We sometimes have a tendency to laud certain Scripture verses taken out of context. Jeremiah 33 is one of the chapters that often falls victim to this action. It is easy to quote Jeremiah 33:3, and in many churches it's easy to isolate the verse and preach a jump-and-shout message of hope: "God will answer you when you call to Him! He will show you unsearchable things! Hallelujah!" Run, roll, have a good time.
This past Sunday, we experienced Jeremiah 33:3 in its proper context: the first eleven verses of the chapter. Here is the complete message of hope: "Because you have chosen complacency and sin, the LORD has chastised you severely. However, if you repent of your rebellion, the LORD will forgive you."
Pastor Althea shared some things that I'd like us to reflect on today:
- God promises health, healing, peace, and security to those who love Him.
- Sin in the camp, continued in spite of God's grace and patience, will result in the wrath of God.
- The enemy seeks not just to disable us, but to destroy us.
These three points read as if each stands alone, but they are interrelated. God longs to bless His people, but He is not a rewarder of unrighteousness and waywardness. Our love of sin will block us from inheriting what God has promised to us. Further, our adversary the devil holds an interest in preventing the people of God from seeking God's presence. I am reminded of a sermon by John Ortberg on shadow mission: in the sermon, he noted that a key strategy of the devil is to keep God's people just ten or fifteen degrees off course. Our being ten degrees off course may not be easily detected by the world, but it is immediately apparent to God, to the prophetic community, and to the person who is off course. A person who has become comfortable in this compromised position has "lost their first love" and is destined for destruction (see Revelation 2:1-5). (Click here to view John Ortberg's sermon.)
As Pastor Althea shared in Sunday's sermon, none of us is perfect. This is why we need to remain in the presence of God, the only One who can equip us with the power to live in accordance with His will. If we remain in Him, we will live our lives through Him and He will be glorified in us.
I encourage us all to take time to read Galatians 5:16-26 as a reminder and warning. God loves us and is calling us to love Him. I pray that today, and every day, we will take the time and make the effort to enter into His presence with prayers, love, and obedience to His word.
Oh, may we be found in Him.
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