Jeremiah was a bullfrog, says the 70s song.
Do you recall two versions of Joy to the World?
Three Dog Night’s 1970 hit Joy to the World—“Jeremiah was a bullfrog, was a good friend of mine…these nonsense placeholder lyrics became part of rock history…” (Song facts).
Christians sing about the King of the universe in Joy to the world! the Lord is come! written over 300 years ago and published in 1,762 hymnals (hymnary.org). He rules the world with truth and grace…and wonders of his love! Believers strive to be with the King now and at the end of the world.
Jeremiah 1:5
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| I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born. I appointed you a prophet to the nations. Jeremiah 1:5 HCSB |
No matter how well you know someone, there is One who knows him or her better.
God knew our name before His miracle of conception and development in our mothers’ wombs. Birth, also His miraculous event, drastically changed the habitat for our growth. God’s provision and spiritual gifts positively shape each of us mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally. Each one of us is His beloved work-in-progress, uniquely created. He allows us to participate in life’s process with free will to think and act upon what fills our hearts and souls.
“What would you do with a brain if you had one?” said Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz
The brain is designed to do awesome, wonderful and helpful things!
Then sin happened, corruption and death entered the picture; now, all human minds have capacity to…
- forget to pray
- pridefully think one can manage without Jesus
- experience sadness and other unpleasant emotions
- minimize own failings and maximize others’ failings
- blame-shift
- have arrogant self-centered focus
- resent
- envy
- disrespect
- have apathy toward others’ needs and desires
- make unhealthy choices for self and others
- shirk responsibilities
- lie to self, others and God
- fall for Satan’s lies and the world’s temptations
- make choices that have negative consequences
- misunderstand and be misunderstood
- be confused
- form manipulative schemes
- presume
- ponder ways to meddle
- forget manners
- hide, deny, or revel in errors of self and others
- hold to self-righteousness
- become rigid
- crave power and control
- think unjustly
- dishonor feedback
- demand unrealistic perfectionism of self or upon others
- stubbornly refuse to receive or offer grace
- dig up the past—someone else’s and own
- forget past confessions are absolved
- be afraid to live by faith
- avoid being filled with God’s gifts
Deeds, experiences, thoughts, decisions, emotions, human relationships or memberships cannot rescue spiritually, nor can science or government. Christ, the final authority, is the only One who gives righteousness and life. Sadly deceived are those who think it is okay to make a choice to willfully cause death. Opposing this idea of so-called choice are citizens who, by inspiration of Scripture, respect God’s creation and timing actions about life. Standing for faithful principles, praying every life would be protected and nourished from conception to natural death, pro-life voters abhor the platform which endorses abortion and immoral behaviors.
The complex human brain is evidence for creation. Research, education, decisions, physical functionality, memories and emotions arise from brain activity. It is heartwarming to reminisce pleasant experiences shared with people parted (deceased or still living). Death or difficult experiences surrounding the point of separation may involve harsh memories as well as sorrow over weaknesses and failures.
God Almighty sees deeply into every heart and knows exactly what motivates each of us; we don’t always see or admit it ourselves. Help in this fallen world comes only in Jesus. God brings good out of evil. Good happens in relationships within family, church, and community as the Holy Spirit awakens and motivates us to humbly look up to His Son on the cross where, in retrospect, we see a glimpse of what perfect love is. Jesus took our punishment upon Himself to redeem us. Mercifully, God sees us through His Son who took away our sin. God is for us now and, soon, in His New Creation, sin will no longer exist—believers’ pain and tears will graciously cease because of Him! Trusting His righteousness supplies relief. Faith provides repentance to prepare humble believers for Judgement Day. In both good and hard times, the Holy Spirit generates gratitude for the certain hope, forgiveness, and help that is in Christ. God’s Word teaches us how to live forgiven.
Consistent training in and remembering God’s Word is vital for all sinful men, women and children. It is especially helpful during times of doubt, trouble, oppression, abuse and being violated on personal or national levels.
“We never know when persecution may come, when technology or even access to Bibles and churches may go away. We’re getting a taste of that now in the quarantine time. So, it drives home the point that we need to have Scripture … on our hearts and our minds.” —Chaplain Rev. Sean Daenzer
Try the Memory Verse Challenge.
Jeremiah—God’s messenger of justice and grace.
Thousands of years ago, hundreds before Jesus, Jeremiah, a priest, warned people about idolatry, urging that they would repent and receive God’s mercy and grace. God-the-Word told Jeremiah what to say and gave him confidence.
Jeremiah 6:16a
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| This is what the Lord says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. Jeremiah 6:16a NIV |
Prayer is God’s gift to all who are willing to receive it. Faith offers repentance, stirs gratitude for His mercies, and encourages the humble to strive to follow Jesus wholeheartedly.
Jesus told us to pray or meditate on His excellent Lord’s Prayer. He also provides the Psalms, plus, reflective, Scripture-focused prayers authored by Christians. By His grace, we may send up prayers in our own words about many specific things in relation to what we know about Scripture, spontaneously throughout each day. We ask friends to pray for us and ask what type of prayers they want. We pray for enemies because Jesus loves, wants to save, forgive and care for them. The Holy Spirit goes so far as interceding when we don’t know what to pray, helps us pray, and conforms the heart with confidence in our loving God. We pray that all of our prayers would be within His will, fruitful for people around us, and bring Him glory.
The Church is for sinners. If you’re like me, we know we are sinners.
