Jeremiah 29:11 “’For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.’”

SCHEDULES

I am a planner. I need to have my day scheduled. That is just the way God wired me, I guess. Even when I go on vacation, I need to have a plan. I know, call me crazy (many have, lol).

So, of all people, I need this verse. I bet a lot of you have memorized this verse. We all need to remember that, if we allow the Lord to work, He has a much better plan for us. He wants to bless us and give us a future and a hope.

TEACHING MOMENT

What kind of future do you want for your children? Do you want one with God’s plans or yours? Did you know the word “plans” could be translated as thoughts or imaginative thoughts? “Welfare” is the Hebrew word for peace (shalom). “Hope” means the things you long for. What parent would not want God’s thoughts, His peace, and the things He longs for in the life of their child?

So teach your children this verse now. Show them that God has a much better plan for them than you do or any plans they can make themselves. Ask your child to use THEIR imagination for a second. Ask them to imagine a perfect future for themselves. As perfect as they can imagine does not come close to God’s perfection. And God’s perfection and His imaginative thought wants to work in their lives if they will allow Him. That doesn’t mean their life will be perfect, but it will be perfectly imaginative.

Now, why don’t you take a moment and imagine your future, mom or dad. Imagine how it would be if you would just let God take control. Remember, Jeremiah is writing this as the people of Judah are in exile. Not exactly a perfect scenario. But even in exile God can perform miracles. Let Him!

II Peter 1:5-7 “5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge,  6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, 7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.”

TAKE IT DAILY

How many of us take vitamin supplements? I take a couple every day because I have been told they help me physically. There is even a store where all they sell is vitamins and supplements. So there must be a market for them to the public.

Peter is telling the believers to “supplement” their faith with 7 things: 1) virtue 2) knowledge 3) self-control 4) steadfastness 5) godliness 6) brotherly affection and 7) love. That’s a lot of supplement. Did he mean faith was NOT enough? No, but these “supplements” will keep them from being “ineffective or unfruitful” as they grow in Christ.

TEACHING MOMENT

What vitamins and supplements are you feeding your children? Are you so focused on the physical that you forget these spiritual ones? Don’t you think your children need to learn virture? How about knowledge and self-control? We can go down the whole list Peter has here and agree we want our children to have all of these.

So how do they get them? They don’t come in a bottle. They come directly from you, their parents. In fact many of these will come just by watching you. Are you virtuous and wise? Do you exhibit self-control and steadfastness? Are you godly in your interactions with others? Do you show brotherly affection and love to all? See what I mean? You are both the administrator and donor of these “supplements” to your children.

Perhaps your “bottles” are getting low. Is it time to get a refill? Why not right now bow your head and ask the Lord to fill you with these “supplements”? Ask the Lord to give you an abundance of each so they will spill over onto your children and to all you meet today?

Just think how wonderful the day would be if everyone we came into contact with had their daily supply of these in action? It would be incredible. It begins with you!

Jeremiah 26:14 “ But as for me, behold, I am in your hand: do with me as is good and right in your eyes.”

LIBERATION

Jeremiah has been prophesizing against the nation, and the people, specifically the priests and other prophets, did not like what he was saying. They drug him off to the Princes and rulers and demanded he be killed. Did Jeremiah defend himself? Nope. He repeated his words and then said the above. Basically he was saying, “Go ahead! Kill me! But my word stands!”

What liberating words spoken by a man of God! He was completely in their hands to do with as they wished. He didn’t care. His life was God’s, and he was ready to die for the message. We live in a world where we may soon face those same accusations. We may one day have to answer for our “prophetic” words in the face of our accusers. Are you ready to say, “I am in your hand: do with me as is good and right in your eyes.”

TEACHING MOMENT

We need to prepare our children for a fallen world that is getting more fallen with each year. We pray they never have to face such a threat of life. But we need to be diligent to lead them to the saving knowledge of Christ and then prepare them to stand boldly and courageously before anyone who questions their allegiance for the Lord.

We need to be clear in our teaching to them that, as a believer, to be absent from this life means instant life with Christ in Eternity. It is actually a win-win. We live with Him here, and we will live with Him there. We live faithfully for Him here, and He will welcome us to our Heavenly home. He lives in us, and He will live with us.

Death is not something to run from, if you love Jesus. We shouldn’t run into certain death if we can help it, but we also should not run from our certain entrance into our heavenly home. With each passing year, I long more and more for Glory. But there are so many here who still need to hear. Will you join me in “taking” as many as we can with us when we go? I’m ready! Are you?

