Not . . . Completely
Read: Jeremiah 5:12-19 “Yet even in those days,” declares the LORD, “I will not destroy you completely.” (v. 18 NIV) In the early days of the COVID-19 crisis, some prominent Christian leaders implied (or stated outright) that the pandemic was God’s judgment for specific human sins. These statements missed two important truths. First, God’s judgment […]
Return, Faithless People
Read: Jeremiah 3:11-18 “Return, faithless Israel,” declares the LORD. “I will not look on you in anger, for I am merciful.” (v. 12) In her memoir Wild, Cheryl Strayed describes a pattern of infidelity that led to the breakup of her first marriage. Lamenting the damage she caused her spouse and herself, she says, “I […]
Two Sins
Read: Jeremiah 2:1-13 I am with you, declares the LORD, to deliver you. (v.19) My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water. (v. 13) In my role as a pastor, people regularly ask me, “Is […]
I Am with You
Read: Jeremiah 1:11-19 I am with you, declares the LORD, to deliver you. (v.19) Trusting God is easy when life is good. It becomes more challenging when life falls apart. In his first conversation with Jeremiah, God warned that life was about to fall apart. He said, “I will declare my judgments against [my people], […]
February Prayer Guide 2021
ENGLISH — A devotional reader sent the following note: “I want to say praise God and a warm thank you to Words of Hope. I am in prison. Currently 20 years old. In prison for robbery. And I was at a very low and dark point in my walk with Jesus when I found this […]
Before I Formed You
Read: Jeremiah 1:1-10 Before I formed you in the womb I knew you . . . (v. 5) During times of disruption and uncertainty, we look for reassurance that someone knows what is going on. We are convinced that the right information will prepare us for the future. We consult experts, expecting them to be […]
Marked as God’s Own Forever
Read: Ephesians 1:11-14 In him you also . . . were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit. (v. 13 NRSV) The words flew like a dart to the heart. “You are marked as God’s own forever.” So said my wife, an ordained RCA minister, as she read the liturgy when each of […]
God the Grace-filled Gatherer
Read: Ephesians 1:1-10 He has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. (vv. 9-10 NRSV) The scope of Paul’s vision […]
Homecoming after Exile
Read: Isaiah 54:1-10 But my steadfast love shall not depart from you. (v. 10 NRSV) One cultural observer describes life today as “coping with the flux.” Our age is characterized as a time of ever accelerating change, motion, flux. Everything seems up in the air. All the familiar landmarks seem gone or only vaguely perceivable. […]