Browsing Tag

Persecution

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

By Request: 10-day Devotional Readings from Jeremiah

11896250_10152977036441384_3876974688294082380_nWhen you immerse yourself in a book of the Bible, you have separation anxiety when it’s time to move on to another. Here’s one more Jeremiah list from the Digging Deep study. But, truly, this list is good for God’s women whether you are in the book of Jeremiah or not. This is for your morning coffee break, the day you  realize you’ve broken God’s commands, the darkest night when you’ve just lost a loved one, and for the struggle in your marriage. This is gold from Jeremiah for your life. In fact, this list would be a great 10-day morning starter devotional series for busy women. (The original list, without scripture references, is taken from the article “The Marvelous Book of Jeremiah, by Wayne Jackson at https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/747-marvelous-book-of-jeremiah-) For your study, I’ve added some passages from the Jeremiah text and elsewhere. It will make you want to be better!

Practical Lessons from Jeremiah

  1. God’s omniscience–Jeremiah 1:5; Job 31:33; Job 39:31; Psalm 139:1-6
  2. God empowers the servant.–Jeremiah 1:7-10; II Kings 5; Exodus 2; Judges 6:15
  3. Remember your vows.–Jeremiah 2:20-37; Jeremiah 22: 8,9; Matthew 15:9
  4. God hates the superficial. –Jeremiah 5:2,3; Isaiah 29:13; Matthew 15:8; Mark 7:6
  5.  True repentance is costly.–Jeremiah 7:1-7; II Corinthians 7:10
  6. The price of sin is high.–Jeremiah 8:1-3; Jeremiah 9; Luke 15: 11-21; Romans 6:23; I Peter 1:18,19
  7. Jehovah will be victorious.–Jeremiah 23:1-8; I Peter 1:5-7
  8. Jesus is the only hope.–Jeremiah 33:9-16; John 14:6; I Peter 1:3; I Corinthians 15:13-19.
  9. Expect persecution.–Jeremiah 38:3-6; II Timothy 3:12
  10. Judgment day will come.–Jeremiah 46-51; Matthew 25:31-46; II Peter 2:9; II Peter 3:7; Hebrews 9:27

 

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Digging Deep: Fearless Jeremiah

Jeremiah’s Persecution

Jeremiah_lamentingIn case you want to put this list with your Digging Deep notes for the month of March, here’s a list of Jeremiah’s persecutions and his reactions to the trials inflicted. This article by Wayne Jackson gave us the basic list: https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/747-marvelous-book-of-jeremiah-the….Then we searched for Jeremiah’s responses.) May we be modern-day ‘Jeremiah’s in the, thus far, relatively benign situations of persecution. Stay tuned, though. Our faith is putting us in some pretty vulnerable places. Our God is still ‘with us to deliver us’ (Jeremiah 1:8). 

  1. People desired his life (11: 18-20)….He took his case to God in prayer (vs. 20)
  2. His countrymen turned against him (12:6)
  3. False prophets contradicted him…. (15:10)….He begged for personal exemption from the punishments (15:15-18).
  4. He was hit, put in stocks and denounced (chapter20)….He HAD to keep on speaking (vs. 9).
  5. His heart was broken (23:9)….He reflected on God’s sovereignty (vs. 13-20).
  6. He was seized and threatened with death (26:8-24)….He spoke more boldly (vs. 12-15).
  7. His teachings were strongly and visibly opposed (ch. 28)….Jeremiah spoke all the more boldly and pointedly (vs. 12-17)
  8. He was imprisoned (32:2,3)….He listened to the words of the Lord (32:6).
  9. The king burned the roll of prophecy (36:23)
  10. He was chased (36:26)….God hid him and he made a new roll in place of the one burned by the king (vs. 26, 27)
  11. He was beaten and imprisoned (37:15)….After many days in prison, when he was called out, he spoke as boldly as ever (vs. 17).
  12. He was thrown in the dungeon without food and he sunk in the mire (38:6)….He came out speaking truth (vs. 17,18).
  13. He was bound in chains (40:1)….He went straight to the governor with God’s truth (40:7-16).
  14. He was falsely accused and taken, with the captives, to Egypt (43:2)…He continued to speak truth to the captives in Judah and to the Egyptian captors, as well. Fearless. (ch.44, 46).
Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Sister to Sister: Wall-builders, Nehemiah Style

nehemiah_rust_door-1024x682I hope you want to be one. Badly enough to pick up the Sword (of the Spirit) when the persecution comes. Badly enough to cry out to God and then pick up His tools and go at it again. Badly enough to multi-task for Him. Badly enough to face yours own Sanballots and Tobiahs (Nehemiah 2). I pray that my courage will not fail in the face of persecution. I want to build for my children and grandchildren. For those who are Digging Deep (https://www.facebook.com/groups/282349391779769/)  this month, Nehemiah is the man of the hour. He steps right out of the sacred pages and into the hearts of God’s people today…in their political views, in their sin-challenged families and in their weary congregations. Nehemiah is an affront to apathy and cowardice and an appeal to steadfastness and courage in a day when Christians are repelled as we view the moral and spiritual landscape about us. To be repelled is not enough, though. We have to repeal…. I mean, we have to do everything within our power to restore, one precious soul at a time, respect for the Word of God and sanctification for His purposes in whatever arenas of influence we have.