Christ only saves sinners who repent, believe, and are baptized. Satan works hard to fool us about our total dependence on Christ. The devil’s goal is to deceive us with lies that spending time in God’s Word and attending church are unnecessary. When we fall for those lies, we neglect opportunities worship supplies to keep faith alive. To reject receiving God’s gifts by one’s own choice leads to loss of nourishment and power needed to live within the Holy Spirit’s saving faith. The Bible warns about depending on activity, things, or people, rather than God. Some will not be saved and they want to take others with them. That is a sobering thought. Misery follows the death of an unbeliever when, apart from God, they will suffer forever in hell.
Christians pray for those who
- haven’t heard, don’t believe, or doubt Jesus is the one and only Way to salvation—to receive knowledge and gifts of the faith
- choose absence after formerly being active in the Church—to return for the gifts that they once received and still need
- believe—for strength to cling to gifts of the faith, thanking God for love, rest, protection, and for guidance to joyfully be a light to others
Jeremiah 17:7-8
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| “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8 ESV |
The Creator is in control.
“The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ‘Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.’ So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.” Jeremiah 18:1-4 ESV
God knows everyone is broken and spoiled.
Our own sinfulness and the sin all around us cause damage and consequences. Water of Baptism makes the pill of discipline possible to swallow. It’s a lifetime prescription with written instructions and always refillable. As we hear God’s Word (actually listen and rest in it) we are healed and molded into Christ’s image to serve and reflect Him in what we think, say, and do. No one can reflect Him perfectly. The Lord patiently keeps on shaping us by His Word of Law and Gospel, as well as forgiveness and strength to live in peace and unity which comes to us in The Lord’s Supper. Solace, security, and genuine love come from Almighty God who gives us eyes to recognize idols in our lives. He offers repentance in His perfect masterpiece, Christ.
Grace is resistible.
It is possible for humans to forfeit God’s mercy by
1. unbelief (antagonism toward God—Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior)
2. trying to get to heaven by one’s own works (this is same as unbelief)
Only by grace in Christ, we let go of pride. His blessing moves us to pray for those who hurt us. Perhaps not all will, yet, some people do receive the love of God we share. God equips us to joyfully move forward, thrive, and treat others kindly.
Jeremiah 23:29
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| Is not my word like fire, declares the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? Jeremiah 23:29 ESV |
God sees into the heart and knows all.
The devil tempts us with lies of the world which approve sin (go with it) or lies about earning grace by what you do; these mean despising Truth of God’s Word which is living, active, and trustworthy. We train by the loving Word which…
- teaches how to live in preparation for the next life
- trust and give God the glory
- flee evil and expose darkness
- live honestly and ambitiously
- blush over wrongs and repent
- gladly receive and offer reconciliation
- suffer by the grace of God
- thankfully and gladly work
- heal in the balm of Christ’s work
- forgive and pray for others in Jesus Name
- listen compassionately
- share truth in love
- warns unbelievers of eternal hell
- promises victory in Jesus who rescues sinners and will return and take believers to live in paradise forever with Him
Jeremiah 29:11
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| For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 ESV |
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| 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 NIV |
God’s plan required punishment and correction for our sin.
Compassion, plans and promises are tied together in Jesus Christ whose death and resurrection saves believers. He faithfully sustains people in an imperfect world with forgiveness, healing, restoration, wholeness, protection, and wisdom. God wants us to participate.
“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 ESV
Thankfully, Christian discipline is for God’s good purpose. Sometimes God uses sickness, enemies, wars and difficulties to draw us to His Word. Suffering can be one part of God’s plan to intend growth. Christ knows your pain. He faithfully soothes wounds of those who trust Him. All things will be made right at the time God’s loving plan continues at the exact moment of His choosing. Until then, repentant Christians contently persevere, think eternally, and pray that God would forgive, protect, provide, comfort, inspire and bring more people to faith in Jesus.
“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it (Hebrews 12:11). God shows His love even in trials and disciplines that encircle us. Through them He…
- exposes our frailty and need of Him
- teaches lessons He knows will benefit us
- freely offers victory by establishing, sustaining and strengthening the faith
- brings us even closer to Him, turning trust into gratitude
- ignites desire to share His love
“It has been said there are two ways to open a flower bud. You can force the petals apart and, in doing so, destroy the flower or you can leave it alone until slowly but surely, God unfolds it.” LWML
Jeremiah 31:25
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| For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish.” Jeremiah 31:25 ESV |
Pray
Lord Jesus, thank you for Your mercy, patience, and reminding us You are where our help comes from. It is You who picks us up when we fall. Your extreme love covers our insufficiency, humbles arrogance, breaks down walls of isolation, thaws ice, softens hardness, tenderizes rudeness and forgives cruelty. Help us to see and admit faults. Mend and shape me and each person with repentance and eagerness to love You and pray for others. You desire all people would believe. You were brought low to redeem us. You refine us in unexpected ways far beyond our comprehension. We know You did not create us to be robots and it is a mystery that You allow people to reject Your invitation of faith; we ask that You remember and work in them so they do not put You off until it is too late for them to turn around. Protect and preserve the faith in all who rely on You to restore all things. Stand by and comfort all who fear, love, and trust You above all things. Thank you for rest in Your brilliant love and honorable grace. Amen.
Check out more about the book of Jeremiah
- Overview Video
- Introduction
- Conversations, Studies, Sermons
- Bible Study Comfort and Hope
- Mustard Seed Devotions
Thanks for reading my long post inspired by the longest book in the Bible, Jeremiah. By Truth, Grace, Word—Jesus alone—are blessings of contentment and confidence to look forward to eternity. To Him be all glory!
