Life as I Know It, II

I am reading through Jeremiah. A great book. Interesting, challenging, and eye-opening! And some of the verses I have read lately have greatly coincided with what I feel this next phase of life is going to include. Here are some examples.

Jeremiah 7:3, 5-7 ... "Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, 'Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place ... For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly execute justice with one another, if you do not oppress the sojourner, or the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other god to your own harm, the I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your fathers forever.'"

In a way, this is the Lord's call on my life. I mean, in a specific way. As children on the Most High, we are all obviously called to "amend our ways!" But what I am speaking of is the dealings of my heart that the Lord has specifically placed upon my spirit for this phase. A lot of this revolves around the matters of personal discipline I spoke of in my previous post, Life as I Know It. Some of the amending has to do with the sin matters of heart the Lord stirred in me during Costa Rica; those things that have long been buried and deeply entrenched in my life; those things that were dredged up from the bottom of my being that I had know idea even existed!

I spoke of how I miss God currently, due to a lack of intimacy and communion with Him, due to my own fault, which is where the dwelling comes into play! When sin runs rampant, no one should expect to be in fellowship with the Lord, but when righteousness reigns by His power in our lives (2 Pt 1:3-11), we dwell with Him! Oh I cannot wait!

The dealings in these verses with "one another," the "sojourner," and the "widow" have to do with training myself to lead a life with a missional focus while in the States. To focus my energies toward caring for the "least of these" in the community around me.

Lastly, "do not go after other god to your own harm." Some of the sin matters the Lord as stirred up are sinful strongholds that I have accepted from the enemy as a part of life. This should not be! We are never to accept any lie, any temptation, any opportunity for sin ... much less finding that sin has a foothold and stronghold in my life and heart, and all of it is to my own harm! No more. But, nor am I naive to think I will not stumble and fail again. I will. Its unfortunately part of the old man's nature that is not totally slain! Thats why GRACE will always be my song, as long as the Lord is my Lord, and He brings me to the foot of His throne to soak up His mercy and grace.

And the next verse is from Jeremiah 12:5, "If you run with the footmen and they have tired you out, then how can you compete with the horses? If you fall down in the land of peace, how will you do in the thicket of the Jordan?"

Basically, it applies like this, if my life stays the same as it is now - not totally "wrong" but also not entirely given over to the Lord, if I do not yield myself fully to the work that Christ is desiring to work, and if my soul, in its deepest parts continue in self indulgence - while I am living in the States, in a very comfortable setting, then how will I be willing to submit to the gracious hand of God when I live in a land of difficulties? How then will I hold to God's standard, live by faith in Christ Jesus, and walk according to the power of the Spirit of the Living God in a land that is not my own?

So my only prayer, my only hope, my only assurance, my only is all in Jesus Christ, my living, breathing, reigning and all powerful King! As Jeremiah so rightly says,  "There is none like you, O LORD; You are great and great is you name in might. WHo would not fear You, O King of the nations? Indeed it is your due! For among all the wise men of the nations and in all their kingdom, there is none like You. ... But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King" (10:6-10).