Don’t Take Jeremiah 29:11 Out of of Context...By Kelly Givens

 Don’t Take Jeremiah 29:11 Out of Context

By Kelly Givens

“’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” – Jeremiah 29:11

My Old Testament professor had this to say about the ever-popular Jeremiah 29:11: “I am going to destroy what this verse means to you, but then I’m going to reframe it so you understand it better within it’s original context, and then you will love it even more when we’re done.” He definitely had our attention!

We often approach Jeremiah 29:11 as a security blanket: God has a plan for me that is good, so clearly this suffering I’m going through will end soon and then my flourishing will begin! But that is not at all what God was promising to the Israelites, and it’s not what he’s promising us, either.

Author and blogger Mary DeMuth addresses our misunderstanding of this verse in her article, Jeremiah 29:11 Doesn’t Mean What You Think. As she explains, the heart of the verse is “not that we would escape our lot, but that we would learn to thrive” in the midst of it.

Here’s the context for Jeremiah 29: the Israelites were in exile, a punishment from God as a result of their disobedience. The prophet Jeremiah confronts the false prophet, Hananiah, who had boldly proclaimed that God was going to free Israel from Babylon in two years (spoiler alert: God doesn’t do this).

Jeremiah calls out Hananiah’s lie, and then states the promise we read in 29:11. God does indeed have a good plan for the Israelites, and it is a plan that will give them hope and a prospering future. Sounds good, right?

The thing is, before he shares this promise, just a few verses earlier, he gives them this directive from God: “seek the peace and the prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” (29:7)

This is not at all what the Israelites wanted to hear! They wanted to be told that they were going to go home. They wanted to be told that their suffering was going to end. Instead, God’s plan was for them to stay right where they were, and to help prosper the nation that enslaved them!

And then came the biggest blow of all. In verse 10, God says that he would fulfill this “after seventy years are completed in Babylon.” This meant that none in the current generation of Israelites would ever return to their home.

What a crushing thing to be told!

Mary DeMuth writes:

Yes, of course God knows the plans He has for us. And ultimately He will give us a glorious future. But as we walk out our lives on this crazy earth, let’s remember that the best growth comes through persevering through trials, not escaping them entirely. And when we learn perseverance, we find surprising joy.

What hard thing are you currently going through? In the midst of your suffering, cling to Jeremiah 29:11, but cling to it for the right reason: not in the false hope that God will take away your suffering, but in the true, gospel confidence that he will give you hope in the midst of it.

The Holy of Holies...Craig Denison Ministries

 The Holy of Holies

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview: 

God’s presence is real, full of love, and completely transformational. It takes what was broken and brings healing. It takes what was lost and guides us to our rightful place in the Father. It satisfies the weary, brings light to the darkness, and pours out the refreshing rain of God’s love on the dryest, deepest parts of the soul. Scripture contains story after story of God coming down to meet God’s children where they are, and your heavenly Father has the same heart for you as he did them. He longs to make the reality of his presence known to you. He longs to refresh you with his nearness. You were created for encountering God, and you will never be satisfied until you continually live in the experience for which you were created. Allow your desires to be stirred up to encounter the living God this week as we read powerful stories of God’s people encountering his manifest presence. May you respond to God’s word by seeking out that for which you were made: continual encounter with your heavenly Father.

Scripture:“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” Hebrews 10:19-22

Devotional:    

Descriptions of the Holy of Holies strike fear in my heart. Leviticus 16:1-5 describes the work a priest would have to go through in order to enter into the presence of God and not be killed. Scripture says,

The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the Lord and died, and the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die. For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat. But in this way Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: with a bull from the herd for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. He shall put on the holy linen coat and shall have the linen undergarment on his body, and he shall tie the linen sash around his waist, and wear the linen turban; these are the holy garments. He shall bathe his body in water and then put them on. And he shall take from the congregation of the people of Israel two male goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.”

The holiness of God required absolute purity from all who would enter into his presence. And so powerful was God’s presence that it killed the two sons of Aaron, the high priest. When I picture the terrifying, powerful presence of my God as told in the Old Testament, my heart is filled with reverence and awe. How could this holy God love me, a broken and helpless sinner? How could I come before God and enter into his presence when his holiness requires such purity?

But Hebrews 9:11-12 says,

When Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.

Our high priest entered into the holy places on our behalf and secured safe passage for us all to enter into God’s presence. Hebrews 10:19-22 describes this powerful truth in saying,

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

What’s more, through the death of Jesus, God is now able to flood the earth with his presence. Christ defeated the power of sin and death and made the way for you and me to be the new temple of God’s holy, powerful presence. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 states, “Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.” Later, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

The question before you today is this: are you experiencing the fullness of what has been made available to you through Christ? Are you experiencing the power and nearness of the God who has made his temple within you? Are you living out of the holiness of the very Spirit who dwells within you and has made you a righteous new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17, 2 Corinthians 5:21)?

