Saturday May 30, 2015

Read Jeremiah 20:7-18

Today’s reading is not a misprint. It’s good to read Jeremiah’s prayer/lament in one go to get a feel for the entire prayer. It’s good to understand the movement of the prayer/lament.

Jeremiah starts of feeling quite deflated or spent (vs 7) because God Himself had deceived him. He then moves to frustration because doing God’s work has brought reproach and insult (vs 8). As Jeremiah turns to consider his own heart the frustration and anger mounts because he simply can’t keep the Word of God inside. He has to let it out, knowing that further hate and rejection await him (vs 9). Perhaps vs 10 is spoken with a note of fear or trepidation, anticipating more persecution and attack. Jeremiah knows the plans of the people because he has heard their scheming. Perhaps that knowledge led to fear or trepidation.

Verses 11-12 come as an oasis, a calming and soothing relief as he focuses on God. In the centre of the cyclone there is a moment of peace and tranquillity. God is on his side. God searches the heart and mind. God will see the truth in the people and in himself. God will bring restitution and hope. Verse 13 is the natural heartfelt praise and adoration of realising that God is a warrior who is on his side. It’s a climax in his prayers.

But in vs 14-18 we again plummet to the depths of despair as Jeremiah curses his birth and wonders why he ever came out of the womb. The calm in the cyclone evaporates as the howling winds pick up and gain momentum yet again.

Jeremiah’s prayer goes up and down with emotion. He scales the heights of adoration and praise and sinks to the depths of despair. Jeremiah’s prayers are not a monotone of lifeless prayers uttered without emotion or feeling. Jeremiah’s prayers are not simply the routine motion of well learned prayers.

And interestingly, God doesn’t strike him with lightning. While we must always remember who God is and how holy and righteous He is, we can still pour out our hearts to God and tell Him our deepest secrets and fears. We can cry out to Him, yell in His presence, and even share our dreaded worries and anxieties. We can be honest and open with God in our prayers.

If we are going to persevere and endure in ministry and service over the years then we must learn to be honest and real in God’s presence.

Prayer:

Using the passage and reading for today spend time in prayer. Use the blank space below to add your own supplications.

Adoration:

Confession:

 Thanks:

Supplication:

· Ask our Lord and Saviour to fill each preacher in this land with His Spirit tomorrow so that the Word is powerfully and faithfully preached. Pray that God would work through the preached Word and that each congregation would willingly, even joyously, put themselves under the authority of the Word.

Pray that your fellowship tomorrow would be deep, rich and Jesus centred. Pray that people would  come to serve, to give

 Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. Why is it good or helpful to understand the movement or flow of a passage of Scripture?

2. Why is it good to understand the movement of the prayers in Scripture?

3. How can this movement encourage and bless us?

Friday May 29, 2015

Read Jeremiah 20:7-12

As you read Jeremiah 20:7-12 you could be forgiven for thinking that you were reading a Psalm. Jeremiah, like many of the Psalmists, pours his heart out to the Lord. He cries out to God telling God that he feels deceived by God, ridiculed by the people, attacked for doing the Lord’s work and the target of the people’s revenge plans.

Like the Psalmist Jeremiah works through his emotions and comes to a heart-warming and comforting conclusion in vs 11-12

         11 But the LORD is with me like a mighty warrior;

         so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail.

         They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced;

         their dishonour will never be forgotten.

         12  O LORD Almighty, you who examine the righteous

         and probe the heart and mind,

         let me see your vengeance upon them,

         for to you I have committed my cause.

Somehow I don’t think Jeremiah would have been as encouraged and blessed if he had sat quietly before the Lord, put his hands together, bowed his head a little and whispered or thought in his holiest accent, ‘Thank you O Lord that thou art a mighty warrior with me. You O Lord examine the righteous…’ (You get the drift?) I picture Jeremiah pacing the floor like a caged lion, with his arms stretched out to God in heaven, tears streaming down his face, speaking loudly or even yelling. Or perhaps he’s kneeling with his face to the ground, arms stretched out in front of him, tears forming puddles under his face as he cries before to the Lord.

And after pouring out his soul to God Almighty, he is deeply and richly comforted by the truth of vs 11-12.

         11 But the LORD is with me like a mighty warrior;

         so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail.

         They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced;

         their dishonour will never be forgotten.

         12  O LORD Almighty, you who examine the righteous

         and probe the heart and mind,

         let me see your vengeance upon them,

         for to you I have committed my cause.

Prayers such as this one and the many similar ones in the Psalms show a common pattern. The person praying opens his soul to the Lord and laments in His presence. Weeping, exposing one’s fears, anger and hurt are all common emotions. But inevitably they come back to God and lift up God for His love, compassion, strength and so on.

