Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have
for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give
you a future and a hope. (NLT)
Jeremiah is an encourager as he
writes to the exiles in Babylon about their future. The have been in captivity
long enough to know this is not where they want to spend the rest of their
history. The Jewish people had already spent four hundred years in slavery in
Egypt and now because of disobedience God has allowed them to be captured and
sent into a subservient position in Babylon. Likely they were saying to
themselves; Why! Yet they knew why; they had worshiped idols and disobeyed God.
Have you ever been in a place or a time in life when you felt no hope, no
direction, no plans for the future. It is not unusual to feel like you are in
exile; living in a new land, and unprepared for what that means.
Jeremiah
gives hope and instructions. Jeremiah 29:4 This
is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the
captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem: 5 “Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the
food they produce. 6 Marry and
have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many
grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away! 7 And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I
sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your
welfare.”
To
summarize his words; live a normal life. Continue to have houses, gardens, and
families. Whenever you find yourself in a difficult place or set of
circumstances it is usually good to continue living life as usual.
He
also tells them: Jeremiah 29:10 This is what the Lord says:
“You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you
all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again.
God promises to bless them. He promises a future and a hope. They will
go home; not soon, but after 70 years. They will be taking their grandchildren
with them. In the meantime; don’t give up, don’t stop being a productive
person, continue life as normal as possible.
If
you need hope today and encouragement just remember the words of Jeremiah.
______________Today's personal note from Dennis
Greetings from Starbucks in beautiful Tempe, AZ
I hope and pray that this week's Encourager finds you well. The grace and mercy of God is overwhelming at times. He is so faithful and as the Bible says, "Even when we are unfaithful".
2 Timothy 2:13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.
I have had a couple of weeks of time out from preaching. The camping trip to Roosevelt Lake was canceled due to the government shut down. This Sunday is an open week. Sandy continues to teach her “Young Moms” study of the Book of Ruth.
Sandy and I continue to watch our two youngest grandsons once a week. They are such a joy. They are into Halloween costumes right now. Buzz Lightyear is the going thing again. The three older grandsons returned to school this week after their Fall Break. For some reason I don’t remember having Fall Break, Spring Break and Winter Break. We had time off school for Christmas and Easter. We also watched the World Series during class! THINGS HAVE REALLY CHANGED. I think I am getting old.
I will be preaching at First Baptist Church of Tempe on the following Sundays. I preach in an auditorium in the Education building we call The LOFT. The service is contemporary. I really enjoy sharing God’s word. Sundays at 9:30 AM. November 3, 17 and 24. December 1, 15, 22, 29 and January 5. Sandy and I both will lead a Bible Study class on marriage at City of Grace Church in Mesa on December 10. Please pray for all of these opportunities.
I pray that God will bless you this week with deepening friendships. I am currently reading John Vawter’s new book Achieving High Performance Friendships. As with most of John’s books it is challenging and thought provoking. Thank you for praying for me and Sandy. You are loved. ~DGW
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