Jeremiah 23:23-24

“I am a God who is near,” says the Lord, “and not a God afar off. Can a man hide in secret, and I not see him? Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the Lord.

Encouraging Words

As we come together in our homes and churches around the world to celebrate the birth of our incarnate Lord and Savior I am reminded by this verse of the uniqueness of the Christian belief. When our God says He is near to us it is not some ethereal promise that He is giving us. His nearness came in the form of a child that was born of a lowly, common family, in a time when the known world was under the oppression of a conceited and arrogant leader. It was a world filled with grief, hunger, wars, and sicknesses. Our God chose to become a human being so that we could become His adopted and deeply loved children. No other religious belief has this as their core teaching. God became man so that man can become His children. As so many of us reflect on the beauty and miracle of this day so many years ago, we are reminded that we too are the shepherds that the angels are hearkening to, hearkening to come and see the infant on the manger wrapped in swaddling clothes. We too are the wise men who are traveling far to find the King Who will set all of mankind and creation free from bondage. And we, like so many that have gone before us can celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ and the entry of new life to our world. Glory be to God!

Jeremiah 17:3-4

But blessed is the man who puts his trust in the Lord, for the Lord shall be his hope. He shall be like a flourishing tree alongside the waters which spreads its roots toward the moisture. He will not fear when the burning heat comes, for He shall be like the root in a grove in the year of drought. He shall not fear, for he shall be like a tree that does not cease yielding its fruit.

Encouraging Words

Putting our trust in the Lord is never in vain. Even though the world tries to pull us away from our God and make fun of us for trusting in Him, He never abandons us. He blesses us for staying true to Him. He is our sure hope. This image of a flourishing tree next to a source of water says it all. This tree will send its roots down deep into the soil so that it can get the water from that creek, river, pond, or lake. When the heat of summer or a drought weighs in heavily on the tree, it will survive because of its deep roots. We can be like these trees by driving our roots deep into our Lord by trusting in Him and receiving His refreshing water. Glory be to God!

Galatians 6:1-5

Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For each one shall bear his own load.

Personal Challenge

We are not alone on our journey of theosis, however, we must still take the time to self examine. Paul informs us that when a brother or sister in our human family falls into sin, it is our responsibility as children of God to be present in their lives in a way that helps to restore them and bring them into a relationship with Christ. We are not to do this by being judgmental and arrogant, but in a spirit of gentleness and bearing their burden with them. This is how we love our neighbor. We must be careful though, that we do not fall into the same temptation, or worse yet, the temptation of pride because of feeling better about ourselves for doing what we are called to do. Just as we are examining others to see where we can come alongside them to offer support, we should be examining ourselves to see where we can be bearing our own loads of life and saying “No!” to temptations and sin. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Jeremiah 15:16

Make an end to them (those who persecute me), and Your word shall be the gladness and joy of my heart; for I am called by Your name, O Lord, the Almighty.

Encouraging Words

Jeremiah, a prophet of God, had been experien­cing much persecution for speaking God’s word to the Israelites. He is pleading with God to be restored. In this verse, he recalls that as a servant of God, he has been given a name and he finds peace and comfort knowing that God will call him by that name and fill him with gladness and joy. How much more can we feel this way, for we are no longer servants of God, but children of God who have been given a new name by our Father? Glory be to God!

Galatians 5:24-26

And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Personal Challenge

Does anyone out there desire to walk in the Spirit? I know that I sure do. Then why is it so difficult to get to that place in our spiritual journey so that we can be doing this? I think Paul tells us why in this letter to the Galatians. Let’s work backward. Paul tells us to walk in the Spirit. Before that, he indicates that if we are to walk in the Spirit, we need to live in the Spirit. How do we live in the Spirit? We do this by crucifying the flesh with its passions and desires. Now, this is starting to get really personal. So, what is this about crucifying the flesh? We are not to become conceited in ourselves or in the things that God has done for us. We are to avoid provoking and envying one another, which stems from loving our neighbor. It is possible to walk in the Spirit, but it requires an active choice to live for Christ daily. Glory be to God!

Jeremiah 9:23-24

Instead, let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows that I am the Lord, who shows mercy, judgment, and righteousness on earth, for in these is My will,” says the Lord. “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, “that I will visit upon all the circumcised their uncircumcision.

Personal Challenge

In the verse preceding these, we are told not to boast in our wisdom, riches, or strength, but to boast in the Lord. These things are temporal and therefore will not last through eternity. However, our Lord is forever. It is so easy to believe that we are able to succeed all the way into the eternal kingdom of God by our own merits and actions, however, this is not the case. We may be very successful here in this earthly life, but all of this can be lost in a moment. This does not mean that God wants us to cast aside the gifts, talents, and desires that He has given us to succeed in this life. It means that we must always give credit to Him for we can truly accomplish nothing without Him providing for us. He is the only One that shows us true mercy, judgment, and righteousness. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have merely on me, the sinner!

Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

Encouraging Words

What a glorious promise this is from our God. We were promised by Jesus to have the Holy Spirit sent to us and to dwell within us. Here we are told by Paul that the fruit that the Holy Spirit will bring into our lives is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. This fruit is not just ours to keep for ourselves to enjoy, but fruit to share with those around us by treating them with love, bringing joy into their lives, being at peace with all, showing patience and longsuffering to everyone, being kind to all, bringing good into other’s lives, being faithful and dependable, being gentle with others, and being self-controlled in all situations. This is the glorious fruit that we have both been given and called to give to others. Glory be to God!

Isaiah 66:1-2

Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is My throne, and earth is the footstool of My feet. What kind of house will you build for Me? Or what kind is the place of My rest? For My hand made all these things, and all these things are Mine,” says the Lord; “and upon whom will I show respect, but to the humble and the peaceful and to him who trembles at My words.

Personal Challenge

Who are we, as God’s creation, to think that we can outdo God. We go through life believing that we can fit God into our way of thinking or behaving, just as our ancestors in Israel believed that they could build the perfect temple to contain God. God is so far beyond what any of us are, or ever could be. His ways are beyond our ways and even anything that we could conjure up. Granted, we so often do these things out of our love for God, but this is not what He desires from us. He does not want grandiose things from our hands for everything we could do or offer are already His. What He wants from us is a humble heart, a peaceful disposition towards those around us, and a love and respect for Him. This is the foundation for any house that we could build for Him. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!