Not only is this a great model for our own prayers but it’s also a great model for how we can counsel others who are frustrated and angry. Rather than rescuing them and telling them about God’s goodness, strength etc we can let them cry, scream, vent their anger and frustrations. As they do, they will almost invariably come back to God and seek to praise Him for some characteristic. If they don’t we can gently lead them back to God. That person will feel refreshed, revitalised and renewed. They’ll feel immeasurably closer to God because they let out the pressure building up inside of them. They’ll feel blessed and loved because you were courageous enough to love them and hear them.

Prayer:

Using the passage and reading for today spend time in prayer. Use the blank space below to add your own supplications.

Adoration:

Confession:

Thanks:

Supplication:

· Ask our Lord and Saviour to be drawing the youth, who meet tonight, closer to Himself. Ask God to deepen them in their faith and to challenge those who are not Christian to put their faith in Jesus. Pray that the group will grow in number.

· List the people you know of that are suffering or doing it tough in ministry and service. Ask the Lord to bring comfort and blessing to those who are suffering in their ministry and service. Ask God to be drawing these people near to Himself and healing hurts and wounds.

Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. Often when people come to us for counsel or just to talk, we shy away from heavy emotions such as anger and let down. What factors stop us from allowing others to fully share their emotions and feelings?

2. How can we cultivate a deeper walk with God for myself?

3. How can I encourage others to be more intimate with God?

Thursday May 28, 2015

Read Jeremiah 19:1-20:6

Hubert and Harry (not their real names) served in different churches but in the same type of ministry with young people. Both started about the same time but one lasted only 2 years while the other lasted over 15 and is still serving in that ministry. What’s the difference in the ministry longevity of these two people? How can one give up so quickly while the other soldiers on for over a decade?

Yesterday we saw that pouring our heart out to God and letting out our frustrations in His presence is a good and healthy thing. Each of us involved in ministry and service needs to make time, quality and quantity time, to be with the Lord so that we can pour out our hearts to Him. We need to create a sanctuary where we can cry out to God and, if need be, to yell and scream and cry and rant and rave. We need a secure place to be with God where we can be ourselves.

We need a release from ministry and service. Often pressure and frustration build up. Many people in ministry and service bottle up these frustrations, hurts and the let downs and unfortunately people tend to snap or explode. Such snapping or exploding has caused people to leave ministry, to leave the particular church and in extreme cases to leave the faith altogether.

The release valve for ministry and service is spending time, quality and quantity time with the Lord where we can lay bare our souls before Him. And will it work? In Jeremiah 18:19-23 Jeremiah poured his heart out to God. In chapter 19 he’s called to present a message of judgement to the king and the people, see 19:1-15. As he preaches the Lord’s word, Jeremiah is arrested, beaten up and locked up in stocks for the night.

Jeremiah is able to endure because he is honest with God. Jeremiah is able to continue ministering because he has a deep, intimate relationship with the Lord that is built on honesty not formality and pretence. Jeremiah refused to go through the motions. When he prayed, he cried out to God. He wept. He shared and unburdened his heart. He bared his soul before the Lord. He was open and honest before the Lord.

If we are to persevere in ministry and service we need such an outlet. The difference between Harry and Hubert was not their spiritual giftings, nor their personal abilities. It was not their personalities nor their make up or constitution. The difference was that one spent regular, intimate time with the Lord while the other was so caught up in life and ministry that God was often overlooked.

Prayer:

Using the passage and reading for today spend time in prayer. Use the blank space below to add your own supplications.

Adoration:

 Confession:

Thanks:

Supplication:

· As we approach the Lord’s Day pray that God would be preparing each person to meet with Himself, to worship in spirit and truth and to stand in awe of the majesty and grandeur of God.

· List the people you know of that are suffering or doing it tough in ministry and service. Ask the Lord to bring comfort and blessing to those who are suffering in their ministry and service. Ask God to be drawing these people near to Himself and healing hurts and wounds.

 Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. Describe in more detail what it was like for Jeremiah in 20:1-6.

2.  If you were in Jeremiah’s shoes, how do you think you would have reacted?

Wednesday May 27, 2015

Read Jeremiah 18:18-23

Ministry is hard work and often filled with negatives, set backs and complaints from those to whom you seek to minister. I’ve heard from many ministers and servants in the Christian church that they feel trapped. No matter what they do, they know that someone will complain and be upset.

As an example, consider the young minister in a particular charge who wanted to introduce change for the sake of the Gospel and for the growth of the congregation. He worked slowly and sought to include everyone in the changes so as to avoid needlessly upsetting anyone. Two polarised groups formed in the church – those who thought that the changes were being implemented too slowly and those who thought it was too fast and too radical. The result was a burnt out minister that left the congregation!

