Can I pray for you in any way? Send
any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com.
In Christ, Mark
In Christ, Mark
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
** Follow The Christian Walk on
Twitter @ThChristianWalk
** Like posts and send friend requests
to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn
** Become a Follower of The Christian
Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
For
this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says about the houses in this city
and the royal palaces of Judah that have been torn down to be used against the
siege ramps and the sword in the fight with the Babylonians: ‘They will be
filled with the dead bodies of the people I will slay in My anger and wrath. I
will hide My face from this city because of all its wickedness.”
“‘Nevertheless,
I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal My people and will let them
enjoy abundant peace and security. I will bring Judah and Israel back from
captivity and will rebuild them as they were before. I will cleanse them from
all the sin they have committed against Me and will forgive all their sins of
rebellion against Me. Then this city will bring Me renown, joy, praise and
honor before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it;
and they will be in awe and will tremble at the abundant prosperity and peace I
provide for it.’”
Jeremiah 33:4-9
This ends today’s reading
from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Nevertheless. It’s a term that simply means “in spite of
that”.
An example might go like this:
Susan was afflicted with cancer but nevertheless, she was
able to survive because of treatment.
Yes, Susan had a deadly disease but she was able to live in
spite of that because of the medical treatment she received.
With this and an understanding of the word used in the title
of this devotion, look again at today’s scripture passage from today where we
see the Lord doing something in spite of the Israelites actions:
For this is what the Lord, the God of
Israel, says about the houses in this city and the royal palaces of Judah that
have been torn down to be used against the siege ramps and the sword in the
fight with the Babylonians: ‘They will be filled with the dead bodies of the
people I will slay in My anger and wrath. I will hide My face from this city
because of all its wickedness.”
“‘Nevertheless, I will bring health and
healing to it; I will heal My people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and
security. I will bring Judah and Israel back from captivity and will rebuild
them as they were before. I will cleanse them from all the sin they have
committed against Me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against Me. Then
this city will bring Me renown, joy, praise and honor before all nations on
earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and
will tremble at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it.’” Jeremiah 33:4-9
Through the words of the Lord, we see that bad times were coming
for the people of Israel in Judah. For His judgment was coming and it would be
harsh. Despite the extensive preparations to safeguard the city from the
assault of the Babylonians, God would ensure that the attackers would have
victory and it would be a very costly loss for the Israelites as the city would
fill up with their dead bodies. Such would be the penalty for inciting God’s
anger and wrath. Further, God would turn His face away and hide from all that
would occur in what was once a revered, divine holy city. This is how
wickedness impacted God’s relationship with His people.
Well, this is no place anyone should want to be but look at
the first word of the second paragraph. For although God’s was sending
consequences on His people, nevertheless, He would still forgive, restore, and
renew them. The city was left in ruins but in spite of that a day would come
when it would rise up again from the ashes as the people returned from their
seventy year exile to rebuild their homes, their city, and their relationship with
God.
In
those days after the Israelites would return, the Lord would bring them health,
healing, abundant peace, and security. He would rebuild them as they were before,
cleansing them from the sins they committed against Him and forgetting their
rebellious actions evident by their worshiping of false gods and idols.
What
would result from this restoration project?
Jerusalem
would once again bring admiration and renown to the Lord, a place where joy,
praise and honor would be before all nations on earth who would catch word of all
the good things God had done for His people. Once again, nations would look at
Jerusalem with awe and be taken to a place of reverence and respect as they
realized that once again the Israelites were God’s people and He was their God.
Think about how this pertains to our lives today and the
best place to start is to fast forward from the Israelites of Jeremiah’s day to
the Messiah Savior, Jesus, who finally came to earth after much speculation and
prediction.
Consider these statements and then consider each one after
the first as a progression:
1. All of God’s people were sinners after the fall in Eden’s
garden and destined to be destroyed by His wrath and judgment but nevertheless
God did wish for all His people to perish and so He made a way for people to
find eternal life and live with Him forever by sending His Son, Jesus, to earth.
2. Jesus, God’s only Son, was crucified and died on Calvary’s
cross but nevertheless He was resurrected from the grave and ascended to sit at
the right hand of God, His Father and ours, making the way for others to
follow.
3. We all may be sinners and separated from God because of
our wickedness but nevertheless God has given us an opportunity to be pardoned
from sin and to live with Him forever through His Son Jesus.
Friends, without Jesus, we are destined (and frankly
deserve) to receive the fullest measure of God’s wrath and destruction. Nevertheless,
His love for us was greater than His consternation and so He promised
everlasting life instead of perishing to anyone who would place their belief,
faith, and trust in Jesus.
Maybe you have never believed in Him before reading this
devotion. Nevertheless, Jesus is ready to receive you this very moment in spite
of how long you have lived apart from Him and in spite of what you may have
done.
Sin may have put you in a bad way but nevertheless grace,
mercy, and forgiveness can be yours through Christ.
Won’t you receive it this very moment?
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com
No comments:
Post a Comment