August 2020 – Page 2 of 3 – Sonshine's Journal

August 21, 2020

“Jeremiah’s Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day”

Jeremiah 15 Alexander is a storybook character where nothing seems to go right in his world, and he tells Mother that it is a terrible, no good, very bad day. She assures him that no matter where you are, there will always be such days. That is where we find Jeremiah. He is having an Alexander Day, and it is terrible, no good and very bad.

“I wish I never was born; Lord, you know how I suffer; everyone treats me with contempt. I am all alone and have not one friend. Oh, woe is me!” [Jer 15:10] Perhaps you are just like Jeremiah, and your situation is terrible, no good, and very bad. If so, take a page out of Jeremiah’s diary as he finishes his quiet time. “As your words came to me, I drank them in, and they filled my heart with joy and happiness because I belong to you.” [Jer 15:16]

Again, Jeremiah complained to God, who said: ‘You must repent of such words and thoughts!” [Jer 15:19] “I will make you strong as a wall to these people…they will not be able to overcome you; I will be with you to rescue you and deliver you.” [Jer 15:20] We all need God to come alongside us to be our encourager because, like Jeremiah, we have those Alexander/Jeremiah days.

If you can relate, God has heard your lament, and He says:

repent of such words! I am your joy, and I will be your deliverer.

August 20, 2020

Don’t Stop Praying!

Jeremiah 11/12 Is there ever a time when you stop praying for a person? We answer, no, but then we read Jeremiah and hear God say: “Do not pray for these people. Do not cry out to me or petition me on their behalf. Do not plead with me to save them. I will not listen to them…” [Jer 7:16]

How do you react to these words? We must remember that context is king, and Jeremiah had a particular message for specific people. Like Jeremiah, we ask “why” but behind the “why,” there is always a “because.” For Judah, the “why” is Judah’s national sin. The “because” is that God’s ways are not our ways. His ways are higher and have purposes we may not always understand. God could see the hearts, and these had no intention of turning back. How about us? Are we to stop praying? Remember, we don’t have the heart or the wisdom to know; therefore, we are to pray without ceasing. Who knows, but our prayers may be the very link to restoration.

God wanted Jeremiah to present this truth to his people: “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us.” [Deut 29:29]

We are to be like Jeremiah and Habakkuk:

stand firm, present the gospel, pray and leave the results to God.

August 19, 2020

The Heart of God

Jeremiah 5/Gen 18 Have you ever felt your heart so sad that you thought it would break? That is why, like Jeremiah, we begin to wonder, is there any good news? Is it all bad news? And there right front and center in chapter five, we see the heart of God.

God tells Jeremiah, “See if you can find a single person who deals honestly and tries to be truthful. If you can, then I will not punish this city.” [Jer 5:1] Flashback: Return to Gen 18, where we encounter Abraham and the Lord God as they converse about Sodom and Gomorrah. In His mercy, God had quietly shared with Abraham: “I must go down and see if they are as wicked as the outcry suggests. If NOT, I want to know.” [Gen 18:1]

Even though God is omniscient, He still “wants to know.” And that is because God is a personal God, not an arbitrary idol god. One of the marvelous things we can count on is that God always thoroughly investigates a situation before passing judgment. He cannot nor will He arbitrarily destroy because He is a fair and judge. As He did with Sodom, He does with us.

We can count on the fact that the God we serve is “compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness and truth.” It is because His “lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail.” [Lam 3:22]

Do we have these same character qualities? Do we judge before we have evidence? God’s heart is clear: He is fair and just and He expects us to be the same.

August 18, 2020

“Fake vs Fact”

Jeremiah 2 and 3 Have you ever heard these words: I don’t want you and I don’t need you?” These are heart-wrenching words that creep into our souls. God asks; what have I done that you have chosen to dismiss Me out of your life? You were once devoted to Me and loved Me just like a bride loves her new husband. Yet, now you find more pleasure in foreign gods and want to pursue them.

