cedars
and cast them into the fire.

⁸ “‘And many nations will pass by this city, and every man will say to his neighbor, “Why has the Lord dealt thus with this great city?” ⁹ And they will answer, “Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and worshiped other gods and served them.”’”

 

REFLECTION:

God told the king of Judah through the mouth of Jeremiah that the foundation of making the country strong is to stay away from sin and practice fairness and justice. To uphold justice is not only to believe in the correct doctrine of God, but also to show it in practical actions. Although good deeds cannot save us, they can express our faith concretely. As the Book of James said, faith without works is like body without spirit, it is faith of death (see James 2:17-26). Such faith will not make us stand before God’s judgment. Reflect if our faith is expressed in practical actions? If our faith cannot bring out our good deeds, and if “justification by faith” has become an excuse for our inaction, we should be vigilant whether we have deviated from the new covenant that God established with us through the blood of Christ, and turned to serve all kinds of tangible and intangible idols?

 

PRAYER:

Come to God humbly and ask God to examine your heart to see if it contains pollution from the world? Pray for God to cleanse you, make you more holy, and be willing to fully dedicate yourself to God to please Him. Pray for God to give you the strength to actively participate in the church’s various ministries, and follow the Lord Jesus’ Great Commandment “love your neighbour as yourself” with practical actions to commensurate with your faith.

 

HYMN:

Upper Room – youtu.be/X32DtGdCCi4

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Jeremiah+021
 

Jeremiah 21 (ESV)

¹ This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Malchiah and Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, saying, ² “Inquire of the Lord for us, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is making war against us. Perhaps the Lord will deal with us according to all his wonderful deeds and will make him withdraw from us.”

³ Then Jeremiah said to them: “Thus you shall say to Zedekiah, ⁴ ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands and with which you are fighting against the king of Babylon and against the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the walls. And I will bring them together into the midst of this city. ⁵ I myself will fight against you with outstretched hand and strong arm, in anger and in fury and in great wrath. ⁶ And I will strike down the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast. They shall die of a great pestilence. ⁷ Afterward, declares the Lord, I will give Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants and the people in this city who survive the pestilence, sword, and famine into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of their enemies, into the hand of those who seek their lives. He shall strike them down with the edge of the sword. He shall not pity them or spare them or have compassion.’

⁸ “And to this people you shall say: ‘Thus says the Lord: Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death. ⁹ He who stays in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, but he who goes out and surrenders to the Chaldeans who are besieging you shall live and shall have his life as a prize of war. ¹⁰ For I have set my face against this city for harm and not for good, declares the Lord: it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.’

 

REFLECTION:

From the beginning of this chapter to chapter 28, Jeremiah predicted that King Nebuchadnezzar would besiege Jerusalem from 588 to 586 BC. The central message that Jeremiah preached was: Those kings and false prophets who lead the people astray will be judged by God. Jeremiah had predicted that Jerusalem would be destroyed, but he was denied and ridiculed by the leaders of the city. Zedekiah, King of Judah, decided to fight against Nebuchadnezzar. The politicians of the country urged King Zedekiah to ally with Egypt. It was not until the last resort that Zedekiah asked God for help, but he still ignored God’s warnings and did not confess his sins. King Zedekiah quoted historical events during the reign of Hezekiah, thinking that Jehovah miraculously saved them and saved Jerusalem from the destruction by Sennacherib, King of Assyria, and this time history will repeat itself. Jeremiah’s answer broke the illusion of Zedekiah. When Judah was taken into captivity in 586 BC, Zedekiah finally became the last king of Judah. Today, many people of God often forget God in good times, ignore God’s warnings, and ask God for help only until they are desperate. However, God wants to establish a long-term relationship with us. Think about whether you are trying to establish an intimate relationship with God in your daily life, or do you only find Him to relieve your problems when you are in trouble?

 

PRAYER:

Pray for God to enlighten you and give you a vigilant heart so that you do not leave God in a stable and prosperous life; resolve to God, whether it is smooth or difficult, you are willing to get close to God and experience God’s presence in your daily life, and establish an intimate relationship with Him.

 

HYMN:

Jesus I Need You – youtu.be/FNUcTLgAo4U

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Jeremiah+020
 

Jeremiah 20 (ESV)

¹ Now Pashhur the priest, the son of Immer, who was chief officer in the house of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things. ² Then Pashhur beat Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the upper Benjamin Gate of the house of the Lord. ³ The next day, when Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord does not call your name Pashhur, but Terror on Every Side. ⁴ For thus says the Lord: Behold, I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends. They shall fall by the sword of their enemies while you look on. And I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon. He shall carry them captive to Babylon, and shall strike them down with the sword. ⁵ Moreover, I will give all the wealth of the city, all its gains, all its prized belongings, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah into the hand of their enemies, who shall plunder them and seize them and carry them to Babylon. ⁶ And you, Pashhur, and all who dwell in your house, shall go into captivity. To Babylon you shall go, and there you shall die, and there you shall be buried, you and all your friends, to whom you have prophesied falsely.”

