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Scripture for the day: Jeremiah 1:17-19 “Therefore prepare yourself and arise, and speak to them all that I command you. Do not be dismayed before their faces, lest I dismay you before them. For behold, I have made you this day a fortified city and an iron pillar, and bronze walls against the whole land - against the kings of Judah, against its princes, against its priests, and against the people of the land. They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you.
For I am with you,” says the Lord, “to deliver you.”
Thought for the day: Here’s the message I want to hear: “Come to Me and I will give you rest.” Here’s the promise I want to be able to cling to: “I know the plans I have for you; plans to give you hope and a future.” Here’s the message I want to bring to the people. “God loves you and He has a wonderful plan for your life.” The thing is, these are all valid messages. They are all true and there are countless others written in the Word that should raise our spirits and provide heart-warming assurances of God’s love.
As valid as these messages may be, there is another side to the coin. Look for a few minutes at Jeremiah’s call to preach. In these three short verses, we find this warning for the prophet: “Tell it like it is.” God said, “I know the message of repentance is a hard one to bring. Bring it anyway. If you don’t, you will feel worse than if you do.” And what does this tell us? Jeremiah, called of God, was about to experience suffering whether he brought the message of repentance or not. If he failed to cry out, “Repent!” he would suffer God’s wrath in his own life. If he was obedient, everyone would treat him as an enemy.
When Isaiah was called to preach, he was given one message: “Repent!” He rightly asked, “To whom shall I bring this message?”
The Lord replied, “To a people who won’t listen.”
“And for how long shall I preach this message?”
“Until the cities turn to dust.” In other words, for the rest of your life. Let’s face it; this isn’t a message designed to make friends and influence people.
In Revelation, chapter ten, we read of John’s re-commissioning. He is standing in heaven while an angel holds out to him a small book. He is instructed, “Take the book and eat it.” John obeys and finds the words true; “It will make your stomach bitter but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.” John knew he was being given a message that would be a joy to believers but painful to deliver to the lost. It would be a message of judgment on unbelievers and therefore one that would cause him to suffer as well.
And what of Jesus? What was His message? The first sermon He presented to the people after having spent 40 days and nights in the wilderness was this: “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Did He present other messages? Of course, but each one revolved around the hard teaching that repentance is necessary for all who would follow Him. “I have come that they may have life, and that more abundantly.” Absolutely true but the first step is, as always, “Repent for the kingdom is at hand.” “Neither do I condemn you,” He said to the woman caught in adultery. “Go and sin no more” was the call to repentance He had for her, and for me, and for anyone who would claim forgiveness.
The message is the same today as ever it has been. The call is the same. Repent and turn from sin to the Savior. As we are a kingdom of priests, the message is ours to bring to a lost and dying world.
Now go take on your world. - Bill