God reminds His people that they no longer even ask where God is. If they had asked God would have told them, as He did for the Church at Ephesus, you have lost your first love. “Remember from what high state you have fallen and repent.” [Rev 2:5] God is calling today just as He did then. We say we are Christians, but our walk and talk do not match. Instead, we are like broken cisterns. The true Living Water is available, but we say I have my shovel and will dig my own. The sin of pride is ever before us. Audaciously and coyly, we say: isn’t it right that you are a forgiver of sins and gracious beyond all that we can understand? And yet, our words are words of a faithless child because we go our wayward ways. We were only pretending.

As then so today, God is pleading; return to me. Break your rebellious ways, and I will be a Father to you once again. Is your faith real or fake? Are you just pretending or are you for real?

August 17, 2020

Jeremiah 1 “What’s Your Excuse?”

There are no imperfections in God's family

God, the Master Potter, forms and uses the imperfect clay to form perfect vessels. Satan desires that we see our imperfections as God’s mistake. If you notice, Isaiah, Moses, and Jeremiah saw their flaw as lips contaminated by sin or “I can’t speak eloquently.” Yet God never makes mistakes. He will equip men for the task of reaching the lost.

God doesn’t bless the eloquent orator. He does bless the tongue that has been touched by the coals of the fire of His kiln. Again, Satan tells us that we are too young or too old, and we could offer that same excuse. God promises, “I will most assuredly give you the words you are to speak for me.” (2 Tim 3:17) Again Satan says this is too fearful. Yet God has not given us a spirit of fear but of love, power, and a sound mind. (2 Tim 1:7)

The real question is: Is this world more dangerous, or is Hell waiting for the lost a more compelling reason to step out? God has bestowed on us everything necessary for life and godliness to those who come to the well seeking to alleviate their thirst.

Our archenemy has one last excuse in his arsenal. He asks, surely you don’t have to do it “now? God doesn’t care if you delay. If you are listening to his voice, then you are not asking; Am I God’s choice to go into a lost world? But, if you can answer, today is the day of salvation, then why are you waiting?

August 16, 2020

God’s Puzzling Patience

Isaiah 64 to 66 If you have ever worked on a jigsaw puzzle, you know that you must have patience as you search for that piece that seems to hide in the pile of pieces. God is a master at puzzles, and although we do not know where that persnickety piece is, God has no problem. He knows which piece fits and He patiently finds it and places it to complete the picture. Isaiah, as God’s prophet, has been faithfully piecing the puzzle pieces of Israel together. Although he will never see the birth and life of the Messiah, the Holy Spirit has graciously shown him the pieces needed to see the finished picture. He has faithfully written the words that the Holy Spirit has given to him. Some were harder than others, and some were praiseworthy.

In a particularly hard time, Isaiah pours out his heart and looks for that missing puzzle piece as to when the Lord will come to rescue them. But, God the Almighty tells Isaiah that He will not come “yet.” Their sins are like scarlet, and their so-called righteousness is as filthy rags. Their praises are not for Jehovah but for the idols they fashion. God had promised centuries before, and He will again: I will not abandon my children.

The patience of God is amazing. He will not leave his children even as sinful as they are. Peter answers the “why” question: He is not slow but is patient because he does not wish any to perish but for all to come to repentance. [2 Peter 3:9]

God is faithful and patient. Are you?

August 15, 2020

“Anointed for Service”

Isaiah 61 Have you ever said: What does God want me to do? Messiah didn’t have that problem. He knew that the Lord had chosen and commissioned him. We may be centuries apart, but the Israelites to whom Isaiah was writing and speaking had the same questions you have.

Listen as Isaiah allows Messiah to speak. “I have been anointed for the service of the Lord.” Centuries later, the Apostle John wrote: “Nevertheless you have an anointing from the Holy One,” [1 Jo 2:20] Peter wrote: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may proclaim the virtues of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” [1 Pet 2:9]

Messiah knew his calling, his anointing, and the reason God chose Him. He would encourage the poor, help the brokenhearted, and free those imprisoned by sin. God gave him spiritual insight to see men’s desperate need for healing of the soul, mind, and body. Today, this same Holy Spirit has anointed you to fulfill these same areas of need in the lives of those around you.

