I'm reading the book of Jeremiah as part of my daily devotional and this morning it
struck me (as I read chapter 24) that the people who were captured and carried off into exile were the
ones God was going to save. Imagine yourself as a resident of Jerusalem
in a time of siege. The armies of Babylon are at the gate, the city is
nearly surrounded, there's some crazy guy wandering around hollering
that God is punishing you for your sins and worshiping false gods.
The city is in chaos, people are wondering where God is - why is He letting these foreigners come and destroy the city dedicated to His name?
Jeremiah 24 has the answer, but is it what we want to hear?
How many of us would willingly let the armies of Nebuchadnezzar take us captive? How many of us would instead, take our families and what few possessions we could carry and flee to neighboring lands? How hard would it be to convince our families that it may sound crazy, but we need to go into exile? That giving our lives over to the King of Babylon - the enemy - is God's plan to save the remnant of His people.
How hard is it today to do things that seem to go against the wisdom of the world?
Do we, as believers, have what it takes to make the really hard choices that our faith will someday demand?
That is what our pastors are here for. That is why small groups/Sunday School exist. We have to prepare ourselves - Paul reminds us in Romans 12:2 - Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Are you ready?
The city is in chaos, people are wondering where God is - why is He letting these foreigners come and destroy the city dedicated to His name?
Jeremiah 24 has the answer, but is it what we want to hear?
How many of us would willingly let the armies of Nebuchadnezzar take us captive? How many of us would instead, take our families and what few possessions we could carry and flee to neighboring lands? How hard would it be to convince our families that it may sound crazy, but we need to go into exile? That giving our lives over to the King of Babylon - the enemy - is God's plan to save the remnant of His people.
How hard is it today to do things that seem to go against the wisdom of the world?
Do we, as believers, have what it takes to make the really hard choices that our faith will someday demand?
That is what our pastors are here for. That is why small groups/Sunday School exist. We have to prepare ourselves - Paul reminds us in Romans 12:2 - Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Are you ready?
X
Sometimes an "exile" is needed to change one's perspective ... to see things in a different light. I think maybe that is the purpose of the Australian "walk about." It's not just a journey, but a kind of self-imposed exile.
ReplyDelete