Jeremiah 42-43, Proverbs 7, 1 Corinthians 15:20-58

What God said to me – After Babylon had conquered Israel and taken most of them captive back to Babylon there was a remnant of the army and people who had escaped.  They approached Jeremiah and asked him to see Me on their behalf as to what they were to do and they promised no matter what it was, pleasant or unpleasant, that they would be obedient to My direction and instruction.  But when Jeremiah came back to them, what I had commanded didn’t line up with what they had pre-determined was the correct path, so they rejected it and went their own way.  They paid a terrible price for their disobedience.  You must learn from this account and when you pray and ask for My direction, don’t come up with your own plan and hope I agree with you.  Quit stewing and coming up with different scenarios and how they might work out.  Stop!  Trust Me to be faithful to work out My plan.  You just pray and wait until I answer your prayer and give you direction.

Jeremiah 40-41, Proverbs 6, 1 Corinthians 15:1-34

What God said to me – If you are My child you are also My witness.  Everything you do and say should testify as to who “I AM”.  So what kind of witness are you?  Are you a hypocrite, saying you believe one thing, but living differently.  People will hear what you say but they will believe what you do.  Unbelievers will see your hypocritical lifestyle and be turned off because they feel like they live a “better” life than you do so why do they need to be saved or else they will think they can be saved and still live however they want.  Are you a “silent” witness trying to live a good life but never speaking about Me so as not to offend or because of lack of courage?  A person is not saved by osmosis – faith comes from hearing and hearing by the word of God.  If people do not know that you live the way you live because you are My child then shame on you!  “I AM” faithful to confess you before the Father – you be faithful to confess Me before men.

Jeremiah 38-39, Proverbs 5, 1 Corinthians 14

What God said to me – As holy God I must judge sin because “I AM” righteous and holy.  When I bring judgment on the world, a few will repent but most will curse Me and reject Me.  However, I don’t only judge the world for their sin, I also judge My people for theirs.  The severity of that discipline is dependent on their response – are they quick to repent and turn back to me or are they stubborn and unrepentant.  When I brought Babylon to judge Israel for their sin, I told king Zedekiah through My prophet Jeremiah that if he would go out and surrender to the king of Babylon that although they would still go into captivity, he and his household would be saved, and Jerusalem would not be burned.  But if he refused then they would burn the city and kill his family, and he would not escape either.  King Zedekiah refused to repent and accept his discipline, so the judgment was harsh – he was blinded, and his family and the city were destroyed.  Sin is serious – no one is immune, and the consequences are always painful.  You must be quick to repent and return to Me because I will not let you go, and I will do whatever it takes to bring you back to Me.