Friday Faithfuls Two: Jeremiah

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Jeremiah.  I was, like, reading through instead of skimming...maybe I should just do a study of Jeremiah next?  I kind of shook myself this morning and went back to chapter one to skim through...get back on track...and I was kind of subconsciously wondering what there is about Jeremiah that pushes me to grief.

Jeremiah is the record of the last days of a once-great nation that had abandoned the foundation upon which it was built, with leaders who were outright contemptuous of  both those roots and those who were pleading with the people to return to their roots. Likewise,  the people refused to listed to any of God's true prophets and accused them of treason when the prophets didn't tell them what they wanted to hear. One prophet named Uriah had gone so far as to flee to Egypt due to the threats on his life and Jehoiakim (who was a true slimeball) sent soldiers after him.  They captured him there and drug him back to Jerusalem, where he was put to death (Jer. 26:20 - 23).  It was GRIM. Jeremiah's mistreatment was just an example of how those who spoke on God's behalf were treated.

So...despite the wonderful promises that are in Jeremiah for those who remain faithful to God, the remnant that God will bless and restore, the verse that grabbed my attention today is Jeremiah 2:19...a warning....

"Your wickedness will punish you; your backsliding will rebuke you.  Consider then and realize how evil and bitter it is for you when you forsake the LORD your God and have no awe of me," declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty.

Words to ponder in a nation that is increasingly stopping the ears and singing 'Lalalalala' when presented the words of God....

What's going on...

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

I really didn't mean to take a break on the Friday Faithfuls...but there's just been stuff going on.

Easter, of course, puts a capital on Busy, even with no church costuming to do.  

But the real truth is...The Flute Player is moving to Florida in the immediate future and I have honestly been spending Fridays with her as much as possible.  Her hubby has been tapped to be the preschool lead at Berkley Chapel in Auburndale; he's going to be on the church staff.  It's a great opportunity...but it is a freaking 12 hour drive.  Oy.  So I've been hanging with her while we have the chance, because it's gonna be a minute until we see them again.  Like, quite possibly, Christmas.

Plus I have kinda been dragging through Jeremiah.  I've just gotten caught up in the narrative and failed utterly to skim through it fast.  Jeremiah is one of the most heartbreaking books in the Bible...God repeatedly calling the people to repentance to stave off the coming judgement, and they repeatedly refuse to even acknowledge the invitation.  

I see today in Jeremiah every time I venture in...

I may not get back to it for a week or two, but...it will pick back up.

He Is Risen!

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Christ is risen indeed!

The Garden Tomb, Jerusalem.

I hope you have had an opportunity to celebrate Resurrection Sunday!  

I think we celebrate Easter and kinda forget that, you know, Jesus actually did come out of the grave.  We have so much mythology in our culture...Greek, Roman, Norse...that I think it gets easy for us to, well, not exactly put the narrative of Jesus on that level, but yeah, put the miraculous of the narrative on that level.  2000 years later, it's easy to let the story of the Resurrection become a story instead of history.

If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith....And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins...If only for this life we have hope in Christ, then we are to be pitied more than all men. -- 1 Cor. 15:14, 16, 19, NIV 84

If it didn't happen, Christianity is a farce at the best and a tragic hoax at the worst.

But.  It really happened. We have eyewitness accounts. 

Two seasons of the year always leave me in awe...Christmas and Easter.  Because it overwhelms me to think he would actually leave his existence in glory to take on the existence of a human...but beyond that, being born as a human, growing up subject to humans, and walking amongst humans who refused to see Truth when it was standing in front of them.  And then to go beyond that and submitting to the arrest, trial, abuse, and crucifixion by those same blind stupid humans.  He didn't have to, you know.

But he did it.  Because that was the only way to reconcile mankind back to himself.  

Because he truly loves us.

Friday Faithfuls Two: Isaiah

 Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

So our little skim through the Bible looking for a 'verse of the week' brings us to the Major Prophets...and the book of Isaiah.

It takes a minute to skim through Isaiah, lol.#secondlongestbookinthebible

But it is full of truth that we all should know.  If you read one chapter a day, it will take you just a little over two months to read through the book of Isaiah...and if you don't already have a reading plan, or if you're looking for the next one...Isaiah is worth considering.

We basically have two interwoven themes...the judgment coming upon those who reject God and his commandments, and the promise of deliverance to those who are faithful.

It wasn't a very successful 'skim' through, lol...I kept stopping and reading.  So  it took longer than I had anticipated, lol.  I actually jotted down about 8 different passages that caught my eye and tugged at my spirit; some were warnings, some were promises...a smattering from both themes.  

I thought about listing them all, but finally decided on 43:1 - 3:

But now, this is what the LORD says -- he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.  When you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.  When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze."

The thing that struck me as I read this...God never said there would be no river to cross or fire to go through, but he did say that, as threatening as those things appear, they would do no critical harm.

Also...verse 1 opens the first episode of The Chosen.  You have seen at least some...right? ;-)

Something else that's worth a look.