I attended a wonderful Women's Ministry event Friday night. We were honored to listen to Leslie Latona, a missionary from Columbia. She was fascinating. She spoke on the book of Jeremiah from the Bible. Then Sunday morning, our Pastor spoke on Jeremiah. Being one who can always take a hint, I am reading the book of Jeremiah. I have read parts of this book of the prophet before, but never sat down and read it through. Still haven't. I am stuck on the first chapter.
How many times have we wanted to do something, whether it be for the Lord, or our family or even ourselves, and the flags start popping up?
"I can't do THAT! I am too _______!" (Fill in the blank here, too: young, old, poor, tired, uneducated, shy, ugly,....)
That list goes on and on I'm afraid. I'm sure men have their own lists, but since I am a woman, I'll testify that women use this list continually. We don't usually do it on purpose. We genuinely feel our excuses our valid. I have had issues like this all my life. I rather fade into the background than get out there and do what I am know I am called to do. I don't want to leave my comfort zone, not one bit.
Jeremiah didn't want to leave his comfort zone either. God was sending him out to tell his fellow country men that they were screwing up big time and they needed to change their ways. Jeremiah's excuse was,
"Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child" (again, fill in YOUR excuse here!)
God says, "Say not, I am a child: for you shall go to all that I send you, and whatsoever I command you, you will speak. Be not afraid of their faces: FOR I AM WITH YOU TO DELIVER YOU,"
I don't even know how many times in the Bible God tells us not to be afraid because He IS with us. Step out in faith, because HE IS THERE, right along side of us. He tells us He will never leave us. Not at the job interview, not when we go back to school as adults, not when we take on any new challenge, or face a heartbreak. He'll be there when we know we should be sharing His good news with others, and when He wants us to lend a helping hand. There is no excuse for us to back out, because the Creator of heaven and earth is right there with us!
I love that, I really do. I am so thankful for the fact that God has breathed fresh wind into my Bible study time and I feel Him talking to my heart again. It had been a while. But even when I didn't feel His presence, I KNOW He was there.
~Blessings
11 comments:
So very true! Thank you for sharing this. Don't you love when God gives you a nudge?
... and everyone said .... AMEN!!!
Well said!, Bonnie--made me think of Psalm 139:1-6 and Psalm 37: 23-24. These verses are just two of many ever-present, comforting reminders that Our Most high God, is in control and we can make a purposeful decision to trust Him, rather than relying on our emotional reactions to our circumstances.
Just a note-My Son-in-law is Colombian and his parents are also missionary's to Columbia. They adopted him out of an Colombian orphanage when he was an infant.
Finally- about the jars- yes, I first layered paper using decoupage. For these jars I used handmade paper and patterned scrap-booking paper. I then added the postage stamps, vintage photos, covering them with more decoupage, letting it dry between each application. I applied the beads by first stringing them with a needle and thread, then gluing them. If your not into the beading (it is time consuming) You can use any kind of trim. Because most of the cabin is Adirondack decor, I have made several jars with a nature theme using real leaves, pressed ferns, with a jute trim. I even have Christmas themed ones. You can do so many different styles with all the cool decorative paper there is now. Hope this helps, feel free to email me if you have more questions ( chosenforeternity@yahoo.com) Sorry this is so long! Have a great day! Claudia O.
Oh I needed this! I just love it when I feel that freshness from God after a dry period. I have been there my friend. I am rejoicing with you that this book of Jeremiah is coming alive for you. God bless you!
I didn't realize I hadn't visited here in a while. I've been catching up with your blog. I just love your prom photo!
Thank you for that Bible lesson. Jeremiah is one of my favorites--'course, I have a lot favorites. :-) So much is available to us, but so little is used. (Pointing at myself now.)
Blessing,
Linda
What a thoughtful and thought-provoking post. He IS there. We need to lean into him so that we can step out into His will for us. Thanks for the soul food. :)
So right! There are times like this, that stand out in my memory... times when I needed the big push (shove) out of my comfort zone and there HE was... as He promised he would be. But then there are little times, I daresay daily, when the reminder of His presence is there, continually reminding me, those "aha" reminders that make the stepping out in faith not so scary the next time we need to do just that. Great post!
Dear B,
Reading this had me singingThey loved their Lord so dear, so dear,
and his love made them strong
I meditated on Jeremiah over Lent.
A word from school days came to mind:
antepenultimate.... the one before the one before the end.
"The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah." Jeremiah 31:31
The new era won't be a continuation of the former, for any of us. On the surface we seek continuity but deep down, I know TheJeez is doing a new thing. That's just the way HE is, He's never done with us.
I like the psalms Claudia referenced too.
Thank you for sharing this with us. This came at a good time for me!
Loved this post :) thanks for sharing! xoxo melzie
Hmmmm, I'm thinking I need to read this too. It goes along with a devotional I had on my blog the other day. Thanks for sharing.
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