I Peter 5:8-10 “8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. 10 After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”

UNDER ATTACK

As I write this devotional I am actually in Kenya, so the reference to a lion really hits close. Lol I have seen lions here, but only from a distance. Satan will attack up close and personal. Peter doesn’t tell us to run. He tells us to “resist him, firm in your faith.” Wow! My first instinct would be to run as fast as I can, or at least faster than the other guy. Lol

TEACHING MOMENT

Don’t be afraid to tell your children about the reality of Satan who wants to devour them. But make sure you tell them that, although they may suffer “for a little while”, that God will “perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish” them. Hey, if God is going to do all that for us, Satan can bring his A game. God’s got this, right?

As you face the attack of Satan in your family, make sure your children know how you defend yourself. Your sword is God’s Word. Your shield is your faith. You bathe yourself in truth and righteousness through Christ’s blood. The devil doesn’t stand a chance!

Be encouraged today, my beloved. God is also watching us. He will only allow the devil so much leash, and then He jerks him back. Hallelujah! Satan is on a leash, and I am a child of the King!

Jeremiah 19:11 “and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Just so will I break this people and this city, even as one breaks a potter’s vessel, which cannot again be repaired; and they will bury in Topheth because there is no other place for burial.’”

DON’T BREAK ME!

Pretty tough words from Jeremiah. But they weren’t his words. They were God’s words to the people of Judah. They had turned their backs on God and were worshipping false gods and doing all sorts of abominable things in the sight of all the people. God had had enough and sent them into exile to Babylon.

How about you? I know you will say, “I don’t worship false gods!” Oh really? What rules your life? What do you have the strongest passion for? We tend to worship the very thing we spend the most time doing. (I know I spend way too much time watching tv.)

TEACHING MOMENT

Our children need to understand that our loving God is also a just God. Yes, He loves us and forgives all our sins through the shed blood of Jesus. But He also expects obedience from us. If we turn our backs on Him, He will get our attention. He may even “break” us to get us back. That sounds harsh, yes. But we have to tell our children the whole truth.

Just like you expect obedience from your children, God expects the same. He won’t make us obey, just like you can’t make your own children obey. But He expects us to. Make sure they know that every choice has a consequence.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to go to Babylon to learn my lesson. I want to repent and stay close to Jerusalem. I want to worship at the feet of Jehovah in my homeland. I want to…well you get the picture.

So why don’t we all give up our prideful existence and bow in humility to a loving and just God. He wants us close to Him. He does not relish in the administration of discipline in our lives. He wants to bless us. I choose that.

I Pet. 3:17 “For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.”

SOVEREIGNTY

Why is it when we are going through hard times we beg God to get us out of it? If you really look at this verse, it may be God’s will for us to go through those times. Does that mean God hates us and wants us to suffer?

To truly understand this whole concept we have to acknowledge and accept the sovereignty of God and that everything that comes into our lives as believers has to go through His hands first. If we do that, then no matter what it is, no matter how dark the night seems, no matter how close to death we come we know that God is still on His throne and He is not shaken.

TEACHING MOMENT

Suffering is NOT something we want to teach our children, is it? No, we want their lives to be as pain free as possible. No parent wishes their child to suffer. But there will be those times when they will. We just can’t prevent it. So, how do we teach them to handle it? Through teaching them the verses all through Scripture that tell us about suffering.

As soon as you see, through the discernment of the Lord, how God is using this suffering in their lives, make sure you tell them. They may be too hurt at the time to see it themselves or to even recognize it once you point it out. Do it anyway. Open their blinded eyes to the grace they have received through the “gift” of suffering.

God only wants to make us better, never bitter. His will for our lives is always to fashion us to look more and more like Jesus. So, the next time you are going through a “suffering time” look in the mirror and say to yourself, “Lord, I just want to see Jesus in this mirror, not me.”

Jeremiah 14:22b “Therefore we hope in You, for You are the one who has done all these things.”

SOLID ROCK

I recall the words to the hymn “On Christ, the Solid Rock” when I read this verse. The words say,

“My hope is built on nothing less; Than Jesus Christ, my righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly lean on Jesus’ name. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand, All other ground is sinking sand.”

We have no other hope than Jesus. People and circumstances will let us down. There is no doubt about it. But Jesus…He will never desert us. He is the Solid Rock on which we can stand.

TEACHING MOMENT

Have you ever seen your child slip on ice or loose rocks? It can happen so quick. Before you can react, they are on the ground. You pick them up and make sure everything is okay. After perhaps a few tears they are good to go. But don’t miss this opportunity. Use that experience to talk about how firm our footing is with Christ. Even when we feel we are falling, as a believer, He is right there with us to support us. He will never let us go!

