Witnessing
Jeremiah 26
Building a Community centered on Love
This blog is where I do a Bible Reading. I read a passage from the Bible and then I write down my own thoughts on what I read. I would love to know your thoughts as well!
Showing posts with label Jeremiah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jeremiah. Show all posts
Saturday, 30 April 2016
Bible Reading #174 - Witnessing
Thursday, 21 January 2016
Daily Bible Reading with DragoNate #121
The Lord's Flock
Jeremiah 23
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| I pray blessings on you as you read. |
(v. 1-2) " 'Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!' declares the LORD. Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: 'Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done,' declares the LORD. (v. 4) "I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing,' declares the LORD."
My Thoughts
The Bible uses the terms shepherd and sheep a lot. We are all God's sheep, and Jesus is the shepherd. There are also people on Earth who are considered shepherds because they are supposed to take care of God's sheep while Jesus is away. We are also called God's children. Whether it is sheep or children, it is heartbreaking for their caregiver to have lost them.
God's heart is broken when one of His children are lost because that means that they are in danger. If you are a parent, maybe you know how it feels when you've lost sight of your child, even for a minute. That's how God feels when one of His children are lost to Him.
It is one thing for a child to wander away on their accord because, in all honesty, it is their own choice to do so. It's still a scary thing either way. It is entirely another for a child to be led away. That's a malicious deed. The person who does that to a child is not a good person. It is the same thing when it comes to leading people astray from God, and it is an awful thing.
People are lured by many different things, one of which can be the actions or choices of others. This is why it is important for us to show others, by how we live, that we have God in our lives. I understand that no one is perfect. I get angry when certain things don't go the way I want, and yes, I do say words that I should not say. I am not proud of it, and it is a process to get away from that. I also usually only do that at home, so no one but my family really sees it, not that that makes it any better.
The point is, we need to show others the love and the grace of God by living a God-honoring life outwardly. Every one has their weaknesses, I gave you mine. Don't let the weaknesses overcome you. You are stronger than them, and unless you let it, they do not have any control over you. When a weakness shows through, don't let it hold you. Pick yourself back up, ask God for forgiveness and restoration and then learn from the mistake for the future.
God's heart is broken when one of His children are lost because that means that they are in danger. If you are a parent, maybe you know how it feels when you've lost sight of your child, even for a minute. That's how God feels when one of His children are lost to Him.
It is one thing for a child to wander away on their accord because, in all honesty, it is their own choice to do so. It's still a scary thing either way. It is entirely another for a child to be led away. That's a malicious deed. The person who does that to a child is not a good person. It is the same thing when it comes to leading people astray from God, and it is an awful thing.
People are lured by many different things, one of which can be the actions or choices of others. This is why it is important for us to show others, by how we live, that we have God in our lives. I understand that no one is perfect. I get angry when certain things don't go the way I want, and yes, I do say words that I should not say. I am not proud of it, and it is a process to get away from that. I also usually only do that at home, so no one but my family really sees it, not that that makes it any better.
The point is, we need to show others the love and the grace of God by living a God-honoring life outwardly. Every one has their weaknesses, I gave you mine. Don't let the weaknesses overcome you. You are stronger than them, and unless you let it, they do not have any control over you. When a weakness shows through, don't let it hold you. Pick yourself back up, ask God for forgiveness and restoration and then learn from the mistake for the future.
Prayer Time
Now you talk to God about what you read, and you can even read this chapter of the Bible for yourself before you do.
Let me know your thoughts on this reading as well.
Thank you for taking the time to read, I pray that what you have read blesses and inspires you! Godbless!
Wednesday, 6 January 2016
Daily Bible Reading with DragoNate #106
Boast in the Lord
Jeremiah 9
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| I pray blessings on you as you read. |
(v. 23-24) "This is what the Lord says: 'Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,' declares the Lord."
My Thoughts
I hardly ever hear the word "boast" anymore. If you don't know what that means, it means the same as brag. Boasting has never really been a very nice thing. You hear people about bragging rights often and it's just something that's supposed to make you better than others for something. I think it's ridiculous.
If you're strong, can't you just be so? You don't have to boast about it, it's not like being strong makes you more special than anyone else, even if it's someone who isn't very strong. If you're intelligent, can't you just be so? If you make a six-figure income, can't you just be content with that? There's no need to lord these things over anyone because they don't make you better than them in any way.
