Scripture: Deuteronomy 18:18 I’ll raise up a prophet for them from among their fellow Israelites—one just like you. I’ll put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. Thought for the Day: In my noon study yesterday, I mentioned the author and scholar, Abraham Joshua Heschel. I read a few of his books in College and Seminary, including his well respected two
Scripture: Jeremiah 29:8-14 The LORD of heavenly forces, the God of Israel, proclaims: Don’t let the prophets and diviners in your midst mislead you. Don’t pay attention to your dreams. They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I didn’t send them, declares the LORD. The LORD proclaims: When Babylon’s seventy years are up, I will come and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to
Scripture: Jeremiah 17:7 Happy are those who trust in the LORD, who rely on the LORD. Thought for the Day: One of my favorite authors is Barbara Brown Taylor. In her book, An Altar in the World, Brown writes: What is saving my life now is the conviction that there is no spiritual treasure to be found apart from the bodily experiences of human life on earth. My
Scripture: Jeremiah 15:16 When your words turned up, I feasted on them; and they became my joy, the delight of my heart, because I belong to you, LORD God of heavenly forces. Thought for the Day: Have you ever felt as if you were called by God to do something, started doing it, and then thought to yourself, why did I say YES. Chapter 15 is Jeremiah’s lament
Scripture: Jeremiah 9:24 No, those who boast should boast in this: that they understand and know me. I am the LORD who acts with kindness, justice, and righteousness in the world, and I delight in these things, declares the LORD. Thought for the Day: For me, this is one of the pivotal scriptures in the book of Jeremiah. In just a few words, we are reminded of who
Scripture: Jeremiah 9:4-5 Be wary of your friends! Don’t trust your sibling! Every sibling is a cheater, and every friend traffics in slander. One cheats the other; no one tells the truth; they train themselves to lie; they wear themselves out by doing wrong. Thought for the Day: Let’s be real – not EVERY sibling is a cheat and not EVERY friend’s primary communication tool is slander. The
Scripture: Jeremiah 6:16 The LORD proclaims: Stop at the crossroads and look around; ask for the ancient paths. Where is the good way? Then walk in it and find a resting place for yourselves. But you said, “We won’t go!” Thought for the Day: Stop and smell the roses! This verse of scripture almost sounds as if it is attempting to say the same thing, and the response
Scripture: Jeremiah 2:25-28 Don’t run about until your feet are blistered and your throat is parched. But you say, “What’s the use? I have fallen in love with foreign gods, and I must pursue them.” As a thief is ashamed when caught in his tracks, so the people of Israel are ashamed— their kings, officials, priests, and prophets—when they say to a piece of wood, “You are my
Scripture: Jeremiah 2:13 My people have committed two crimes: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water. And they have dug wells, broken wells that can’t hold water. Thought for the Day: The poetry of this verse is really quite stunning. It uses the metaphor of living water (in Hebrew – it is the same as flowing water, thus not stagnant). Though it is interesting how the
Scripture: Jeremiah 2:8 The priests did not ask, ‘Where is the LORD?’ Those who deal with the law did not know me; the leaders rebelled against me. The prophets prophesied by Baal, following worthless idols. Thought for the Day: As we are a couple weeks into a study of Jeremiah, there have been numerous times where a phrase or verse has left ME a bit uncomfortable… uncomfortable in