DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR TUESDAY AUGUST 14:
WORD OF WISDOM
He, who loses money, loses much. He, who loses a friend, loses much more.
But he, who loses faith, loses all.
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DAILY DEVOTION
Remembering the Purpose of Life
"But if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all; yet let him
remember the days of darkness; for they shall be many. All that cometh is
vanity. Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in
the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight
of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee
into judgment. Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil
from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity."
Ecclesiastes 11:8-10
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. lived through some of the most momentous events
of American history. As a young officer in the Massachusetts militia, he was
wounded three times during the Civil War. After a brilliant legal career,
Holmes was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Teddy Roosevelt and
served as a justice for nearly thirty years. He was widely respected, and on
the occasion of his ninetieth birthday, a nationwide radio program was
broadcast in his honor. Asked to say a few words, Holmes concluded his
remarks this way: "And so I end with a line from a Latin poet who uttered
the message more than fifteen hundred years ago: 'Death plucks my ear and
says, Live-I am coming.'"
This life is often the sole focus of people's attention, but this life is
only a brief moment in time in preparation for eternity. All of us will one
day give an account to God for how we have used the time, energy, gifts, and
resources He has provided. We only get one opportunity to live and serve
God. There are no do-overs-no going back to claim wasted days or years. Each
day comes but once and will never be replaced. Strive to use the time you
have been given to accomplish as much as possible before it is too late.
A proper appreciation for the brevity of life helps us make the best use of
our time and talents.
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DAILY BIBLE READING
Jeremiah 10-12 The Message (MSG)
The Stick Gods
10 1-5 Listen to the Message that God is sending your way, House of Israel.
Listen most carefully:
"Don't take the godless nations as your models.
Don't be impressed by their glamour and glitz,
no matter how much they're impressed.
The religion of these peoples
is nothing but smoke.
An idol is nothing but a tree chopped down,
then shaped by a woodsman's ax.
They trim it with tinsel and balls,
use hammer and nails to keep it upright.
It's like a scarecrow in a cabbage patch-can't talk!
Dead wood that has to be carried-can't walk!
Don't be impressed by such stuff.
It's useless for either good or evil."
6-9
All this is nothing compared to you, O God.
You're wondrously great, famously great.
Who can fail to be impressed by you, King of the nations?
It's your very nature to be worshiped!
Look far and wide among the elite of the nations.
The best they can come up with is nothing compared to you.
Stupidly, they line them up-a lineup of sticks,
good for nothing but making smoke.
Gilded with silver foil from Tarshish,
covered with gold from Uphaz,
Hung with violet and purple fabrics-
no matter how fancy the sticks, they're still sticks.
10
But God is the real thing-
the living God, the eternal King.
When he's angry, Earth shakes.
Yes, and the godless nations quake.
11-15
"Tell them this, 'The stick gods
who made nothing, neither sky nor earth,
Will come to nothing
on the earth and under the sky.'"
But it is God whose power made the earth,
whose wisdom gave shape to the world,
who crafted the cosmos.
He thunders, and rain pours down.
He sends the clouds soaring.
He embellishes the storm with lightnings,
launches wind from his warehouse.
Stick-god worshipers looking mighty foolish,
god-makers embarrassed by their handmade gods!
Their gods are frauds-dead sticks,
deadwood gods, tasteless jokes.
When the fires of judgment come, they'll be ashes.
16
But the Portion-of-Jacob is the real thing.
He put the whole universe together
And pays special attention to Israel.
His name? God-of-the-Angel-Armies!
17-18
Grab your bags,
all you who are under attack.
God has given notice:
"Attention! I'm evicting
Everyone who lives here,
And right now-yes, right now!
I'm going to press them to the limit,
squeeze the life right out of them."
19-20
But it's a black day for me!
Hopelessly wounded,
I said, "Why, oh why
did I think I could bear it?"
My house is ruined-
the roof caved in.
Our children are gone-
we'll never see them again.
No one left to help in rebuilding,
no one to make a new start!
21
It's because our leaders are stupid.
They never asked God for counsel,
And so nothing worked right.
The people are scattered all over.
22
But listen! Something's coming!
A big commotion from the northern borders!
Judah's towns about to be smashed,
left to all the stray dogs and cats!
23-25
I know, God, that mere mortals
can't run their own lives,
That men and women
don't have what it takes to take charge of life.
So correct us, God, as you see best.
Don't lose your temper. That would be the end of us.
Vent your anger on the godless nations,
who refuse to acknowledge you,
And on the people
who won't pray to you-
The very ones who've made hash out of Jacob,
yes, made hash
And devoured him whole,
people and pastures alike.
The Terms of This Covenant
11 The Message that came to Jeremiah from God:
2-4 "Preach to the people of Judah and citizens of Jerusalem. Tell them
this: 'This is God's Message, the Message of Israel's God to you. Anyone who
does not keep the terms of this covenant is cursed. The terms are clear. I
made them plain to your ancestors when I delivered them from Egypt, out of
the iron furnace of suffering.
4-5 "'Obey what I tell you. Do exactly what I command you. Your obedience
will close the deal. You'll be mine and I'll be yours. This will provide the
conditions in which I will be able to do what I promised your ancestors: to
give them a fertile and lush land. And, as you know, that's what I did.'"
"Yes, God," I replied. "That's true."