Being strong has its advantages, so does being intelligent or making a six-figure income. Use your strength for what it is without showing off. When you're at the gym working out, don't pretend that you're not as strong as you are, but don't show off or otherwise boast about it either. Hey, maybe you can even give someone else some friendly pointers to help their workout! The same goes for being intelligent. If you get all A's or 100% or a high GPA in school, that's awesome! Just don't boast about it. Be content with what you can do and maybe even help tutor others.
What we can boast about is that we understand and know God. God is happy about that because He wants to have a relationship with us. How is boasting about knowing and understanding God different? Well for one, we don't need to be all, "I know God and you don't!" Or, "I know God better than you do!" It's just a matter of saying that you do know God. Basically it is just stating the facts here, not lording it over others.
If you're strong, can't you just be so? You don't have to boast about it, it's not like being strong makes you more special than anyone else, even if it's someone who isn't very strong. If you're intelligent, can't you just be so? If you make a six-figure income, can't you just be content with that? There's no need to lord these things over anyone because they don't make you better than them in any way.
Being strong has its advantages, so does being intelligent or making a six-figure income. Use your strength for what it is without showing off. When you're at the gym working out, don't pretend that you're not as strong as you are, but don't show off or otherwise boast about it either. Hey, maybe you can even give someone else some friendly pointers to help their workout! The same goes for being intelligent. If you get all A's or 100% or a high GPA in school, that's awesome! Just don't boast about it. Be content with what you can do and maybe even help tutor others.
What we can boast about is that we understand and know God. God is happy about that because He wants to have a relationship with us. How is boasting about knowing and understanding God different? Well for one, we don't need to be all, "I know God and you don't!" Or, "I know God better than you do!" It's just a matter of saying that you do know God. Basically it is just stating the facts here, not lording it over others.
Prayer Time
Now you talk to God about what you read, and you can even read this chapter of the Bible for yourself before you do.
Let me know your thoughts on this reading as well.
Thank you for taking the time to read, I pray that what you have read blesses and inspires you! Godbless!
Sunday, 20 December 2015
Daily Bible Reading with DragoNate #91
God Our Avenger
Jeremiah 51
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| I pray blessings on you as you read. |
(v. 36) "Therefore, this is what the Lord says: 'See, I will defend your cause and avenge you; I will dry up her sea and make her springs dry."
My Thoughts
We are not going to have a problem-free life. That's something I highly doubt anybody will ever have. There are always going to be bad things that happen, sometimes worse than others. God is always with us, though, walking through everything with us.
Do you or did you ever get bullied in school? I did, quite a bit. My experience was no where near as bad as some others' experiences. I would get called names mostly. Other than that, people would take my stuff, threaten me, turn my friends against me, and one person even tried to light my hair on fire once. I was never really physically bullied. Sometimes I would ignore things. Other times I actually lashed out, sometimes physically, slamming doors, hitting and throwing things, and sometimes verbally, yelling and even swearing. I wasn't very good about all that, I know. I started to stand up for myself, in a much better way I might add, around grade 11 because I started to know God more at some point then.
When bad things happen, it is important not to let those things overwhelm us. Don't let bad things change who you truly are. When it comes to what other people do against us, don't let your anger or hatred or hurt drive you to do things that you know you shouldn't. Give it to God. This is something that I wasn't very good before grade 11.
I have still had horrible experiences with some people now, but I am usually much better with it. I am not perfect in anyway and sometimes I don't react in the best way. I am usually mostly calm until I am by myself or alone with someone I can vent to. That's when I let out my anger about certain things.
What we each have to remember is that God is our avenger. He is the one who will get back at those who hurt us. No matter how much we want to get back at people for what they have done, we need to put it in God's hand and let go of it. That way He has control. That way God does what is necessary to be done and we can continue to live in Him
Let God avenge you. He actually will. Remember though, it is in His timing. If you are frustrated by that, you haven't let go. Give your hurt to God and let Him pass judgement on our enemies.
Do you or did you ever get bullied in school? I did, quite a bit. My experience was no where near as bad as some others' experiences. I would get called names mostly. Other than that, people would take my stuff, threaten me, turn my friends against me, and one person even tried to light my hair on fire once. I was never really physically bullied. Sometimes I would ignore things. Other times I actually lashed out, sometimes physically, slamming doors, hitting and throwing things, and sometimes verbally, yelling and even swearing. I wasn't very good about all that, I know. I started to stand up for myself, in a much better way I might add, around grade 11 because I started to know God more at some point then.
