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Irrefutable
“If you, Israel, will return,then return to me,”declares the Lord.“If you put your detestable idols out of my sightand no longer go astray, and if in a truthful, just and righteous wayyou swear, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’then the nations will invoke blessings by himand in him they will boast.” (Jeremiah 4:1, 2 NIV,…
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From Family to Property
Is Israel a servant, a slave by birth?Why then has he become plunder? … Do not run until your feet are bareand your throat is dry.But you said, ‘It’s no use!I love foreign gods,and I must go after them.’ (Jeremiah 2:14, 25 NIV, 10-25-12) When children are captured by an enemy, they aren’t plunder, they’re…
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Bad Trade
Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for that which does not profit. (Jeremiah 2:5, 11 ESV, 10-24-12) Giving up the valuable for the worthless How often do we make that trade? How often do I make that trade? Giving up on time…
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Change of Control
Have you not just called to me:‘My Father, my friend from my youth, will you always be angry?Will your wrath continue forever?’This is how you talk,but you do all the evil you can.” (Jeremiah 3:4, 5 NIV, 10-27-12) Am I different? In Jeremiah’s day it was simply a matter of behavior. But in ours there…
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Perspective
“Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you…
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Impact
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,before you were born I set you apart;I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5 NIV, 10-19-12) A prophet to the nations. That isn’t how I think of Jeremiah. Except for an unintentional trip to Egypt, I do not think he ever left…
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Watching
The Lord said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.” (Jeremiah 1:12 NIV, 10-21-12) Not stressing, not manipulating, watching. God has said it, it is done, so just watch. Stressing adds nothing positive to the equation, and manipulating doesn’t make it more likely. [Father, help…
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Approval
And they praised God because of me. (Galatians 1:24 NIV, 10-12-12) Okay, how do I balance that? Wanting people to praise God because of me but not wanting it toooo much? Well, I think the key is that Paul is not saying, “I worked to gain their approval,” but rather, “I was doing what God…
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Exiled Elect
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, (1 Peter 1:1 NIV, 10-7-12) To God’s elect, exiles… Not exactly words you expect to see together. Elect exiles. Chosen exiles. But it has a long history. Exiled to Egypt. Exiled to Babylon. Now…
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Praying for a Sure Thing
I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. (Daniel 9:2, 3 NIV, 10-3-2012) Daniel…
For years, I’ve produced brief devotional videos called Jumpstarts that I published in various outlets. (You can find them here, as well as the odd podcast.) The root of those videos was daily Bible journals I’ve been doing for decades.
I recently decided to take a hiatus from the videos, and instead publish excerpts from those journals here.
As you’ll soon see, they tend to be brief, normally consisting of just one main idea. They may also be a little rough. I’m not going to do much editing. You’ll get them just the way they came out of my brain, years, days, or months ago.
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