Eternally Minded

We have heard of the pride of Moab —  he is very proud— of his loftiness, his pride, and his arrogance,  and the haughtiness of his heart.  I know his insolence, declares the Lord ;  his boasts are false,  his deeds are false. Jeremiah 48:29 & 30 In the rest of the chapter, we see the L ORD  dishing out destruction for Moab. He is angry with them - they sinned and would be thoroughly punished for it.  On all the housetops of Moab and in the squares there is nothing but lamentation, for I have broken Moab like a vessel for which no one cares, declares the L ORD . How it is broken! How they wail! How Moab has turned his back in shame! So Moab has become a derision and a horror to all that are around him.  (Jeremiah 48:39 & 39) But what was their sin?  PRIDE.  Moab shall be destroyed and be no longer a people, because he magnified himself against the L ORD .   (Jeremiah 48:42) ...

Now the word of the Lord came to Solomon saying, “Concerning this house which you are building, if you will walk in My statutes and execute My ordinances and keep all My commandments by walking in them, then I will carry out My word with you which I spoke to David your father. I will dwell among the sons of Israel, and will not forsake My people Israel.” 1 Kings 6:11-13 This is a promise from the L ORD to His chosen people, Israel, while Solomon is building the temple. Intentionally, in chapter 5, we see God fulfilling a promise He made to Solomon,  "The L ORD gave wisdom to Solomon, just as He promised him..." (1 Kings 5:12) But there is a contingency linked to this particular promise in chapter 6: That His people would obey His statutes, rules, and commandments, and to walk in them.  Maybe, if you're like me, this sounds like a lot of what is modernly called 'works religion'.   But the phrase 'walk in them' points to a devotion. ** D...

Therefore I still contend with you, declares the L ORD , and with your children's children I will contend. For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see, or send to Kedar and examine with care; see if there has been such a thing. Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But My people have changed their glory for that which does not profit. Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the L ORD , for 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.    (Jeremiah 2:9-13) Jeremiah (more specifically, God, through Jeremiah) is warning the people of Judah about their great sin: IDOLATRY. Idolatry is anything of higher importance in your life than God Himself. It's crazy in our age today, just as it was rampant in ancient Judah.  (1)  Therefore I still contend with you, declares the L ORD , and w...

John 12:43: "They loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God."  This verse has been running through my head for a few weeks now. I included it in my last post, but honestly, it just boggles my mind. Well, not actually. I completely understand how the people this verse is talking about were deceived enough to believe that man's glory was more valuable than God's. Probably the reason it sticks with me is for fear that the same thing may be said about me some day. This summer, I was privileged to be in the girls' dorm at camp for two weeks. I always love being in the dorm because of the amazing opportunity it brings to study the Word of God and encourage one another. We usually read through a couple of the New Testament letters together in the evenings, (James being one of our favourites) but this year, we decided to read 1 Peter.  Some things stood out to me... "Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of h...

Exodus 34:14: You shall worship no other god, for the L ORD , whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. Something that has become increasingly obvious to me in the passed few months is the importance of God's attributes. Once you separate God from even one of them, there is a great likelihood that we're no longer talking about the same God. Commonly, people shy away from talking about His divine jealousy, wrath, omnipotence [all powerful], and omnipresence [everywhere at all times]. Truthfully, God is all these things, equally and righteously so. God is holy and cannot sin. We are unholy with a sin nature. When our finite minds consider jealousy, we immediately associate it with sin, because, apart from God, it is almost always sin. You might ask how God can be jealous without sinning. In the Old Testament, God's jealousy is often focused on when talking about idolatry. "You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in h...