This truth is so real to me because I was talking a leisurely walk with a friend in Kenya recently when all of a sudden I was falling down. My foot slipped on some little pebbles on the road and down I went. Well, actually I caught my self with right hand and got a nasty little cut. I took my eyes off the road I was walking on for a split second. That’s all it took. Needless to say, the rest of the walk I was hawk-eyed on each step. Lol

Are you slipping? Are you on sinking sand? Are you tired of struggling with every step? Then step onto the Solid Rock. He is sure and steady!

I Peter 1:15-16 “15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; 16 because it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’”

HOW CAN I BE HOLY?

What would you say if someone said you should be holy? My first reaction is, “Me? Only God is Holy!” But look at the passage today. Peter is quoting Leviticus 11:44, “‘For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy.’”

Now listen! If the Lord tells us to do it, then it’s possible, right? I mean, the Lord does not ask us to do anything we are not capable of. But the key is we have to let Him make us holy. That word in the Hebrew can refer to God, angels, a saint, or even a sanctuary. After all, we are the sanctuary of God, and He only dwells in a holy place. Do you think for a second that His Spirit is going to settle for anything other than “holy”. Of course not!

TEACHING MOMENT

So, how in the world do we teach our children to live holy lives? We are all sinners, just saved by grace. You can’t demand them to be holy. Go ahead! I dare you! Try that one! Lol. And you can’t really explain holiness to a child. The only way they truly “get” holiness is by observing it.

So the question is where do they see it? They will see it in YOU. They will see it in the way we treat OTHERS. They will see it, hopefully, in their Pastor and Sunday School teacher. They will see it in other believers who know their lives must exemplify holiness. And when you see it in others, point it out to them. Give them those concrete example of holy living.

I know I am rotten to the core. But through the saving grace of Jesus I am made holy and righteous. Because of His Spirit living in me, I can be holy, as He is holy. Here’s to being called holy! I kind of like that after all.

James 5:16 “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”

DID I DO THAT?

“Seriously, James? You expect me to confess my sins to someone else? Get real! I can’t divulge my sins to another human being – not even my family!” Yep, that’s what the Word says here. We are to be so vulnerable with our fellow believers that we are willing to share with them our shortfalls or mistakes. That sounds dangerous, doesn’t it? What if they blab about your sins? That would be so embarrassing.

Well, look at the verse. It says the “effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” You don’t spill the beans to just anyone. You share them with those whom are righteous and are seeking the Lord on your behalf. I have a group of guys with whom I can share those things. They hold be accountable. They call me on the carpet, if need be. I need that. I need others in my life to help guard my thoughts and actions.

TEACHING MOMENT

Teach your children to confess! They can do that by praying with you and telling the Lord all about their sins. You can guide them in that by confessing your sins as you pray with them. Now, I don’t mean you should divulge past sins that would shock or even scare them (we all have a few of those, don’t we?). I mean let them hear you confess to the Lord. They need to see that we ALL need to do that. Then explain to them that by praying together and confessing in front of each other to the Lord, you are living out this verse.

They say confession is good for the soul. It really is. By keeping a clean slate, you have a clear path to the throne of God. Confessing to others also frees up our life to not be “looking over our shoulder” for those things we are trying to hide from view. It is truly a freeing feeling. Don’t you want to live free and unhindered? Then confess it all today.

Jeremiah 9:23-24 “23 Thus says the Lord, ‘Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; 24 but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the Lord.’”

IT’S ALL ABOUT ME!!!

Have you ever met someone who constantly talks about themselves? They completely wear out “I” in the conversation. They have done or can do anything. They know the answer for everything. All you hear from them is, “I, I, I.”   That gets old real quick. We call those folks braggarts. They boast all about themselves.

Here in Jeremiah we are told to not boast of wisdom, might or riches. But we are told instead to boast about knowing the Lord and His “lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth.” Now that is really something worth boasting about.

TEACHING MOMENT

I am sure your children have or will brag about something. It is usually about some game they are good at or about how much they know about something. Chances are you are going to have to correct them. What a PERFECT time to use these verses. The Lord does now want to see them grow up haughty and arrogant. But He does want them to brag on Him to everyone they meet.

We have great stories of God’s faithfulness to us. Tell someone! We have examples of how He has met a need for us. Brag on Him! We have other stories where God has intervened for us in a health matter. Shout it from the rooftop! We should be willing to tell just how great a God we serve.

As you go through your day today, let someone know what God has done for you this week. What? You don’t remember anything? Oh my brother or sister, just stop and think about the events of your week. I promise you He has worked in ways you just have not seen. Ask Him to reveal it to you. He will! And then tell the world!