I challenge you to ingest Nehemiah in the remaining days of this month. Join us on the podcast (http://livestream.com/whcoc/for-women) next Tuesday night for some ideas about what we can personally do in a day when Christians are mocked, persecuted and are, more and more, finding themselves targets of litigation for the defense of religious freedoms and/or beliefs.

Appreciation goes to Polishing the Pulpit (http://polishingthepulpit.com) as I recommend today, for your listening, this lesson which finds its basis in the great book of Nehemiah. Specifically, thanks to Allen Webster and Grat Tucker for help in sharing this lesson and to my friend, Tennessee State Representative Sheila Butt, for her study and presentation.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/2siobcrh8ehv1px/075%20Butt%2C%20Sheila%20-%20Finding%20Peace%20in%20Anxious%20Times-auphonic.mp3?dl=0

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Sister to Sister: Digging Deep–Two Persecuted Prophets

23474Let’s dig a little today into the lives of two prophets separated by about 900 years, who both were subjects of persecution because they boldly spoke the Truth of the Lord. They are Elijah and John the Baptist. Matthew 11:14 says that John was the “Elias which was to come”. If you’re ever called upon to give a devotional or teach a class that will encourage women to be brave for Him, here’s a great outline. For those of you who are Digging Deep, here’s a jump start to some of the podcast material. Some of the passages below are generic and, though they apply to one or both of these men, they can also apply to us. You bless me daily with your questions, news from your groups and your comments. Some of you may have a more thorough outline  about these two men than I do. I always find that I learn much more from you than I am able to give back! He is so good through this fellowship and study tool.

Elijah and John the Baptist:

1. Two men who rebuked a king: I Kings 21:1-24; Luke 3:15-20; Matthew 14:1-12.

2. Two mighty men of prayer: James 5:16-18; I Kings 17, 18 (more than one mighty prayer  here); Luke 11:1.

3. Two disheartened mortals: I Kings 19:1-8; Matthew 11:1-6.

4. Two mortal men who made mistakes: I Kings 19:1-18; Romans 11:1-4; Matthew 11:11; Luke 7:28; Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:7; Luke 3:16; Acts 13:25.

5. Two men honored by God: II Kings 2:11; Luke 1:14-17; Luke 1:76-79; Mark 1:2,9; Malachi 4:5,6; Isaiah 40:3; Matthew 3:3,13.

6. The glorious victory of two men: Matthew 5:10-12; Matthew 17:1-9; Mark 9:2-8; Luke 9:28-36; Revelation 6:9-11; Revelation 2:10.

Podcast is on Tuesday, January 26th. I hope you’ll bring your nuggets!

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Sister to Sister: What?! Your Sister Yelled at You at the Family Christmas?!

Unknown-3As I try to put together some lessons we can pack away from the December Digging Deep study, I’m taking a long look at I Samuel 17, particularly the part where David took so much “mouth” off of his older brother, Eliab. There was young David, doing nothing more than the wishes of their aged father. He was actually there in the Valley of Elah, in the first place, to take provisions to the brothers he loved. They were the ones who were off at the army camp with all the men of war while David had been left behind to do the ordinary…the same old thing he’d been doing all of his life…just tending the sheep. It must have been at least a monotony break for David as he traveled to the battle lines to take bread, cheese and corn to his brothers and their commander. He must have been excited as he neared the camp. Leaving the carriage with its keeper, he ran on foot into the army that was already advancing and greeted his brothers.   I’m sure he wanted to see his brothers and he genuinely had concern, along with their father, for their welfare as he saluted them bearing the gifts that, perhaps, he’d even helped prepare for them.

But, as the army prepared to do battle, he heard the shout of the giant Goliath, taunting the Israelites, defying their God and striking fear in the hearts of their men of war. David began to inquire of the men around him. “Who is this man…this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

But Eliab, David’s brother, who was not even a part of the conversation, overheard his inquiry and injected his own brand of angry taunting into the conversation:

And Eliab’s anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the evil of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle (vs. 28).

I don’t know what fueled this outburst from Eliab against the younger brother who had gone the distance to bring him comfort and provisions. Perhaps he was tired. Maybe he was jealous.  After all, young David had already been anointed, in front of his brothers, as the next king of Israel. Whatever it was, we see some pretty hurtful attitudes in Eliab.

We see, first, that he was mad. It hurts, you know, when someone you’ve loved all of your life lashes out in anger at you. Sometimes it’s someone who does it over and over again. Eliab was full of wrath.

