ESOCS Devotional 6 July 2022
TEXT: JEREMIAH 1:4-10
MEMORY VERSE: “Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord.” Jeremiah 1:8 KJV
0 And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done. Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. 11 But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing. 12 When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted lace ”
God had appointed Jeremiah as a prophet to the nations. Jeremiah would not just prophesy against Judah, but he would prophesy against pagan nations as well. This tells us that God has a global view of the world. God was not just concerned about the behavior of His people; He was concerned about the behavior of all nations. Several prophets spoke against nations other than Israel—Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jonah, and Amos all prophesied against foreign powers.
God has a work prepared for us as well. Our gifts differ “according to the grace that is given to us” (Rom. 12:6). “There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:4). Our work is to honor God, to worship Him, and to lead others to Him. Are you using your talents to the glory of God?
God told Jeremiah not to be afraid of the faces of his enemies. Jeremiah did not need to worry because God would deliver him. Jeremiah needed God’s protection during his ministry. Men threatened Jeremiah’s life by saying, “Do not prophesy in the name of the LORD, lest you die by our hand” (Jer. 11:21). Pashur heard the words being spoken by Jeremiah, and he struck Jeremiah and bound him in stocks (Jer. 20:2). Jeremiah proclaimed God’s judgment in Solomon’s Temple. When Jeremiah finished speaking, the priests and the prophets and all the people seized him, saying, “You will surely die!” (Jer. 26:8).
The message Jeremiah proclaimed was unpopular. Truth is often unpopular. People don’t want to know or hear the truth (Gal. 1:10). God would deliver Jeremiah during his ministry. He has a long history of delivering His people. He led the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage. He delivered Daniel from the lions’ Den. He will deliver us, too. He does not guarantee that we’ll never be killed for the faith (many of His servants were), but He promises to deliver us. If we lose our lives, He will deliver us into Paradise.
God has set us over nations and kingdoms. In order to hear and follow God’s purpose for us, we must pluck up and pull down, destroy and overthrow all the excuses that keep us from building and planting and being who God has called us to be.
- God wants to make you His vessel in your environment. Yield yourself to Him.
- Father, uproot and pull down every excuse that will not enable me do your will in my life.
Read Other ESOCS Devotional here
FURTHER READING: 1 Samuel 10:1–10; Luke 4:16–21; Philippians 2:5–18
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ESOCS Devotional 6 July 2022