6-8 God continued: "Preach all this in the towns of Judah and the streets of
Jerusalem. Say, 'Listen to the terms of this covenant and carry them out! I
warned your ancestors when I delivered them from Egypt and I've kept up the
warnings. I haven't quit warning them for a moment. I warned them from
morning to night: "Obey me or else!" But they didn't obey. They paid no
attention to me. They did whatever they wanted to do, whenever they wanted
to do it, until finally I stepped in and ordered the punishments set out in
the covenant, which, despite all my warnings, they had ignored.'"
9-10 Then God said, "There's a conspiracy among the people of Judah and the
citizens of Jerusalem. They've plotted to reenact the sins of their
ancestors-the ones who disobeyed me and decided to go after other gods and
worship them. Israel and Judah are in this together, mindlessly breaking the
covenant I made with their ancestors."
11-13 "Well, your God has something to say about this: Watch out! I'm about
to visit doom on you, and no one will get out of it. You're going to cry for
help but I won't listen. Then all the people in Judah and Jerusalem will
start praying to the gods you've been sacrificing to all these years, but it
won't do a bit of good. You've got as many gods as you have villages, Judah!
And you've got enough altars for sacrifices to that impotent sex god Baal to
put one on every street corner in Jerusalem!"
14 "And as for you, Jeremiah, I don't want you praying for this people.
Nothing! Not a word of petition. Indeed, I'm not going to listen to a single
syllable of their crisis-prayers."
Promises and Pious Programs
15-16
"What business do the ones I love have figuring out
how to get off the hook? And right in the house of worship!
Do you think making promises and devising pious programs
will save you from doom?
Do you think you can get out of this
by becoming more religious?
A mighty oak tree, majestic and glorious-
that's how I once described you.
But it will only take a clap of thunder and a bolt of lightning
to leave you a shattered wreck.
17 "I, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, who planted you-yes, I have pronounced doom
on you. Why? Because of the disastrous life you've lived, Israel and Judah
alike, goading me to anger with your continuous worship and offerings to
that sorry god Baal."
18-19
God told me what was going on. That's how I knew.
You, God, opened my eyes to their evil scheming.
I had no idea what was going on-naive as a lamb
being led to slaughter!
I didn't know they had it in for me,
didn't know of their behind-the-scenes plots:
"Let's get rid of the preacher.
That will stop the sermons!
Let's get rid of him for good.
He won't be remembered for long."
20
Then I said, "God-of-the-Angel-Armies,
you're a fair judge.
You examine and cross-examine
human actions and motives.
I want to see these people shown up and put down!
I'm an open book before you. Clear my name."
21-23 That sent a signal to God, who spoke up: "Here's what I'll do to the
men of Anathoth who are trying to murder you, the men who say, 'Don't preach
to us in God's name or we'll kill you.' Yes, it's God-of-the-Angel-Armies
speaking. Indeed! I'll call them to account: Their young people will die in
battle, their children will die of starvation, and there will be no one left
at all, none. I'm visiting the men of Anathoth with doom. Doomsday!"
What Makes You Think You Can Race Against Horses?
12 1-4 You are right, O God, and you set things right.
I can't argue with that. But I do have some questions:
Why do bad people have it so good?
Why do con artists make it big?
You planted them and they put down roots.
They flourished and produced fruit.
They talk as if they're old friends with you,
but they couldn't care less about you.
Meanwhile, you know me inside and out.
You don't let me get by with a thing!
Make them pay for the way they live,
pay with their lives, like sheep marked for slaughter.
How long do we have to put up with this-
the country depressed, the farms in ruin-
And all because of wickedness, these wicked lives?
Even animals and birds are dying off
Because they'll have nothing to do with God
and think God has nothing to do with them.
5-6
"So, Jeremiah, if you're worn out in this footrace with men,
what makes you think you can race against horses?
And if you can't keep your wits during times of calm,
what's going to happen when troubles break loose
like the Jordan in flood?
Those closest to you, your own brothers and cousins,
are working against you.
They're out to get you. They'll stop at nothing.
Don't trust them, especially when they're smiling.
7-11
"I will abandon the House of Israel,
walk away from my beloved people.
I will turn over those I most love
to those who are her enemies.
She's been, this one I held dear,
like a snarling lion in the jungle,
Growling and baring her teeth at me-
and I can't take it anymore.
Has this one I hold dear become a preening peacock?
But isn't she under attack by vultures?
Then invite all the hungry animals at large,
invite them in for a free meal!
Foreign, scavenging shepherds
will loot and trample my fields,
Turn my beautiful, well-cared-for fields
into vacant lots of tin cans and thistles.
They leave them littered with junk-
a ruined land, a land in lament.
The whole countryside is a wasteland,
and no one will really care.
12-13
"The barbarians will invade,
swarm over hills and plains.
The judgment sword of God will take its toll
from one end of the land to the other.
Nothing living will be safe.
They will plant wheat and reap weeds.
Nothing they do will work out.
They will look at their meager crops and wring their hands.
All this the result of God's fierce anger!"
14-17 God's Message: "Regarding all the bad neighbors who abused the land I
gave to Israel as their inheritance: I'm going to pluck them out of their
lands, and then pluck Judah out from among them. Once I've pulled the bad
neighbors out, I will relent and take them tenderly to my heart and put them
back where they belong, put each of them back in their home country, on
their family farms. Then if they will get serious about living my way and
pray to me as well as they taught my people to pray to that god Baal,
everything will go well for them. But if they won't listen, then I'll pull
them out of their land by the roots and cart them off to the dump. Total
destruction!" God's Decree.
The Message (MSG)
Copyright C 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson
