Jeremiah

Dear Readers,

May God be with me.

Jeremiah 3:14-15, 4:1-2, 5:23-25, 6:16, 7:1-7, 7:22-23, 11:4-5

Jeremiah 3:14-15

14 “Return, faithless people,” declares the Lord, “for I am your husband. I will choose you—one from a town and two from a clan—and bring you to Zion. 15 Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding.

Jeremiah 4:1-2

1“If you, Israel, will return, then return to me,” declares the Lord.
“If you put your detestable idols out of my sight and no longer go astray,
2 and if in a truthful, just and righteous way you swear, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’
then the nations will invoke blessings by him and in him they will boast.”

Jeremiah 5:23-25

23 But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts; they have turned aside and gone away.
24 They do not say to themselves, ‘Let us fear the Lord our God, who gives autumn and spring rains in season, who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.’ 25 Your wrongdoings have kept these away; your sins have deprived you of good.

Jeremiah 6:16

16 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. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’

Jeremiah 7:1-7

1This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Stand at the gate of the Lord’s house and there proclaim this message: “‘Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship the Lord. 3 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place. 4 Do not trust in deceptive words and say, “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!” 5 If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, 6 if you do not oppress the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, 7 then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your ancestors for ever and ever.

Jeremiah 7:22-23

22 For when I brought your ancestors out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not just give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices, 23 but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you.

Jeremiah 11:4-5

4 the terms I commanded your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt, out of the iron-smelting furnace.’ I said, ‘Obey me and do everything I command you, and you will be my people, and I will be your God. 5 Then I will fulfill the oath I swore to your ancestors, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey’—the land you possess today.”

- The book of Jeremiah wrote the fate of the rebellious Israelities. The verses above are "what if" they listened to the Lord. They were all full of God's blessings. Eventually, the Israelities left the promised land. My dear Readers, who will not discipline their kids if they misbehavior? Which legal system does not put one in jail if one breaks the law? God is merciful. God blessed the Israelities eventually. From the day Adam and Eve were created, God wants us to trust and obey Him. He will lead us to the right path. I do not know what God will bless you. Every one of us have different spiritual gifts. Likewise, every one of us have different blessings from God. But I want you to remember Matthew 7:7-8 Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. According to God's will, your prayers will be answered. Ask, seek and knock every single day without ceasing. And not only the Lord brought the Israelities back to the promised land eventually, He sent His only son to die on the cross for our sin and whoever believes and follows Jesus Christ will have eternal life with God and His faithful ones in heaven.

I Will Bow To You - Bob Fitts

Lord, I will bow to You
To no other God but You alone
Lord, I will worship You
Nothing hands have made but You alone
I will lay down my idols
Thrones I have made
All that has taken my heart
Lord, I will bow to You
To no other God but You alone
Lord, I will bow to You
To no other God but You alone
Lord, I will worship You
Nothing hands have made but You alone
I will lay down my idols
Thrones I have made
All that has taken my heart
Lord, I will bow to You
To no other God but You alone
I will lay down my idols
Thrones I have made
All that has taken my heart
Lord, I will bow to You
To no other God but You alone
I will lay down my idols
Thrones I have made
All that has taken my heart
Lord, I will bow to You
To no other God but You alone
Lord, I will bow to You
To no other God but You alone

Jeremiah 29:11

11 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.

- I know the difference between a life with and without God. Life is empty without God. Life is blessed with God. No more lonely day with God around. I will say this is the power of God because, He is our Father in heaven. And your thoughts will bring blessings into your life and people around you. We say applying His teaching into our lives. Surrender your life to Jesus Christ my Readers. Don't look back and don't give up in time of adversity. Hold on to your faith in Jesus Christ. Cry out to Him and walk out to His light! Remember, in time of needs, ask your Christian friends to pray for you.

I Surrender All by Israel Houghton

All to Jesus I surrender
All to Him I freely give
I will ever love and trust Him
In His presence daily live

All to Jesus I surrender
Humbly at His feet I bow
Worldly pleasures all forsaken
Take me Jesus take me now

I surrender all
I surrender all
All to Thee my blessed Saviour
I surrender all

All to Jesus I surrender
Make me Saviour wholly Thine
Let me feel the Holy Spirit
Truly know that Thou art mine

All to Jesus I surrender
Lord I give myself to Thee
Fill me with Thy love and power
Let Thy blessings fall on me

All to Jesus I surrender
Now I feel the sacred flame
Oh the joy of full salvation
Glory glory to His name

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMyVBHvsaAQ

Jeremiah 33

1While Jeremiah was still confined in the courtyard of the guard, the word of the Lord came to him a second time: 2 “This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is his name: 3 ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ (Talk to God, my dear Readers. Tell Him your worry, your problem, your life, and ask Him to guide you.) 4 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says about the houses in this city and the royal palaces of Judah that have been torn down to be used against the siege ramps and the sword 5 in the fight with the Babylonians[a]: ‘They will be filled with the dead bodies of the people I will slay in my anger and wrath. I will hide my face from this city because of all its wickedness.

6 “‘Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security. 7 I will bring Judah and Israel back from captivity[b] and will rebuild them as they were before. 8 I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me.(God forgives.) 9 Then this city will bring me renown, joy, praise and honor before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremble at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it.’

10 “This is what the Lord says: ‘You say about this place, “It is a desolate waste, without people or animals.” Yet in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are deserted, inhabited by neither people nor animals, there will be heard once more 11 the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those who bring thank offerings to the house of the Lord, saying,

“Give thanks to the Lord Almighty, for the Lord is good; his love endures forever.”

For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were before,’ says the Lord.

12 “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In this place, desolate and without people or animals—in all its towns there will again be pastures for shepherds to rest their flocks. 13 In the towns of the hill country, of the western foothills and of the Negev, in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem and in the towns of Judah, flocks will again pass under the hand of the one who counts them,’ says the Lord.

14 “‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah.

15 “‘In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land. 16 In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it[c] will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior.’ 17 For this is what the Lord says: ‘David will never fail to have a man to sit on the throne of Israel,

18 nor will the Levitical priests ever fail to have a man to stand before me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present sacrifices.’”

19 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 20 “This is what the Lord says: ‘If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time, 21 then my covenant with David my servant—and my covenant with the Levites who are priests ministering before me—can be broken and David will no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne. 22 I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countless as the stars in the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore.’”

23 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 24 “Have you not noticed that these people are saying, ‘The Lord has rejected the two kingdoms[d] he chose’? So they despise my people and no longer regard them as a nation. 25 This is what the Lord says: ‘If I have not made my covenant with day and night and established the laws of heaven and earth, 26 then I will reject the descendants of Jacob and David my servant and will not choose one of his sons to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes[e] and have compassion on them.’”

As Christians, how much have we read the bible? It is a norm we tend to focus on New Testament as it is the beginning of the story of Lord Jesus Christ. However, since Genesis 1:1 to Jeremiah 33, we gain so much knowledge of our faith. Not only the history of our faith, which brings great understanding of what we believe, we learn miracle starts from Genesis 1:1. And whatever God says, He will do it. And what is Christianity all about? It is about trust and obey God, and have love, mercy and forgiveness in our hearts. Matthew 18:21-22 21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. So are we going to stop forgiving at 77 times? No, we continue to forgive.

He Knows My Name by Tommy Walker

I have a Maker
He formed my heart
Before even time began
My life was in his hands

[Chorus]
He knows my name
He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls
And He hears me when I call

I have a Father
He calls me His own
He'll never leave me
No matter where I go

[Chorus]
He knows my name
He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls
And He hears me when I call

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CG0SYRGPPsw

Jeremiah 42:1-6

1Then all the army officers, including Johanan son of Kareah and Jezaniah[a] son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest approached 2 Jeremiah the prophet and said to him, “Please hear our petition and pray to the Lord your God for this entire remnant. For as you now see, though we were once many, now only a few are left. 3 Pray that the Lord your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do.” 4 “I have heard you,” replied Jeremiah the prophet. “I will certainly pray to the Lord your God as you have requested; I will tell you everything the Lord says and will keep nothing back from you.” 5 Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the Lord your God sends you to tell us. 6 Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the Lord our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well with us, for we will obey the Lord our God.”

- It was a chaotic time when God's people were trying to escape the Babylonians. So from the least to the greatest they approached Jeremiah the prophet to seek God's direction. 42:6 "so that it will go well with us" The people of God had learnt that things would go well with them if they listened to God. The phrase "so that it will go well with us" appeared in the history of God's people more than once or twice. So is it true that if we trust and obey God, things will go well in our lives? I will not question or doubt about it for God knows what holds tomorrow. He is who He is. He is God. He holds the authority of all in heaven and earth. Nothing is impossible to God. I want this God. I only want this God alone. Because in Genesis 1:1-27 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. 6 And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” 7 So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day. 9 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day. 14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so.16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth,18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day. 20 And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” 23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day. 24 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. I ask you not to hesitate any more. Accept God in the name of Lord Jesus Christ and lead a faithful and obedience life to God, and may God bless you and lead you to a happy, joyful and blessed life till He brings you to where you belongs in eternity.

God You Reign by Lincoln Brewster

You paint the night, you count the stars
and you call them by name
The skies proclaim, God you reign

Your glory shines, you teach the sun
When to bring a new day
Creation sings, God, Your reign

God you reign
God you reign
Forever and ever
God you reign

You part the seas, you move the mountains
With the words that you say
My song remains, God you reign

You hold my life, You know my heart
and you call by name
I live to say, God you reign

God you reign
God you reign
Forever and ever
God you reign (whoa)

God you reign
God you reign
( I know you reign) Forever and ever
God you reign

Hallelujah, Halleu [x4]

God you reign
God you reign
(you reign over me) Forever and ever
God you reign

God you reign
God you reign
(you reign over me) forever and ever
God you reign (whoa, whoa)

God you reign
God you reign
Forever and ever
God you reign

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQgrj7fnBgE