1 Corinthians 6:20 commands us to “glorify God in [our] body” as a response to being filled with the presence of God through the work of our high priest, Jesus Christ. It’s in living our life out of the inner working of the Holy Spirit that we begin to experience all that God intends for us. We must first acknowledge that the very presence of God who dwelled within the Holy of Holies and was so powerful that it killed men now dwells within us. The same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead lives within us. And in acknowledging the reality of God’s presence in our lives we must begin to realign our lives with the will of the Spirit. We must react to God’s grace with our obedience. So great was God’s desire to provide you with an abundant life in him that he sent Jesus as the final, perfect sacrifice. The fact that you are now the temple of the Holy Spirit means that you have God himself to guide you, love you, fill you, heal you, and deliver you. You have access to a more real and intimate relationship with your heavenly Father than you can fathom.

Spend time in prayer acknowledging the presence of God within you and responding to his presence with humility and trust. Allow the Spirit to transform you in his presence and guide you into who you were created to be. May you encounter the power of the God who loves you too much to allow you to lead a life apart from his holy and loving presence.

Guided Prayer:

1.  Meditate on the power of the presence of God that dwells within you. Reflect on the holiness of God as described in the Old Testament accounts of the Holy of Holies.

“The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the Lord and died, and the Lord said to Moses, ‘Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die. For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat. But in this way Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: with a bull from the herd for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. He shall put on the holy linen coat and shall have the linen undergarment on his body, and he shall tie the linen sash around his waist, and wear the linen turban; these are the holy garments. He shall bathe his body in water and then put them on. And he shall take from the congregation of the people of Israel two male goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.’” Leviticus 16:1-5

“On its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, around its hem, with bells of gold between them, a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, around the hem of the robe. And it shall be on Aaron when he ministers, and its sound shall be heard when he goes into the Holy Place before the Lord, and when he comes out, so that he does not die.” Exodus 28:33-35

2. Now meditate on the fact that you are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Acknowledge the reality of the Holy Spirit in your life. Open your heart and mind to experience his nearness, love, and power.

“Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.” 1 Corinthians 3:16-17

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

3. Come before God with the boldness made available to you through Christ. Ask the Spirit to guide you deeper into God’s presence. Ask God to reveal to you new parts of his love for you. God is infinite. His presence never runs out. Take time to rest in the wonderful, real, and loving presence of your heavenly Father.

“But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.” Hebrews 9:11-12

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” Hebrews 10:19-22

In God’s presence you can experience all he longs to do in you. Allow the Spirit to guide you to past wounds that need to be healed. If you are suffering from a physical ailment, ask the Spirit to heal you. God’s Spirit is as alive and active today as ever, working to heal the brokenness of a world wrought with the destruction of sin. Allow him to work in you, that you might be a picture to others of the reality of your heavenly Father’s love for his children. Open your heart, ask him to move and work, and receive whatever it is he desires to give you today. There’s no time like being in the presence of God to experience all that he has to offer us in his love and grace.

Extended Reading: Hebrews 9-10

Letting Go of What I Know...JODI HARRIS

 Letting Go of What I Know

JODI HARRIS

“… For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” 2 Chronicles 20:12 (NIV)

With the last of our things loaded, we are closing the door on this chapter of our lives. My husband has quit his job as a pastor, and I am saying goodbye to what has been my identity for more than two decades — being a pastor’s wife.

For years I have shepherded women, praying with and encouraging them, teaching the Word and leading small groups, equipping them to use their gifts and lives for God. I know God’s gifts and calling on my life are irrevocable, (Romans 11:29) and I have loved this role in the body of Christ, but due to church leadership changes and with wise counseling, it’s time to go.

This abrupt decision includes a cross-country move away from our beloved community.

My husband and I have no vision, no income or plan. We just pack up and leave, trusting God to provide. But the pastor’s wife who touted the words “Don’t worry! God will provide!” when others struggled is now the woman who tosses those words aside.

Not only am I scared for how we will feed our family, but I am scared for myself … Who am I if not a pastor’s wife? What do I do if I’m not serving in these ways?

Suddenly I feel 6 years old, as if God has put me in timeout. I squirm on my carpet square, picking my fingernails, shame washing over me while others look on. I can hear whispers behind pointing fingers and laughing faces. But in reality, I am a grown woman believing the enemy’s lie: You’re finished. God is done with you. You’ve failed.

