Jeremiah 45
Serve your First Love!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, May 15.
The personal care God has for His children blows my mind. Even during a time of national disaster for Israel, God took the time to lovingly speak to one of his chosen servants, to both admonish and encourage him. We’ve already met Baruch, the scribe of Jeremiah, and in Jeremiah 45:2-5, God spoke directly to him through the prophet:
“Thus says the Lord the God of Israel to you, O Baruch: ‘You said, “Ah, woe is me! For the Lord has added sorrow to my pain; I am weary with my groaning and have found no rest.” ’ Thus you are to say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Behold, what I have built I am about to tear down, and what I have planted I am about to uproot, that is, the whole land.” But you, are you seeking great things for yourself? Do not seek them; for behold, I am going to bring disaster on all flesh,’ declares the Lord, ‘but I will give your life to you as booty in all the places where you may go.’”
We don’t know what it was that Baruch was doing, in “seeking great things for [himself]” but we know that he had become weary and heavy-laden in his pursuit of it. In response, God invited him to find rest for his soul by remaining focused on Him in the coming calamity. One of the greatest challenges in ministry life is to not make it more than God intends it to be, subtly making it about our own ideas of doing “great things” for God, instead of simply working side-by-side with God. The good news is that God has built in a test for His servants so that we know when we’ve lost focused – are you growing weary and heavy-laden in doing good works?
Seize the moment and return to your first love and you will find rest for your soul!
God bless you!
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YOUTUBE:
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