So after 6 years! WOW time flies...I'm resurrecting this blog. Lately I've found myself writing down my thoughts more and figured I'd add some here. I'm planning to do a family update in the next couple of days (check out my updated profile for a hint) :)
Today I wanted to share some thoughts from the book "BE Decisive: taking a stand for the truth" by Warren Wiersbe. I have done several of the "BE" series books and have always found them helpful when studying a certain book; this one is on Jeremiah. The postlude to this book had a great summary that I thought I'd share here. Wiersbe wraps up the book of Jeremiah with seven lessons that are still timely today. (God called Jeremiah to serve starting in 626 BC; Wiersbe's book was written in 1991 AD and yet even today in 2020 AD these words ring true...God's Word stands forever as TRUTH!)
1) In difficult days, we need to hear and heed the Word of God.
- What they needed was faith in God's Word and obedience to God's will.
2) True prophets of God are usually (if not always) persecuted.
- The civil and religious leaders of Judah preferred the pleasant messages of the false
prophets to the strong words of God's true servant, because the human heart wants to rest,
not repent. It wants peace, but it wants it without having to deal with the basic cause of
unrest---unbelief.
3) True patriotism isn't blind to sin.
- A true Christian patriot isn't blind to the sins of the nation but seeks to deal with those sins compassionately and realistically.
- a nation's greatest problem is not unemployment, inflation, or lack of defense; it's sin. The
nation that doesn't deal with sin is wasting time and resources trying to solve national
problems, which are only symptoms of the deeper problem, which is sin.
4) God's servants occasionally have their doubts and failings.
- Any servant of God who tries to reach and change hearts is a candidate for sorrow and a sense of failure. But God knows our hearts and sustains us.
5) The important thing isn't success; it's faithfulness.
- Jeremiah may have though he had failed, but God saw him as a faithful servant, and that's all that really counts.
6) The greatest reward of ministry is to become like Jesus Christ.
- (Matt. 16:14) What a compliment it would be to have people say, "Jesus Christ is like you!"
7) God is King, and the nations of the world are under His sovereign control.
- It's a solemn responsibility for a people to claim to know God and profess to do His will. It
isn't enough for a nation to put "In God We Trust" on its currency, to mention God in its
pledge to the flag, or to "tip the hat to God" by quoting the Bible in political campaign
speeches. It's righteousness, not religion, that exalts a nation. What pleases the Lord is that
we "do justly....love mercy...and....walk humbly with [our] God" (Mic. 6:8)
So happy to see that you are resurrecting your blog, Elisha! This made my day!
ReplyDeleteAnd these truths .. Wow! I own many, many of Wiersbe's "Be" books, but this is one I do not have. After reading your summary, I think I need to purchase it. I buy many of my books at Thriftbooks.com; don't know if you are familiar with it, but it's a great source for used books priced very reasonably.
These takeaway lessons from "Be Decisive" are so timely. Excellent in any season, but especially for this one. It pretty much sums up what we need to be remembering right now. I don't think it is any coincidence that you were studying this book at this time. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you. It's been fun to get back into blogging a bit. I have heard of Thriftbooks and have bought a few books through their Amazon link.
ReplyDelete