“Then said they, Come, and let us devise devices against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us smite him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words” (Jeremiah 18:18).
TEXT — Jeremiah 18:18-23
Message
Aaron Burr was the third vice president of the US. While in the university, he heard the gospel message and fell under heavy conviction by the Holy Spirit. He ran to a professor, a Christian minister, and explained what was happening to him. The professor told him to go and settle the matter with God. Instead of praying that God should forgive his sins, he said to the Spirit, “If You will leave me alone, I also will leave You alone”. The Spirit left him alone and he lived and died without any further conviction or repentance. The conspiracy of Jeremiah’s kinsmen against him and their decision not to heed his message, which came from God is the subject of mediation today. He asked God to judge them and their families for the incessant persecution and hatred.
Differentiating between a true friend and an enemy is difficult for some people. They make the mistake of taking a friend for an enemy and an enemy for a friend. Jeremiah was a friend that had a soft spot for his erring people and demonstrated that by his constant intercession for God’s mercy and forgiveness towards them; but the people misunderstood all that, and persecuted him sorely.
God’s message and overtures to man are for his benefit. So, when men despise or reject God’s message to them by which He intends to help them, they lose out in life. As believers in Christ, our obedience to the instructions of God remains our only safeguard. Any Christian who deliberately disobeys God’s commandments will be like the losers in Jeremiah’s time who were judged for their disobedience.
Thought for the day
Those who reject God’s counsels are ultimate losers.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
Pastor w. F Kumuyip
Thank you Lord for this wonderful and timely message. Help me Lord not to disobey your message whether directly or when coming from your servants.
God bless the media/publicity unit in DLBC.
Thanks for this devotional guide.
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