From: October 12, 2024
‘And to this people you shall say: “Thus says the Lord: Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.”‘ (Jeremiah 21:8 ESV).
Jeremiah was given the difficult task of prophesying that Jerusalem would fall to the Chaldeans (Babylonians). They could not win a fight against the besieging army because God Himself had sent them as an instrument of His wrath. If they chose to stay and fight, they would die. But if they chose to surrender to the Chaldeans, they would live. Jeremiah boldly preached, describing the “way of life” and the “way of death” to them.
Being called to preach God’s judgment against his own nation was a heavy burden for Jeremiah. Yet, a true prophet, a true preacher, must put God first above all worldly concerns. God calls His ambassadors to declare the “way of life” and to warn of the “way of death” without regard to political correctness and affiliation.
Jesus spoke of these two ways in His Sermon On The Mount, He said, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matt. 7:13-14).
Which way are you going? Are you telling others about the two ways that are set before them?
PRAYER: Dear Father, we have chosen to follow the way of life through Jesus, Your Son. Strengthen us to warn others of the way of death and to tell the Good News of the way of life. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: October 12, 2023
“Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance. Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work” (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13a NLT).
The apostle Paul instructed the Thessalonian believers to honor those who are leaders in the Lord’s work. The word “honor” means to show appropriate respect, recognizing their worth and giving them what they are worth. In Greek, the word “honor” also implies financial support. As Paul instructed Timothy, “Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid well, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching” (1 Tim. 5:17). Or as the KJV renders it, “Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.”
We bestow great recognition on actors and athletes, but do we honor those who lead in the Lord’s work? Do we honor those who teach and preach the Word? How much is their spiritual guidance worth? Do you show them great respect and wholehearted love? Consider those who are your spiritual mentors, small group shepherds, Sunday school teachers, and pastors who preach the Word.
Since 1992, our calendar has called the second Sunday of October, Pastor Appreciation Day. Some even call October, Pastor Appreciation Month. Yet the Bible has called for it every day of the year. Do you honor your spiritual leaders as the Word of God teaches?
PRAYER: Dear Father, teach us to show honor to those who labor and lead in Your work. Their work is most important and often least appreciated. Yet, we trust that You will reward them even when others don’t. Lord, help us, the members of Your flock, to honor the shepherds that serve under Your Son Jesus, who is the Great and Good Shepherd who laid down His life for the sheep. We give Him our highest expression of honor and praise. For it is in the name of Jesus that we pray, amen.
From: October 12, 2022
TO TRULY KNOW THYSELF ONE MUST KNOW GOD
Jeremiah cried out to God, proclaiming Him as the One who tests and sees the mind and heart of man. Jeremiah was under constant attack by his brethren for the prophecies the Lord gave him to preach. His plea to the Lord was that his enemies’ motives would be tested and seen as sinful and rebellious, whereas his were sincere and true. He knew that only the Lord could truly test and see the mind and heart of man.
This stands in contrast to the wisdom of the ancient philosophers, who taught, “Know thyself.” As Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Polonius advised his son, “This above all: To thine own self be true.”
This seems wise advice. Our lives deserve examination. But self-examination can be faulty and fallen apart from God. The autonomous assessment is too subjective. The sinner is often blind to his own motives. Jeremiah knew this. Earlier he had written, “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9).
Yet Jeremiah appealed to the Lord whose judgment is perfect. Jeremiah prayed to the Lord who tests and sees our deepest thoughts and secrets. Rather than praying “know thyself,” Jeremiah’s prayer was more like, “know thy God that He might reveal thyself.”
PRAYER: Dear Father, we lay our hearts and minds open before You this morning. Test us to see if there is any grievous way in us. Examine our anxious thoughts. We take every thought captive to obey Christ. Transform our thinking that we might have the mind of Christ in all things. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: October 12, 2016
Jeremiah was given the difficult task of prophesying that Jerusalem would fall to the Chaldeans (Babylonians). They could not win a fight against the besieging army because God Himself had sent them as an instrument of His wrath. If they chose to stay and fight, they would die. But if they chose to surrender to the Chaldeans, they would live. Jeremiah boldly preached, describing the “way of life” and the “way of death” to them. Being called to preach against his own nation was a heavy burden for Jeremiah. Yet, a true prophet, a true preacher, must put God first above all worldly concerns. God calls His ambassadors to declare the “way of life” and to warn of the “way of death” without regard to political correctness and affiliation.
From: October 12, 2015
Paul must have written this letter in October to encourage Pastor Appreciation Month. 🙂 For he urged the Thessalonians to give recognition, high esteem and love to those who labored and served as their shepherds. There is a sinful human tendency to rebel against authority. Yet, believers are to be submissive to God and to those whom He has placed “over” them to “admonish” them. This makes the hard work of shepherding more beneficial for both the pastor and the people.