When bad things happen, it is important not to let those things overwhelm us. Don't let bad things change who you truly are. When it comes to what other people do against us, don't let your anger or hatred or hurt drive you to do things that you know you shouldn't. Give it to God. This is something that I wasn't very good before grade 11.
I have still had horrible experiences with some people now, but I am usually much better with it. I am not perfect in anyway and sometimes I don't react in the best way. I am usually mostly calm until I am by myself or alone with someone I can vent to. That's when I let out my anger about certain things.
What we each have to remember is that God is our avenger. He is the one who will get back at those who hurt us. No matter how much we want to get back at people for what they have done, we need to put it in God's hand and let go of it. That way He has control. That way God does what is necessary to be done and we can continue to live in Him
Let God avenge you. He actually will. Remember though, it is in His timing. If you are frustrated by that, you haven't let go. Give your hurt to God and let Him pass judgement on our enemies.
Prayer Time
Now you talk to God about what you read, and you can even read this chapter of the Bible for yourself before you do.
Let me know your thoughts on this reading as well.
Thank you for taking the time to read, I pray that what you have read blesses and inspires you! Godbless!
Saturday, 7 November 2015
Daily Bible Reading with DragoNate #48
False Prophets
Jeremiah 23
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| I pray blessings on you as you read. |
(v. 25) "I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies in my name. They say, 'I had a dream! I had a dream!' " (v. 28) " 'Let the prophet who has a dream tell his dream, but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?' declares the Lord." (v. 30-32) " 'Therefore,' declares the Lord, 'I am against the prophets who steal from one another words supposedly from me... who wag their own tongues and yet declare, 'The Lord declares.' ...who prophesy false dreams." (v. 36) "But you must not mention 'the oracle of the Lord' again, because every man's own word becomes his oracle and so you distort the words of the living God, the Lord Almighty, our God."
My Thoughts
There will be people who will lie about what God says. They will prophesy lies in order to try and deceive you. Do not listen to them. Especially when someone says the words 'oracle of the Lord,' because God was very clear on what would happen to those who use these words. He said that He would forsake them; that He would forget them and cast them away.
Ask for wisdom from God so that you can discern between those who speak God's word faithfully and those who tell lie, speaking words that they claim are from God. Be very careful of who you listen to, and make sure that you listen to their words. If you are ever unsure, then talk to God about it. He will not deceive you. Be careful also of those who prophesy their dreams and visions. As God has said, let them tell their dreams, but that does not mean that they have received word from God.
The words of these false prophets will lead you only to destruction and separation from God. Do not allow this to happen to you. You do not want to be far from God, especially if you are already close to Him. Let yourself grow closer to Him and take advantage of opportunities that allow you to.
God will not lead you astray and neither does He want you to be led astray. If you choose to listen to the lies, it will be detrimental. Listen instead to the voice of truth that comes from God. Even if it isn't people who we hear lies from, it can be Satan. Satan speaks to us and tempts us and tries to lie to us. Don't listen to him, but listen to the truth that God has for us. God's truth is powerful and utterly destroys the lies of Satan.
So again, listen to God's words, not the words of Satan or the words of men. If you are ever unsure of something that someone has said, then you need to pray about it. Until you do, do not consider it. You may be taking a chance on it, which is not a good thing when it comes to your spiritual well-being. Just be careful of what people speak over you. Their words may not be of God and you need to talk to God about it before you listen to them.
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Ask for wisdom from God so that you can discern between those who speak God's word faithfully and those who tell lie, speaking words that they claim are from God. Be very careful of who you listen to, and make sure that you listen to their words. If you are ever unsure, then talk to God about it. He will not deceive you. Be careful also of those who prophesy their dreams and visions. As God has said, let them tell their dreams, but that does not mean that they have received word from God.
The words of these false prophets will lead you only to destruction and separation from God. Do not allow this to happen to you. You do not want to be far from God, especially if you are already close to Him. Let yourself grow closer to Him and take advantage of opportunities that allow you to.
God will not lead you astray and neither does He want you to be led astray. If you choose to listen to the lies, it will be detrimental. Listen instead to the voice of truth that comes from God. Even if it isn't people who we hear lies from, it can be Satan. Satan speaks to us and tempts us and tries to lie to us. Don't listen to him, but listen to the truth that God has for us. God's truth is powerful and utterly destroys the lies of Satan.
