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In Christ, Mark
In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
The words of Jeremiah son of
Hilkiah, one of the priests at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. The word
of the Lord came to him in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of
Amon king of Judah, and through the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of
Judah, down to the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah son of Josiah
king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem went into exile.
Jeremiah
1:1-3
This ends today’s reading from God's holy
word. Thanks be to God.
Today is the day of arrivals.
I have arrived at the start of a new Old Testament book,
Jeremiah, after a year’s worth of writing through Isaiah.
And as we find in the opening verses of this book, the word
of the Lord arrives to the priest in the tribe of Benjamin, not just for a mere
moment but across the reign of three Judean kings, ending just before the
people of Jerusalem experienced God’s judgment and were taken off into exile by
the Babylonians.
Look again at today’s passage here:
The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests at Anathoth in
the territory of Benjamin. The word of the Lord came to him in the thirteenth
year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah, and through the reign of
Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, down to the fifth month of the eleventh
year of Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem went
into exile. Jeremiah 1:1-3
Note here one very important point. For the words in this
book may be attributed in verse 1 to the priest Jeremiah but they are not
really His words. For as verse 2 quickly tells us, Jeremiah was not sharing
words he contrived but rather words of the Lord that had come upon Him and in
doing so, showing us how we should handle God’s word as well in the lives we
live.
So how do the words of the Lord come upon us so that we can
share them with others?
1. The words of the Lord come when we read the scriptures.
The Bible is the very word of God from cover to cover. All
we need to do is open it and begin reading to find the word of the Lord coming
to us in ways that inspire us, encourage us, guide us, and sometimes, convict
us. We are never to allow these words to remain within our hearts and minds.
The Lord expects us to share His words with others so that the same benefit we
have received can be experienced by others. That leads to point 2.
2. The words of the Lord can come when we testify about
them to others.
I have always believed that one of the most effective
ministry methods is testimony.
We are all called to ministry. You don’t have to have a
seminary degree or many years of experience in the church to minister to
another. You just need the word of the Lord to come to you, impact your life in
a positive way, and then share that experience with someone else. When we do
this over and over and over again, trust that the people we testify to will
want to check out the word of the Lord for themselves, hungry to receive what
you have received. And when they do, then they will build their own testimonies
to share with others.
3. The words of the Lord can come through prayer.
It makes sense, right?
If prayer is the way we communicate with the Lord, building
our personal relationships with Him, then we can expect that he is going to
speak to us during those encounters, sending us direction or speaking words of
comfort and peace or encouraging us or calling us to change our ways. Speak to
the Lord and you will find that He is ready to speak to you too. He wants the
best for you and will never hesitate to take you there through His will, way,
and word.
4. The words of the Lord can come through the Holy Spirit.
Jesus, before He left His disciples, told them that God
would be sending them a Counselor to lead and guide them through life after He
departed. Right after Jesus’ ascension to sit at the Father’s right hand, the
Holy Spirit was sent upon believers in Jerusalem during the event known as
Pentecost and it has been with us ever since. When you have that weird
sensation when you are doing something wrong (feelings of guilt) or that warm
fuzzy feeling (that good feeling inside) when you’ve done something good and
right, know you are experiencing the power of the Holy Spirit as the Lord sends
the word that He is either disappointed or proud of the way you are living. And
when you are reading and studying the Bible, the Lord speaks words of
discernment and understanding to you through His Spirit, enlightening you as He
increases your knowledge of Him and His will for your life.
Friends, the word of the Lord comes to us in many different
ways. Like Jeremiah, we will all have a story to tell when we receive what He
has to say.
All we need to do is seek it, not just once in awhile, but
every day He blesses us with.
Amen.
In
Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com
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