BE STRONG IN THE LORD AND DO NOT FEAR Paul encouraged Timothy, his “beloved son” in the Lord, to overcome fear, knowing that it didn’t come from God. Timothy was Paul’s young protege, but he wasn’t yet as bold and confident as Paul. Even though Paul had left him in charge of the church at
PLEADING WITH SINNERS TO OBEY GOD’S WORD Even after King Zedekiah had allowed Jeremiah to be thrown into a miry pit, he still had compassion for the ones who heard his preaching. This is the mark of a true prophet. He preaches the Word of God without apology, whether blessing or judgment, yet retains the
WHO CAN APPROACH THE THRONE OF GOD? The throne of a human king or judge is elevated by wood or stone and often ornamented by images and symbols to suggest their authority and judgment. But the foundation of the Lord’s throne is “righteousness and justice.” His throne is elevated by His character, which is pure
A PASTOR’S MAIN FOCUS SHOULD BE ON THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD Paul told the young pastor Timothy to avoid focusing on silly distractions and people who might despise his leadership. Instead, he was to “give attention” to the ministry of the Word–– its reading, its exhortation (preaching) and its doctrine (teaching). Today’s pastor
THE PERSISTENT PRAYER FOR GOD’S PRESENCE The Lord is the God of salvation. Yet we must place our faith in His Son, Christ Jesus, to be able to call Him “my” salvation. In Christ, we that were far away, have now been brought near. Although we may feel at times as the psalmist did, that
WHAT GOD DESIRES God desires that all humanity would be saved. Yet, we know from the Scriptures that only those who believe will receive God’s salvation. The tension between what God “desires” for us and what humanity desires for itself is difficult to ease. We tend to overstate one side or the other, either making
DO YOUR PRAYERS FIND THEIR WAY TO THE LORD? The prophet Jeremiah sent a letter of hope to the Jewish exiles in Babylon. He gave them this message from the Lord, assuring them that the Lord had not forsaken them, nor had He stopped hearing their prayers. If only they would seek Him with all
DO YOU ALWAYS WANT MORE? Solomon pondered the question, “Can you ever have too much of a good thing?” In short, his answer was in the affirmative. He advised that you should practice moderation, eating “only as much as you need,” so that you wouldn’t make yourself sick. But we have a problem.
DO YOU TRUST GOD’S WORD? The prophet Jeremiah received this prophecy from the Lord concerning Judah’s looming fall and 70 year captivity to Babylon. His words fell on deaf ears. His king, Jehoiakim of Judah, did not listen to Jeremiah, even at one point, burning his prophetic scroll. But the Lord told Jeremiah to make
DO YOU WRITE IN YOUR BIBLE? The Lord warned that many so-called prophets had not really heard and studied God’s Word. But Jeremiah was God’s man. He stood in the Lord’s counsel and marked His word and preached it as he heard it. Do you mark God’s Word? Do you take note of what