Second, we see a condescending spirit. “With whom did you leave those few sheep?” In 2015, the words might be “Don’t you have something better to do?” or “Who do you think you are?” or “Who asked you?”

Thirdly, we see some pretty stout (and false) accusations. Pride and evil have done a lot of damage in many a relationship, but they were not on the radar at this point in the life of David. He was simply doing what his father had asked and, in the process, he came upon a situation in which he was conscience-driven to defend the living God. It was the kind of righteousness that irked Eliab and so he came unglued and unleashed unfair criticism in anger at David, his brother and God’s anointed.

It occurs to me that there’s probably someone reading who has encountered the wrath of some family member during the recent holiday season. In fact, this kind of family problem comes to my inbox more often than I’d prefer, and it seems it comes most frequently while I’m taking down my Christmas tree. That’s because lots of families have come together during a busy (and sometimes stressful) time of year.  But it’s simply very hurtful when a family member exhibits a short fuse, particularly with no just cause.   It takes courage and valor to continue doing the right thing when it’s a family member who is dishing out the criticism of righteousness. But it happens all too frequently.

What’s more important than assessing the criticism of Eliab is noticing the response of David. This man after God’s own heart gives us a sterling portrait of the reaction of the godly in the face of family persecution. Here it is:

  1. He recognized his own innocence (verse 29).
  2. He remembered to look at the big picture. There was a cause (verse 29) that was bigger than the present controversy.
  3. He persisted in his pursuit to defeat evil (verse 30).
  4. He did not shrink back from gently defending his position of faith (verse 33).
  5. He had confidence in his choice to do the will of God (verses 34-37).
  6. He trusted in God above all else (verse 37).
  7. He took on the enemy of God without fear (verses 38-49).
  8. He took action in the name of the Lord (verse 45).
  9. He gave the glory for victory to God (verse 46).
  10. He was set on the spread of the news of the power of Jehovah (verses 46, 47).

In short, David just went right on doing the right thing in spite of the harsh and unjust criticism. He proved that God’s way prevails, in the end, every time.

Now, have you had a problem with a family member berating you or lashing out in anger at you without just cause? I know some of you have because you’ve shared the sorrow with me.  May I suggest that you determine to be like David?  Examine your purpose and be sure your actions are aligned with the Will of God.  Then remember the cause for which we live and be sure your reaction is to confidently and humbly carry out the will of the Father. There may be a bit of hurt in your world between the criticism of a family member and the fall of the Goliaths in your spiritual battle. But God will claim the victory in the end.

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Sister to Sister: You Don’t Have to Know Why.

df939c9928d5eb676a2802dbce31d63fThe study of Job has been, even though I’ve done multiple read-throughs in the past, once again, riveting. I’ve never before studied by marking his questions and I’ve never been so convinced that the most powerful thing with which we walk away is that he never knew the answers to most of them. Job suffered as we likely never will—in intensity and duration; yet he never knew that he was the pawn in an attempt by Satan to trump God. But, in the end, he had to just put his hand over His own mouth and stop talking. He had waded into waters that were too deep for Him. He knew that he had to hush–and let God be God.

Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you?I lay my hand on my mouth….Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge? Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.

Here are the categorizations of verses that we discussed this week on the podcast. I hope they will be one small tool in helping us all realize that we don’t always need to know all the answers. We just need to know the One who does.

  1. The Question of great faith: Job 2:10.
  2. Questions of hopelessness:  Job 3:11-12,16,20-23 and 10:18.
  3. Questions defending his own “right” to complain: Job 6: 5-6,11-13 and 21:4.
  4. Questions for relationship clarification (“You are not my spiritual advisors.”): Job 6:22-23,25-26.
  5. Questions from intense suffering: Job 7:1,4,12.
  6. Questions asserting his own insignificance (Who am I to be the focus of these trials?”):Job 7:17-21 and 10:20.
  7. Questions asserting his inability to “win” in any match with God: Job 9:2,12,14,19,24,29.
  8. Logical questions; reasoning with God: Job 10: 3-10.
  9. Questions rebuking his friends: Job 12:3,9,11; 13:7-11,14,19,23-25; 16:3,6; 19:2,3,22 and 26:1-4.
  10. Questions about the brevity of life: Job 14:3,4,10.
  11. Questions regarding loneliness: Job 17:3,15,16.
  12. Questions about the prosperity of the wicked: Job 21:7,15-18,21-22,28-31,34; 24:1,25; and 27:8-12.
  13. Questions about God’s nature: Job 23:6,13 and 26:14.
  14. Questions about the source of wisdom: Job 28:12,20.
  15. Questions about mockers: Job 30:2,24-25.
  16. Questions about his own innocence: Job 31:1-4,14-15.
  17. Final questions that settle matters: 40:4 and 42:3.