Friday 24 Mar 2023

March 24: Jeremiah 26:8-11

Key Verse: Jeremiah 26:11
Then the priests and the prophets said to the officials and all the people, ‘This man should be sentenced to death because he has prophesied against this city. You have heard it with your own ears!’

Devotion:
One of the warnings Jesus gave to the disciples was they would have to face persecution when they went out to teach people the gospel. This stands true for each one of us who pick up the Lord’s mantle and try to spread the truth, His truth. The more we try to do so the more upset the evil one becomes and the more he will try to break things for us; but God will always be looking out for us!

When Jeremiah obeyed God I’m sure he could see how the crowds were against him and how it would eventually lead to conflict with the authorities. This may have been something which worried him more than we can pick up through the things which are written down in the Bible. I guess we get to find out the truth when we meet up with him and all the other prophets in Heaven one day!

The people were eager to find out the truth and they crowded round Jeremiah whilst he was teaching others. They were beginning to see the tyranny which they were living under – a tyranny which was in part built up by the very people who said they were standing for God. We tend to get this in our modern society and even in the modern churches – people get a bit too involved with earthly means of trying to improve church gatherings…

God wants us to live with Him and raise up more disciples who will be willing to continue on the work we are trying to do, disciples who are willing to go out and make more disciples. When we target earthly rewards in our churches, the people will be pointed towards earthly gains and not spiritual gains or heavenly gains! Think about what God wants and not what you think He should have!

Points to Ponder:
What do you think is important in church?

How could anything be more important than God’s children?