In 2 Chronicles 20, King Jehoshaphat understood fear of the unknown. He was leading God’s people, and suddenly an enemy was coming to destroy him — he was terrified.

The last time he had been in this situation, he had taken things into his own hands to fight his enemy head-on, and he almost lost his life. He needed to do things differently this time.

Was he still terrified? Yep. But this time, he resolved to inquire of the Lord. So he gathered God’s people together to fast and pray, ending his prayer with our key verse, 2 Chronicles 20:12: “… For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”

The enemy was coming fast and furious, and the natural response would have been to get into position quickly to fight. Instead, King Jehoshaphat slowed down, acknowledged God, asked for His help, admitted his own weakness and waited. (2 Chronicles 20:3-13)

How many times, and especially now, am I quick to figure out a fix to my failure? To jump in full force to solve it so I don’t have to sit in the discomfort or fear of the unknown? I don’t like pain. And I don’t have patience. I want peace. Now.

As my inner 6-year-old squirms on her timeout square, I decide to pray like King Jehoshaphat — Lord, I don’t know what to do, but my eyes are on You.

As I wait, He speaks. This is not a timeout because I’m in trouble. It’s because I’m wounded. This new season is a time to restore, renew and rehabilitate. It’s a time for my God to teach and train me and ultimately transform me. Because sometimes God doesn’t fix our problems; instead, He wants to fix us in them.

My heart still stirs to use my gifts in the body of Christ. This passion pushes me to show up for my time with God. Hope is being restored as my character matures.

Often God’s plan doesn’t make sense to me, but as I’m leaning into His steps instead of my own, I can trust His path is good.

Lord, thank You for the timeouts in my life when you lovingly teach, train and transform me. I admit to You my fears and shame for feeling useless and helpless and even angry when things don’t go my way. Help me lean in to Your way of things and enjoy Your presence more fully. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

Choosing Love over Rights...Dr. Charles Stanley

 Choosing Love over Rights

Dr. Charles Stanley

Matthew 5:38-48

We talk a lot about rights these days. Yet the attention given to human entitlements hasn’t brought about corporate or personal freedom. Instead, most people are prisoners of jealousy (you have greater rights than I do!), greed (I deserve more!), or bitterness (my rights have been violated!).

Instead of focusing on the privileges due us, we should take the biblical perspective of loving enemies and forgiving persecutors (Matt. 5:44). Believers lay down their rights so they can take up the cause of a holy kingdom. That doesn’t mean that we let people trample on us. Rather, we offer a proper response according to biblical principles. In short, believers should be more concerned about showing God’s love to those who do wrong than about demanding their rights.

Maybe you’re thinking, But he doesn’t know how I’ve been mistreated. Indeed I do not. But what I do know is how Jesus Christ, our example, reacted to terrible abuse. He was betrayed by His friends, persecuted by His people, condemned by His peers, and crucified for our sins. Yet He said, “Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:34).

Before assuming that Jesus’ capacity for forgiveness and love is out of reach for mere human beings, remember: His Spirit dwells in believers. We can choose to give away our rights and let God’s love work through us.

Luke 6:29 says to turn the other cheek and give up more than is asked because expressing love outweighs exerting our rights. You can’t lose when you show others the boundless care of the Lord. You gain His blessing, and, hopefully, someone will be saved because of your example.

Are You Being Shaped by the Savior or Warped by the World?..By Brent Rinehart

 Are You Being Shaped by the Savior or Warped by the World?

By Brent Rinehart

“But their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. They have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but cannot smell. They have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but cannot walk, nor can they utter a sound with their throats. Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them” (Psalm 115: 4-8).

I live in a rural area with a lot of trees. As a result, I’m constantly picking up sticks and limbs on my property. When we moved there, one of my first purchases was a steel “burn cage,” so I can safely burn debris without burning my house down! It is specially designed to allow the right amount of air for the fire to get extremely hot – to incinerate its contents to a fine ash powder. Over time, the weather and extreme heat of these repeated fires has caused the cage to rust and warp.

Heat is an amazing thing. On one hand, artisans use it to shape objects into pieces of art. At the same time, it can melt the same material into something unrecognizable. The same heat can be used to shape, or it can be left unattended to warp.

What about us? The Bible says “we are the clay, and You are our potter; we are all the work of Your hand” (Isaiah 64:8). “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).

God created us for a purpose – to bring Him glory. And, while we are here on earth, we should be continually growing more and more like Christ – being conformed to His image (Romans 8:29). But, for many of us, something holds us back. The fact is this: we become like what we worship. We begin to resemble the things in our lives that we focus our attention on.

