Grace and Peace to you!
From the very first page through the very last, the Bible continually points out that it is God’s passion to see those whom He has created walk in intimacy with Him. The Lord’s unending pursuit to draw His people into an intimate, loving relationship is as true today as it has ever been before. It is and has always been God’s deepest desire that you and I walk in paradise with Him just as Adam and Eve had once walked with Him in the Garden of Eden.
Jeremiah, one of the prophets called by God, served during the reigns of the last kings of Judah. Unfortunately, many of the kings of Judah were very bad kings. These kings were more than bad; they were also wicked and very unfaithful. The kings worshiped false gods. These kings led the nation to worship these false gods. One of these kings had even used the scroll of Jeremiah as fuel to heat his palace room. God inspired Jeremiah to write down his words once more. But even the unbelief of the kings could not stop the message of God delivered by Jeremiah.
But then, the actions of those kings was not something new. Throughout the Old Testament we can read of how God would always be with Israel to take care of them and lead them. Even when they forgot God, rejected the prophets of God, and left to follow their own path, God would always be wanting to have a close and personal relationship with them.
Sometimes we begin on a similar path. Our sins and sinful nature are always trying to separate us from the mercy and grace of our loving Lord. It’s true that, on our own, we are lost and condemned creatures. At times it is difficult for some to give credit to God as well as to remember that it is God and God alone who saves us. It is God and God alone who rescues us from the grip of sin and Satan. It is the Lord who holds us safely and securely in the palm of his hand.
With human nature being so self-centered, it is natural to ask, “Why is God so concerned about us?” The answer is that God cares about the believer because we are His children. God has made us His children by faith in Christ Jesus. This saving faith, which is ours, is ours only by God’s free grace. We may not always feel the joy of living in God’s grace. There are times of sadness that can almost seem to sap our joy. As the result of sin, this world is not perfect. The world is far from perfect. Our lives are not perfect. We do not treat others always with kind thoughts, words, and deeds. But as believers, baptized in Christ’s death and resurrection, there are now choices that we can make. While selfishness and greed only produce destruction, believers and followers of Jesus Christ live by loving God above all things and loving our neighbor as we love ourselves.
There are far more important things in this world than the things of this world. This is the message of hope that is planted in us by the grace, mercy, and love of God. Only God can grow this hope in us for our benefit and for the benefit of others. Only God’s hope can grow joy in our hearts and lives for our benefit and for the benefit of the world around us.
In Christ!
Pastor Bakker
See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north, and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, those with child and those in labor, together; a great company, they shall return here. 9With weeping they shall come, and with consolations I will lead them back, I will let them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble; for I have become a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn. Jeremiah 31:8-9 (NRSV)
From the very first page through the very last, the Bible continually points out that it is God’s passion to see those whom He has created walk in intimacy with Him. The Lord’s unending pursuit to draw His people into an intimate, loving relationship is as true today as it has ever been before. It is and has always been God’s deepest desire that you and I walk in paradise with Him just as Adam and Eve had once walked with Him in the Garden of Eden.
Jeremiah, one of the prophets called by God, served during the reigns of the last kings of Judah. Unfortunately, many of the kings of Judah were very bad kings. These kings were more than bad; they were also wicked and very unfaithful. The kings worshiped false gods. These kings led the nation to worship these false gods. One of these kings had even used the scroll of Jeremiah as fuel to heat his palace room. God inspired Jeremiah to write down his words once more. But even the unbelief of the kings could not stop the message of God delivered by Jeremiah.
But then, the actions of those kings was not something new. Throughout the Old Testament we can read of how God would always be with Israel to take care of them and lead them. Even when they forgot God, rejected the prophets of God, and left to follow their own path, God would always be wanting to have a close and personal relationship with them.
Sometimes we begin on a similar path. Our sins and sinful nature are always trying to separate us from the mercy and grace of our loving Lord. It’s true that, on our own, we are lost and condemned creatures. At times it is difficult for some to give credit to God as well as to remember that it is God and God alone who saves us. It is God and God alone who rescues us from the grip of sin and Satan. It is the Lord who holds us safely and securely in the palm of his hand.
With human nature being so self-centered, it is natural to ask, “Why is God so concerned about us?” The answer is that God cares about the believer because we are His children. God has made us His children by faith in Christ Jesus. This saving faith, which is ours, is ours only by God’s free grace. We may not always feel the joy of living in God’s grace. There are times of sadness that can almost seem to sap our joy. As the result of sin, this world is not perfect. The world is far from perfect. Our lives are not perfect. We do not treat others always with kind thoughts, words, and deeds. But as believers, baptized in Christ’s death and resurrection, there are now choices that we can make. While selfishness and greed only produce destruction, believers and followers of Jesus Christ live by loving God above all things and loving our neighbor as we love ourselves.
There are far more important things in this world than the things of this world. This is the message of hope that is planted in us by the grace, mercy, and love of God. Only God can grow this hope in us for our benefit and for the benefit of others. Only God’s hope can grow joy in our hearts and lives for our benefit and for the benefit of the world around us.
In Christ!
Pastor Bakker
See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north, and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, those with child and those in labor, together; a great company, they shall return here. 9With weeping they shall come, and with consolations I will lead them back, I will let them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble; for I have become a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn. Jeremiah 31:8-9 (NRSV)
