“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) I used to know a businessman who would say, “There is a right way and a wrong way to do everything.” There were just two ways toContinue reading “Two Ways, Two Outcomes”
Tag Archives: hope
Broken and Unrepairable
“Then you shall break the flask in the sight of the men who go with you, and shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: So will I break this people and this city, as one breaks a potter’s vessel, so that it can never be mended. Men shall bury in Topheth becauseContinue reading “Broken and Unrepairable”
Forgotten
“But my people have forgotten me; they make offerings to false gods; they made them stumble in their ways, in the ancient roads, and to walk into side roads, not the highway,” (Jeremiah 18:15, ESV) One Christmas, we were in the middle of a move from a Chicago suburb to Savannah Georgia. All the householdContinue reading “Forgotten”
Contrasts
“Thus says the Lord: ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.’” (JeremiahContinue reading “Contrasts”
The Greatest Rescue Mission
“Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when it shall no longer be said, ‘As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ but ‘As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the north country and out of all theContinue reading “The Greatest Rescue Mission”
A Nonconformist
“I did not sit in the company of revelers, nor did I rejoice; I sat alone, because your hand was upon me, for you had filled me with indignation.” (Jeremiah 15:17, ESV) As I have been in the pastoral ministry for many years, I look back and realize the power of behavior patterns. We establishContinue reading “A Nonconformist”
Slip Sliding Away
“Though our iniquities testify against us, act, O Lord, for your name’s sake; for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against you.” (Jeremiah 14:7, ESV) When I was in college, I had a 1967 Toyota Land Cruiser. This four-wheel drive vehicle could go just about anywhere. I remember taking it on the sandy beachContinue reading “Slip Sliding Away”
Broken Can’t Fix Broken
“Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then also you can do good who are accustomed to do evil.” (Jeremiah 13:23, ESV) Ask people what they consider one of the greatest hymns of all time and you might get a variety of answers. Yet this one hymn almost everyone will recognizeContinue reading “Broken Can’t Fix Broken”
Tears Unto Harvest
“ Hear and give ear; be not proud, for the Lord has spoken. Give glory to the Lord your God before he brings darkness, before your feet stumble on the twilight mountains, and while you look for light he turns it into gloom and makes it deep darkness. But if you will not listen, myContinue reading “Tears Unto Harvest”
Ruined Undies
“Take the loincloth that you have bought, which is around your waist, and arise, go to the Euphrates and hide it there in a cleft of the rock. . . Then I went to the Euphrates, and dug, and I took the loincloth from the place where I had hidden it. And behold, the loinclothContinue reading “Ruined Undies”
Renewing the Heart 