Jeremiah 14 – 17 and Have You Seen These?

Jeremiah 14 - 17

According to NBC news, this July is the hottest month on record and drought has expanded to 63% of the U.S. An 8/9/2012 report from Jim Suhr of A.P. states that soybean and corn crops are the hardest hit because of the drought. Food prices have climbed globally as a result of this with a six percent climb in July alone. This is scary stuff.

In our reading today, we see that Judah was experiencing a bad drought. Jeremiah received a message from the Lord as to the reasons for lack of rain. The people had wandered far from God and were wicked. The drought was a punishment for their sins. The Lord wouldn’t even let Jeremiah pray for the people and made it clear he was not listening to their prayers and requests. God goes so far as to say that even if Moses and Samuel were pleading for these people, he wouldn’t help them.

The Lord said he would send four destroyers against the people: the sword to kill, dogs to drag away, vultures to devour and wild animals to finish up what is left. He would make his “people an object of horror to the kingdoms of the earth.”

He tells Jeremiah not to marry and have children because of the terrible things that will happen to the children born in Jerusalem. He tells him not to mourn for those who die or go to funerals or to parties.

The Lord does give some hope to Jeremiah. He tells him that eventually people will take oaths using the words “As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the people of Israel back to their own land from the land of the north and from all the countries to which he had exiled them.” Jeremiah responds by calling the Lord his strength and fortress, his refuge in the day of troubles. Yes, Jerusalem and the people would be handed over to the enemy and would be taken captive to a foreign land, but the Lord would eventually bring them back. And he did – the state of Israel was established in 1948 and Jews from all around the world have been re-locating there.

Remember II Chronicles 7:14 – “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and forgive their sins and heal their land.” Pray for the United States of America. No political leader can save this country, only the prayers of his people.

Tomorrow, we’ll be reading Jeremiah 18 - 22.

Have You Seen These?

I got a lump in my throat when I read this. I "grew up" thinking: patriotism, it is the AMERICAN way! I am glad to see that somebody saved these posters. The statement at the end says it all!

~ These were our parents ~ What in God's name have we let happen ? I guess we are the last generation to see, or even remember anything like  these ! Whatever happened? It's called............................... Political correctness (or "re-education") happened, Lack of God's name happened, Lack of personal responsibility happened, Lack of personal integrity and honesty happened, Lack of respect and loyalty to our country happened, Lack of being an American happened. Did all of these things die along with common sense?? I, for one am, still proud to be an American! If you are too..... Pass this along, So others can show their pride. We only live in the land of the free because of the brave"

Red Velvet Pancakes at IHOP

This morning, my cousin Richard and I went to IHOP and had some of their delicious red velvet pancakes. Yum Yum! They are drizzled with cream cheese frosting and a dollop of whipped cream.

Jeremiah 10 - 13

In today’s passage, Jeremiah relays the word of the Lord how futile it is to act like other nations who try to read their future in the stars, whose gods are one they carve from trees they cut down. These false gods are helpless, cannot speak, have no breath or power, and need to be carried from place to place. He compares these gods to the one true God, the living and everlasting King, the one who made the earth by his power and preserves it by his wisdom. Jeremiah reminds the people once again of the broken covenant.

Apparently,the people were not happy with Jeremiah’s message since they sought to destroy him and his words. These people promised to kill Jeremiah if he did not stop prophesying in the Lord’s name, but God had Jeremiah under his protection.

Have you ever wondered why it seems like wicked people prosper and why the Lord doesn’t punish them? Jeremiah certainly did.

Jeremiah also prophesied against the evil nations that were trying to take the land that belonged to the Lord’s people Israel. God promised to bring the people of Israel back to their own lands again.

The Lord uses a loincloth to teach Jeremiah an object lesson about how the Lord will rot away the pride of Judah and Jerusalem.

Tomorrow, we’ll be reading Jeremiah 14 - 17.

Until next time…

Jeremiah 7 – 9 and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days

Jeremiah 7 - 9

I wonder where Jeremiah spoke the Lord’s messages before the Lord told him to give his messages at th entrance to the Lord’s Temple. The message was clear: If the people would quit being evil, te Lord would let them stay in their own land, but they were not to be fooled that just because the Lord’s Temple was there, they were not to think the Lord would not punish them as he promised. God repeats the fact that he wants obedience rather than sacrifice, otherwise they will end up like Israel (as opposed to Judah).

We see how Jeremiah is devastated by the situation and the message he must deliver. His grief was “beyond healing” and his heart was “broken.” He wishes he could just go away, forget the people, and live in a traveler’s shack in the desert. He saw the destruction of Jerusalem coming. He urges everyone to learn to mourn, because they will be doing a lot of it.

Tomorrow, we’ll be reading Jeremiah 10 - 13.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days

Today, I went to AMC and saw Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days. This is the third in a series. They are such funny movies and this one was just as good as the other two, if not better.  Go see it if you get a chance.

Until next time…

Jeremiah 4 – 6 and Finally Finished

Jeremiah 4 - 6

The Lord tells Israel what destruction is in store for them and offers them a way to return to him. Through Jeremiah, he tells them of the judgment coming their way. Jeremiah’s heart is broken for his people and for Jerusalem. How awful it must have been for him to see what was coming to his beloved people. He sees the sneering way the people speak about God and his prophets, how God won’t pay any attention to what they are doing. He weeps for his people as we should be weeping for the people of this nation to turn back to God.

Tomorrow, we’ll be reading Jeremiah 7 - 9.

Finally Finished

Today, I finally finished lacing the handbag I made in one of my leather classes back in the beginning of May. It didn’t come out too badly, but it could have bewen punched a little better.

 

 

Until next time…

Jeremiah 1 - 3

When Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, sent his military officials to demand King Hezekiah surrender, Hezekiah sent three officials to meet them, including Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace administrator. During Josiah’s reign, Hilkiah was the high priest who found the Book of the Law. In the first verse of Jeremiah, he describes himself as son of Hilkiah, one of the priests from the town of Anathoth in the land of Benjamin. It is very likely that these mentions of “Hilkiah” refer to the same person, which would mean that Jeremiah was a member of an influential family.

Jeremiah started receiving messages from the Lord during the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah and received messages until the eleventh year of the reign of King Zedekiah, one of Josiah’s sons. It was at that time that the people of Jerusalem were taken away captive.

The Lord told Jeremiah that he knew him before he formed him in his mother’s womb, that he set Jeremiah apart before he was born and appointed him as a prophet to the nations. We don’t know how old Jeremiah was when he first heard the Lord, but he must have been very young. Imagine: here was Jeremiah, a young man living in chaotic times, being told by the Lord that he was to speak God’s words to the people. He must have been frightened by this, because the Lord told him not to be afraid of the people, that he would protect him.

What do you suppose it felt like when the Lord touched Jeremiah’s mouth? Jeremiah was appointed to stand up against nations and kingdoms. Jeremiah’s mission is in Jeremiah 1: 17- “Go out and tell them everything I tell you to say.” Jeremiah didn’t have to decide what to say. The Lord God Almighty put his words in Jeremiah’s mouth. Imagine being told to stand against the whole land.

But we can be assured by the Lord, as Jeremiah was: “For I am with you, and I will take care of you.”

Jeremiah was told to go and shout the Lord’s message to Jerusalem – that the Lord had brought them out of Egypt and they had worshiped worthless idols. The people ignored the prophets God sent to them and abandoned the Lord, the fountain of living water for cracked cisterns they dug themselves which wouldn’t hold water at all. Israel was carried into slavery because of sin. The Lord promised the same to Jerusalem. He invites the people to call on the gods they have made.

In chapter three, you can hear God’s broken heart because of Israel’s sin. His message is that “Only in the Lord our God will Israel ever find salvation.

Tomorrow, we’ll be reading Jeremiah 4 - 6.

Until next time…

Zephaniah and Right Side Up

Zephaniah

According to the first verse, Zephaniah was the great-great-grandsons of King Hezekiah of Judah. His message from the Lord came during the time Josiah ruled in Judah. Not only does he speak of great judgment, but also of great mercy.

For example, in verse 7 of chapter 1, he says “Stand in silence in the presence of the Sovereign Lord, for the awesome day of the Lord’s judgment is near. The Lord has prepared his people for a great slaughter and has chosen their executioners.” In chapter 2, he calls the people to repent quickly, “before the fierce fury of the Lord falls and the terrible day of the Lord’s anger begins,” to see the Lord, follow his commands, do what is right, and live humbly.

Specific judgment is called down on Philistia, Moab, Ammon, Ethiopia, Assyria and finally Jerusalem. In fact, he says, “All the earth will be devoured by the fire of my jealousy.” There will be a remnant of Israel who will eat and sleep in safety and the Lord himself, a mighty Savior, will live among them.

Tomorrow, we’ll be reading Jeremiah 1 - 3.

Right Side Up

As I mentioned last week, I’m taking a class at Tandy Leather on making a top hat. I brought the sections we cut out and punched so I could carve and stamp a design on it. Yesterday, I finally decided to carve and stamp a butterfly on it.As you can see by the picture, it turned out pretty well … that is, until I realized I had put the design on upside-down.

Well, today, I cut out another piece and just stamped and dyed some sunflowers on it – it won’t matter which side is up.

I’ll find some other use for my butterfly eventually.

Until next time…

II Kings 22 - 23 and II Chronicles 34 – 35, etc.

II Kings 22 - 23 and II Chronicles 34 - 35

If I had to use one word to describe today’s lesson, it would be “revival.” Amon’s (Judah) son Josiah became king at the tender age of eight. Unlike his father, Josiah (Judah) “did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight and followed the example of his ancestor David.”

The Temple of the Lord was apparently in disrepair. In Josiah’s eighteenth year, he arranged to have the Temple repaired. Hilkiah the high priest found the Book of the Law in the Temple. When Josiah heard what was written in the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes in despair. He was confronted by his sin and that of the nation. He sent officials to speak to the prophet Huldah, a woman.

She didn’t spare his feelings, but told him that the words written there would come true because the people abandoned the Lord and offered sacrifices to other gods, but because Josiah humbled himself and repented, this wouldn’t happen until Josiah was dead and buried.

The king and his officials go up to the Temple and meet there with all the people, where the king read the entire Book of the Law, also called the Book of the Covenant. The king “renewed the covenant in the Lord’s presence” and he and the people pledged they would obey the Lord and keep the covenant.

Josiah ordered all pagan articles and symbols removed from the land and, it sounds as if there were a lot of them all over the land. He also instituted celebration of the Passover. According to II Chronicles 35:18 – 19, “Never since the time of the prophet Samuel had there been such a Passover. None of the kings of Israel had ever kept a Passover as Josiah did…”

Every time I read passages like this, I can’t help but compare what happened with what’s happening in our nation. I am reminded of II Chronicles 7:14 and pray for such a revival to happen in our nation. How we have come from Congress printing the first Bibles to God being thrown out of all of the public arenas amazes me. Pray for the USA.

Tomorrow, we’ll be reading Zephaniah.

A President Who Cares

Colorado Springs..they had to suspend flights of the fire fighting tankers because the big O came to town.

No air traffic could be in his vicinity, so the firefighting planes had to stop. The big O (zero) spent hundreds of thousands of taxpayer's money to fly across the country in Air Force One to Colorado to make a campaign stop in the middle of a tremendous fire, thereby totally disrupting all the firefighting and police efforts, and causing millions more in fire damage to forests and homes.. and people’s lives.. all just to make himself look more prominent in the news. This is what we have for a President of our country now folks.

He sure has the best interests of Americans at heart doesn't he! We got "change" alright!

BRILLIANTLY EXPLAINED.

This rather brilliantly cuts thru all the political doublespeak we get.
It puts it into a much better perspective.
Lesson # 1:

* U.S. Tax revenue: $2,170,000,000,000
* Fed budget: $3,820,000,000,000
* New debt: $ 1,650,000,000,000
* National debt: $14,271,000,000,000
* Recent budget cuts: $ 38,500,000,000
Let's now remove 8 zeros and pretend it's a household budget:

* Annual family income: $21,700
* Money the family spent: $38,200
* New debt on the credit card: $16,500
* Outstanding balance on the credit card: $142,710
* Total budget cuts so far: $38.50
Got It ?????

OK now Lesson # 2: Here's another way to look at the Debt Ceiling:
Let's say, You come home from work and find there has been a sewer Backup in your neighborhood....and your home has sewage all the way up To your ceilings.
What do you think you should do ......
Raise the ceilings, or pump out the crap?
Your choice is coming Nov. 2012.

More of the same,   or THIS?? A man with successful  business background & a TRUE American???

Until next time…