Jeremiah faced a similar problem. He had been interceding for the people and urging them to repent and to return to the Lord. For his ministry and work he was rewarded with attack. In verse 18 the people respond to Jeremiah’s ministry.

Jeremiah 18:18 (NIV84)

They said, “Come, let’s make plans against Jeremiah; for the teaching of the law by the priest will not be lost, nor will counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophets. So come, let’s attack him with our tongues and pay no attention to anything he says.”

Many today would simply pack up and leave or at least change churches. Some might cease ministry and service all together. Some might walk away from God. What does Jeremiah do? In vs 19-23 he pours his heart out to the Lord. Jeremiah laments before the Lord and vents his anger and frustration.

Can you hear the pain in Jeremiah’s words in Jeremiah 18:19–20 (NIV84)?

19 Listen to me, O LORD; hear what my accusers are saying!

20 Should good be repaid with evil? Yet they have dug a pit for me. Remember that I stood before you and spoke in their behalf to turn your wrath away from them.

In the face of frustration and heartache you and I need to learn to pour out our hearts to the Lord. We need to learn to confide in Him, to weep in His presence and even to vent our anger before Him. God is big enough and strong enough to cope with our emotions. He’s secure enough and stable enough to listen to our heart, to hear our cries and to continue loving us.

The next time you are frustrated or feel like giving up, spend time pouring out your heart to the Lord. Spend time in God’s presence. Be with God and you’ll be refreshed and renewed for more ministry.

Prayer:

Using the passage and reading for today spend time in prayer. Use the blank space below to add your own supplications.

Adoration:

Confession:

Thanks:

Supplication:

· Pray MOPS and Playpals ministry that runs at ChristLife. Ask God to provide all the needs of these ministries both human and non human so that the Gospel will continue to reach out and so that many families will come to know Jesus as Lord and Saviour.

· Pray that God would bring a growing depth to each believer in your congregation, that they would know Him better and understand more of the depth, breadth, width and height of the love of God for them personally and corporately

 Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. Have you ever poured out your heart to God? Share how you felt afterwards and how pouring out your heart to God helped you personally?

2.  What conditions are necessary for us to be able to pour out our hearts to the Lord?

3. What might happen if we refuse to be honest and open before the Lord?

Tuesday May 26, 2015

Read Jeremiah 18:11-17

Yesterday we saw that God is sovereign over the nations. He is so sovereign that He knows their current actions, their needs and their responses to His Word and rebuke as well. How comforting to know that God is not caught off guard by any individual or nation, no matter wicked or evil it seeks to be.

Jeremiah is called by the Lord to pronounce judgement upon the people and to warn them towards repentance. But God reveals to Jeremiah that the people will reply in Jeremiah 18:12 (NIV84) in a negative way.

But they will reply, ‘It’s no use. We will continue with our own plans; each of us will follow the stubbornness of his evil heart.’ ”

What follows from God is a scathing warning to the nation that they, God’s own people, have sinned greatly by burning incense to lifeless statues and idols. God’s people have forgotten the one true living God and have turned to idols made of wood and stone, gold and silver. Instead of seeking the one true living God, they have turned and have sought idols and statues.

In response God promises to bring disaster and judgement. In the midst of the disaster God will turn His back and remove His face from the people. Just as they had forgotten God, God will forget them and let them endure the consequences of their actions.

In the midst of all this, try to imagine how Jeremiah felt. He had been called to preach repentance to a stubborn and stiff necked people who would refuse to listen to the warnings given by God. Jeremiah must have felt like he was wasting both his and the Lord’s time. He must have felt like it was a colossal exercise of futility.

You and I must remember that God’s work is never futile or pointless. Even if we don’t see results after years of ministry we must remember that God’s work is never futile or pointless. God's ways are higher than ours. God’s purposes are grander than our imaginations. God’s plans are broader than our understanding. Even if we don’t know God’s plans and purposes, let us faithfully continue serving and ministering knowing that God is at work and that our labours are never in vain.

Prayer:

Using the passage and reading for today spend time in prayer. Use the blank space below to add your own supplications.

Adoration:

Confession:

Thanks:

Supplication:

· Pray for the Session of your church that they would be men who know God’s sovereignty and are in tune with His Word. Pray that these men would be close to God and intimate with Him so that they can lead your church in accord with the will and Word of God.

· Pray that your church would grow 30, 60 even 100 fold as the gospel is faithfully preached and as individuals take the Word of Life into their world and share it with others.

 Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. Hector comes to you feeling worn out and tired from ministry. He complains to you that he just isn’t seeing results. He’s wondering if it’s time to move on. How can you be an encouragement to Hector?