So again, listen to God's words, not the words of Satan or the words of men. If you are ever unsure of something that someone has said, then you need to pray about it. Until you do, do not consider it. You may be taking a chance on it, which is not a good thing when it comes to your spiritual well-being. Just be careful of what people speak over you. Their words may not be of God and you need to talk to God about it before you listen to them.
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Prayer Time
Now you talk to God about what you read, and you can even read this chapter of the Bible for yourself before you do.
Let me know your thoughts on this reading as well.
Thank you for taking the time to read, I pray that what you have read blesses and inspires you! Godbless!
Sunday, 11 October 2015
Daily Bible Reading with DragoNate #21
Why do the Wicked Prosper?
Jeremiah 12
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| I pray blessings on you as you read. |
(v. 1) "... Why does the way of the wicked prosper?" (v. 17) " 'But if any nation does not listen, I will completely uproot and destroy it,' declares the Lord."
My Thoughts
So why do wicked people prosper while God's people suffer? Wicked people and those who don't follow God are the ones who get rich, have anything and everything they want and get the fame and popularity and other such things. They never have to worry about anything because it seems that everything is served to them on a silver platter. They get the best life while we who follow God are suffering from disease, poverty, hunger and thirst, sleep deprivation, constant stress, etc...
While the wicked may prosper in this life and have it so good for so long and always get 'lucky' with everything, they will eventually be destroyed for their wickedness. They will lose everything. That means that they will lose what is most important to them, whether it be fame, fortune, possessions, strength or athletic ability and so on. When they lose what is most important to them, it will destroy them because that is what their life was centered on. What they give their lives to will be gone and with it, their life. It will destroy them. The same way as losing a loved one can sometimes send a person into a downward spiral that ultimately destroys them completely, mentally and physically, financially and emotionally, in all ways.
If you follow God and your life is centered on Jesus Christ, then you can never lose Him. If He is most important to you, you will never lose Him and because of that, you will never be destroyed by losing what is most important to you. The wicked don't follow God. It is Satan that helps them to prosper for his own purposes. Once these people die, Satan doesn't care one bit about them. He only relishes in that fact that he stopped someone from following God. That is all that matters to him. Those who do evil and those who do not follow God will not enter God's kingdom when they die.
God never promises us a good life or an easy life if we choose to follow Him. His promise is that He will never leave us or forsake us. God will be with us through everything that we have to endure. Some things are a test for us too. Just read the book of Job to see an example of that. We are going to stumble, we will suffer and we will struggle in our lives. The important thing in these times is that we hold tightly to God and His promises and stay strong in our faith.
The wicked people in this world may get whatever they want now, but when they die, they will spend eternity apart from God. Don't be discouraged by them or their acts or anything else and remember that if you hold tight to God, you will spend eternity with God in Heaven. That is what we long for, is eternity with God. If we do this, then no matter what happens in our lives, we will receive a great inheritance, that is the kingdom of God!
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While the wicked may prosper in this life and have it so good for so long and always get 'lucky' with everything, they will eventually be destroyed for their wickedness. They will lose everything. That means that they will lose what is most important to them, whether it be fame, fortune, possessions, strength or athletic ability and so on. When they lose what is most important to them, it will destroy them because that is what their life was centered on. What they give their lives to will be gone and with it, their life. It will destroy them. The same way as losing a loved one can sometimes send a person into a downward spiral that ultimately destroys them completely, mentally and physically, financially and emotionally, in all ways.
If you follow God and your life is centered on Jesus Christ, then you can never lose Him. If He is most important to you, you will never lose Him and because of that, you will never be destroyed by losing what is most important to you. The wicked don't follow God. It is Satan that helps them to prosper for his own purposes. Once these people die, Satan doesn't care one bit about them. He only relishes in that fact that he stopped someone from following God. That is all that matters to him. Those who do evil and those who do not follow God will not enter God's kingdom when they die.
God never promises us a good life or an easy life if we choose to follow Him. His promise is that He will never leave us or forsake us. God will be with us through everything that we have to endure. Some things are a test for us too. Just read the book of Job to see an example of that. We are going to stumble, we will suffer and we will struggle in our lives. The important thing in these times is that we hold tightly to God and His promises and stay strong in our faith.