 

REFLECTION:

Pashhur was the official responsible for maintaining order in the temple, and he was also a priest and pretending to be a prophet. After listening to Jeremiah’s words, instead of thinking about it seriously and repenting by action, he beat Jeremiah and put him in the stocks. Although the truth sometimes irritates people, how to treat the truth reflects a person’s character. We can deny the accusations of the truth, eliminate the evidence of mistakes, or accept the facts humbly and honestly, and let the truth transform us. Pashhur thinks he is a mighty leader, but in fact he is just a coward. The name “Pashhur” originally meant “Prosperity All Around”, but it became “Magor-missabib”, which means “Terror on Every Side”. Jeremiah’s prophecy that he said to Pashhur about the subjugation of the kingdom was finally fulfilled when Babylon invaded Judah three times in 586 BC, and Pashhur was also taken into captivity with King Jehoiakim. God’s words will never fail. We should use Pashhur as a negative example, and receive all God’s words to us with awe, including the words that we are not willing to hear. If you despise or disobey the word of God, you will have serious consequences.

 

PRAYER:

Come to God quietly and ask God to examine your heart. Ask God to give you greater faith and more wisdom, so that you can understand all God’s guidance in your life, including those that hurt you. Trust that God’s words and arrangements that you are unwilling to listen to are all for your benefit. Ask God to give you deeper humility so that you can obey all God’s guidance in your life.

 

HYMN:

Speak O Lord – youtu.be/ubRlJj8xkds

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Jeremiah+019
 

Jeremiah 19 (ESV)

¹ Thus says the Lord, “Go, buy a potter’s earthenware flask, and take some of the elders of the people and some of the elders of the priests, ² and go out to the Valley of the Son of Hinnom at the entry of the Potsherd Gate, and proclaim there the words that I tell you. ³ You shall say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, O kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing such disaster upon this place that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle. ⁴ Because the people have forsaken me and have profaned this place by making offerings in it to other gods whom neither they nor their fathers nor the kings of Judah have known; and because they have filled this place with the blood of innocents, ⁵ and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command or decree, nor did it come into my mind— ⁶ therefore, behold, days are coming, declares the Lord, when this place shall no more be called Topheth, or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter. ⁷ And in this place I will make void the plans of Judah and Jerusalem, and will cause their people to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hand of those who seek their life. I will give their dead bodies for food to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the earth. ⁸ And I will make this city a horror, a thing to be hissed at. Everyone who passes by it will be horrified and will hiss because of all its wounds. ⁹ And I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and their daughters, and everyone shall eat the flesh of his neighbor in the siege and in the distress, with which their enemies and those who seek their life afflict them.’

 

REFLECTION:

Hinnom Valley is a public garbage dump in Jerusalem, and Topheth means “land of fire”. The Judahites burned their children in Hinnom Valley and sacrificed to Molech (32:35). The massacres prophesied by Jeremiah occurred twice, once in 586 BC when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon led his troops to attack Jerusalem; the other was when Roman General Titus destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD. During Babylonian siege of Jerusalem, there was an extreme shortage of food, which caused the horror of cannibalism in the city. Some people even ate their own children, fulfilling what God said (v9). God is loving, righteous and holy at the same time. Judah’s idolatry was corrupted to the point that they even burned their children to sacrifice to the false gods. They greatly offended God and incurred severe retribution from God. Do we often offend God today? Although we may not be as corrupt as the Judahites back then, will we ignore our family in pursuit of worldly values? If so, today is the time to confess your sins to God and repent!

 

PRAYER:

Come to God humbly, ask God to enlighten you, so that you understand where you have sinned against God, and confess your sins to God and repent. Ask God to give you more love and live out the love of Christ in your family. Be a good witness for the Lord among your relatives, so that they can have a closer relationship with you, and also enable you to develop a closer relationship with your family and God.

 

HYMN:

Jesus Draw Me Close – youtu.be/kvKQZBH5rZU

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Jeremiah+018
 

Jeremiah 18 (ESV)

¹ The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ² “Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.” ³ So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. ⁴ And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.

⁵ Then the word of the Lord came to me: ⁶ “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. ⁷ If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, ⁸ and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. ⁹ And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, ¹⁰ and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it.

 

REFLECTION:

This passage implies that God has absolute sovereignty over the Judahites, as well as absolute sovereignty over our personal lives. God can mould Judah at will, just like a potter working with clay. He continues to mould them, hoping to make them useful vessels. However, the Judahites must be humble and repent, otherwise this clay will harden and become an unsuitable vessel that will be broken. In the same way, God has the right to cultivate and temper our lives, so that we can become people after His own heart. We should not respond to God’s moulding in a passive manner, but should accept His work on us willingly, obey all His arrangements, and become a valuable vessel that suits His wishes. Today, we live in a society that advocates individualism that insists on one’s own opinions, independence, and separation from authority. We should be wary not to let the values of the world infiltrate our relationship with God as it will make us stubborn, arrogant, unwilling to listen to teachings, and unwilling to reform. Otherwise, as our character develops, we will gradually become enemies of God.

 

PRAYER:

Pray to God, ask Him to give you more godliness, and don’t forget that He is always with you in the turbulent flow of the world. Ask God to prevent you from being affected by the individualistic thoughts that flood the entire society today, so that you have a heart of reverence and obedience, not to be stubborn in everything but seeks the will of God and obeys all His arrangements.

 

HYMN:

Take My Life And Let It Be – youtu.be/kA9zA7O6bH0