Has God shown you someone that needs a refreshing word from the Lord? It might be a parent who has a child that has made a wrong choice, or someone has lost their job, a pastor who has heavy responsibilities, a missionary in a far off land that is lonely—or just perhaps a friend or an acquaintance.

Remember, God has called each of us to fulfill the Great Commission.

August 14, 2020

“Authentic vs. Fake Devotion”

Isaiah 58-59 If there is one thing, both Isaiah and Jesus saw it was the fake responses of the religious leaders and the people. God hates or “abhors dishonest scales, but an accurate weight is his delight.” [Prov 11:1] It is easy for us to point fingers, but how often are we less than genuine when it comes to our devotion towards God? How often do we go through the rituals and traditions, but our heart is someplace else?

God’s prophet Isaiah was given these words to an unrepentant nation and the people. They were lamenting that God didn’t seem to notice – the God where are you syndrome. God answered back, you are only coming to me to get the satisfaction that I have heard you, but in reality, your heart is far from me. It is all for show. Here’s what I am looking for: you search for those who are oppressed and in need and reach out and touch them with My agape love. My ear is not too deaf to hear you. These are the same words that the seven churches in Revelation heard. “He who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says.” [Rev.2-3]

So how do we apply this to today? James asked: What good is it if you claim to have faith but do not have works to back that faith up? God is looking for authenticity not just in word but also in deed.

August 13, 2020

“God’s Sovereignty and Man’s Responsibility”

Isaiah 55 All over our world, men have set aside graveyards filled with rows upon rows of tombstones with birthdates and a space for the date of our death that we might remember life is short and eternity is long. The author of Hebrews reminds us that God has assigned a death date for each man. Therefore, stop and listen to the Lord. He is calling you to decide what will take place on that second date. If there is one thing that is known, men will seek to delay that second date as long as possible. Yet, in the meantime, God is patiently waiting for men to turn to Him. Beware of falling for the false Laodicean ways; what glitters today can be covered with rust tomorrow. Instead, “seek the Lord while He may be found…” Just as in the days of Noah, God’s calendar date is firm and will not be changed. What God has determined He will fulfill.

There is a warning here: Beware of delaying the day of your salvation.

Interestingly Jesus came as a babe, and the world ignored him or sought to remove him as Herod did. He sprouted as a twig in a quiet village, yet later men asked what good can come from Nazareth? As a man, He began to do miracles, yet they scoffed and refused to believe. Jesus knew men’s hearts were hard, and Isaiah saw this same hardness. He warned them: seek God early; call unto Him while he is nearby.

God’s death date is unknown to you but not to Him. Therefore, do not delay.

Today is the day of salvation.

August 11, 2020

Eternally Secure

Isaiah 49 Of all the disciples, only John remained at the cross and witnessed the death of Jesus. In the evening, Jesus came and stood before them, but Thomas was absent. He had said I will not believe unless I can put my hands in the holes where the nails penetrated. Jesus lovingly came and offered Thomas that witness, and he responded, “My Lord and my God.”

One of the many questions men ask is: Can I be sure of my salvation? Am I eternally secure, or can I lose my salvation? “Scripture clearly affirms the fact we are protected by the power of God through faith. Faith brings us into a grace relationship with God as a gift of God through the merit of His beloved Son. We are saved by His record, not ours.” [H. Keathley III]

Although we haven’t had the privilege of visually seeing the holes as Thomas did, we do have the Prophet Isaiah’s and the Apostle John’s words: “I [God] have inscribed your name on my palms.” [Is 49:16] Jesus said: “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” [John 10:29] Each time you close your hands to shield your palms, picture yourself securely enfolded in his.

Today as you wash your hands, fold your hands in prayer, or go about your daily duties, stop and look at your hands and picture your name inscribed on His.