The wicked people in this world may get whatever they want now, but when they die, they will spend eternity apart from God. Don't be discouraged by them or their acts or anything else and remember that if you hold tight to God, you will spend eternity with God in Heaven. That is what we long for, is eternity with God. If we do this, then no matter what happens in our lives, we will receive a great inheritance, that is the kingdom of God!
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Prayer Time
Now you talk to God about what you read, and you can even read this chapter of the Bible for yourself before you do. Thank you for taking the time to read, I pray that what you have read blesses and inspires you! Godbless!
Thursday, 1 October 2015
Daily Bible Reading with DragoNate #11
Learn From Mistakes
Jeremiah 3
(v. 8-10) " 'I gave faithless Israel her certificate of divorce and sent her away because of all her adulteries. Yet I saw that her unfaithful sister Judah had no fear; she also went out and committed adultery. Because Israel's immorality mattered so little to her, she defiled the land and committed adultery with stone and wood. In spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return to me with all her heart, but only in pretense,' declares the Lord."
My Thoughts
Israel had committed idolatry and God's judgement on them was that they were to be destroyed by Assyria. Judah knew exactly what Israel had done. Judah also knew the punishment that Israel had suffered and that it was God's judgement. Despite knowing this, Judah did not care. It mattered none to them because they followed in the same footsteps, committing idolatry, worshiping idols made of stone and wood.
Judah could have, and should have, learned from Israel's mistakes. They knew the punishment Israel had to suffer, and still they did the same thing. When you know of a deed someone has committed and you know of the consequences of that deed, why would you want to follow their example? Usually you try to avoid doing the same thing. When the consequences are severe, you want to avoid the same consequences even more. People seem to think "Oh, that won't happen to me!" People would be wrong.
When you screw up, the best thing to do would be to admit that you screwed up, and then learn from your own mistakes. If you're trying to learn to back-flip and you land on your head, bad things will happen. If you are still alright afterward, you're not going to want to do that ever again. That's a good thing. Don't let it stop you from trying to learn to back-flip, but learn from your mistake to avoid the consequences in the future. Once you've learned to back-flip, you can teach someone else how to do it. That person will have a teacher; one who already made the mistakes and knows how to avoid them. So the student learns from the teacher's mistakes and completely avoids the same consequences all together. This is how it should be for everything.
Don't make the same mistakes that other people have made. Rather, learn from their mistakes and you won't suffer their consequences. Don't follow the sins of other people, even if they are friends or family and they try to entice you or convince you or pressure you. It is always better not to make the mistake in the first place than to experience the consequences fr yourself. Their are many examples in the Bible of people making huge mistakes, and even smaller ones. Read carefully when you read and learn from them. Follow Jesus' paths and stay off of the paths that lead to destruction.
Judah could have, and should have, learned from Israel's mistakes. They knew the punishment Israel had to suffer, and still they did the same thing. When you know of a deed someone has committed and you know of the consequences of that deed, why would you want to follow their example? Usually you try to avoid doing the same thing. When the consequences are severe, you want to avoid the same consequences even more. People seem to think "Oh, that won't happen to me!" People would be wrong.
When you screw up, the best thing to do would be to admit that you screwed up, and then learn from your own mistakes. If you're trying to learn to back-flip and you land on your head, bad things will happen. If you are still alright afterward, you're not going to want to do that ever again. That's a good thing. Don't let it stop you from trying to learn to back-flip, but learn from your mistake to avoid the consequences in the future. Once you've learned to back-flip, you can teach someone else how to do it. That person will have a teacher; one who already made the mistakes and knows how to avoid them. So the student learns from the teacher's mistakes and completely avoids the same consequences all together. This is how it should be for everything.
Don't make the same mistakes that other people have made. Rather, learn from their mistakes and you won't suffer their consequences. Don't follow the sins of other people, even if they are friends or family and they try to entice you or convince you or pressure you. It is always better not to make the mistake in the first place than to experience the consequences fr yourself. Their are many examples in the Bible of people making huge mistakes, and even smaller ones. Read carefully when you read and learn from them. Follow Jesus' paths and stay off of the paths that lead to destruction.
Prayer Time
Now you talk to God about what you read, and you can even read this chapter of the Bible for yourself before you do. Thanks for reading, Godbless!