We may not think we erect idols since we don’t have golden statues in our homes or prostrate ourselves in front of objects. An idol is anything that takes our focus off God; it is anything that takes priority in our lives over Jesus.

For some, a love of money or success drives us to make work our top priority. For others, pleasure becomes an idol, as our lives revolve around chasing things that make us happy. Children are an idol for some, as they give family preeminence. Others of us worship politics, constantly feeding on cable news and letting our lives be shaped by our emotions. None of these things are inherently bad. But, just like heat, when they take the place of Christ, they will become like idols and warp us.

The Bible says In Psalm 115 that we ultimately become like what we worship. The warning here is that worshipping other things will make you as lifeless as the subject of your adoration. Worshipping things other than God will leave us empty. Over time, we will God’s presence in our lives will become smaller and smaller. As the world becomes brighter, the things of God – namely His voice – will become fainter.

We talk to our kids constantly about influences in their lives. We tell them to choose their friends wisely, because your friends will influence you, for good or bad. Famous motivational speaker Jim Rohn once said that you are the average of your five closest friends. You will ultimately become like the people you hang around the most.

God demands – and is worthy of – our full devotion. If we want to become like Christ, we have to spend time with Him. We have a choice here. We can either allow ourselves to be warped by the things of this world, or we can choose to be shaped by our Savior.

When we allow anything or anyone to take His rightful place, we surrender our own opportunity for the fulfilling life He designed for us. We become more like creation and less like the Creator. And, we lose our ability to fulfill one of our highest callings – sharing with others about Christ. Worshipping things other than Christ renders us ineffective messengers: we “have mouths, but cannot speak,” eyes, but cannot see,” “ears, but cannot hear,” and “feet, but cannot walk, nor can [we] utter a sound with [our] throats.”

Intersecting Faith and Life:

• Are you being shaped by the Savior or warped by the world?
• Are there any areas of your life that have taken the place that should be occupied by God?
• What practical changes can I make in my lifestyle to put God first?

Further Reading:

• Psalm 115
• Isaiah 64: 1-8
• Ephesians 2: 1-10

A Prayer to Remember Our Almighty Ultimate Counselor..Chelsey DeMatteis

 A Prayer to Remember Our Almighty Ultimate Counselor

Chelsey DeMatteis 

“And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.” Luke 4:9-13

When I consider this scripture in Luke, I find myself in awe of who God is and what He did for us when He sent His Son Jesus into the world. Why you might ask? Jesus' coming changed the trajectory of life for all of us who are His. The beauty of what took place on the night of Christ's birth should echo in all we as Christians do.  

One topic I've always loved to study is the sacred names of God, one of my favorites being Wonderful Counselor. We see this lived out so beautifully in Luke chapter 4 when Jesus is tempted by Satan. This story in scripture is one we cannot overlook. It puts depth and meaning to who God is and what He does for His people.

As I unpack Luke 4 (which I often do), I'm always taken aback at how Jesus shuts down the enemy's temptation. With each rebuttal He gave, it began with, "It is written or it is said". Here we see Jesus in the thick of temptation reciting exactly what God's Word says. What an incredible example this is for us because oftentimes in the throws of a spiritual attack we get overly emotional or too discouraged to speak the Word with authority and send Satan back to where he belongs. 

Jesus showed us that we shouldn't speak what we "think" or what we "feel" to Satan, but what we know as all authoritative truth. (Can I get an amen!) You see, knowing the Word of God is so much more than just memorizing. It is hiding the ultimate truth, that cuts through the enemy's tactics, in our hearts. It means that we must lean into the Lord as our Counselor and speak His Word boldly because it is the only weapon of defense we have on this earth.

As I reflect on my relationship with the Lord and how it's grown over the last decade, I see the spots of deafening temptation that God sustained me through. I see many, many moments where His Word and His Spirit counseled my heart; guiding, directing, and protecting me through the world that we reside in for now.

My prayer for your heart and mine is that we would look to the fullness we have received in our relationship with God the Father. That we would be reminded daily to write His word on our hearts. The Lord has promised to counsel us, shepherd us, and sustain us through all the temptations that come up against us - we are never alone. Today, begin to unpack who God says He is. See for yourself why we must know His Word. And rejoice in the promise of His life!

Let’s Pray:

Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of your Word and Your promises to lead us out of temptation. I pray that I would do just as Jesus did in the midst of the attacks He faced from the enemy. Lord, as I walk through this life stir Your confidence in my heart to trust who You say You are and that You are my Wonderful Counselor for all of my days. In Jesus' name, amen.