Second Week of Advent ~ Monday

Today's passage is very convicting.

It makes me want to sit down and think through my daily life... Am I being completely true to what I hear from the Lord and refusing to accept the comfortable things I want to hear?

Am I lining up what I feel God has spoken to me with Scripture?

Am I basing my actions and reactions on what other people have preached or am I also taking that to Scripture and lining it up with what God's Word says?

- Read Jeremiah 23

I think the Message translation explains this chapter the clearest, but you can read any translation you'd prefer.

- Devotional Thought

When I read this chapter, I am reminded of how prone we are to temptation and falling off track. We live in a very sinful world that constantly contradicts what God is saying. There are so many noises around us, so many people telling us what to do or what they expect of us. Yet, God knows that! He knows that there are so many places that are pulling at us to distract us from Him. And when we do fall short, we have the choice... To be a subject of our consequences, or to return to our Lord, to repent, to acknowledge that we have messed up and to accept His forgiveness. This chapter talks of an authentic branch and an inauthentic branch. People truly following God's Word and people who are not. Which one will we choose to speak over our lives today? We need to come to a point where we know our Lord so intimately that we can discern what is true and what is not. In a noisy world where we are surrounded by opinions and objectives. And if we are not closely walking alongside Him, we will find ourselves in distant lands, following distant ways. But... We see an offering to come right, we see a loving Father who knows where we are and where we have been. Where we have been strong and where we have fallen... And He is offering salvation. He had the cross planned far before the time for it came.

As we saw a couple days ago, redemption has been a theme that has been written into Scripture from the brginning of time. This chapter reminds us to not be afraid if you find yourself in a way or a place that doesn't truly reflect the Kingdom. Because we have been offered the gift of Salvation! It's not an effort based gift but a gift freely given. That is why Lent is such a poingnant time during our year, we are handed a lengthly time to refocus on the cross and the wonder of what God has gifted us through the cross. Today we get to return to our Lord again. Each day is a chance to return to our Lord again. TO be reminded of His goodness and unrelenting Love and to not take that for granted for one more moment.

- Passage to focus on 

“Time’s coming”—God’s Decree—

“when I’ll establish a truly righteous David-Branch,

A ruler who knows how to rule justly.

He’ll make sure of justice and keep people united.

In his time Judah will be secure again

and Israel will live in safety.

This is the name they’ll give him:

‘God-Who-Puts-Everything-Right.’

Jeremiah 23vs5~6

The one who is coming is the one we know as Jesus.

We are highly blessed to live with the knowledge of the beauty of the cross. We will never understand why some people had to live before the cross and why we get the blessing of living with knowledge of the cross, but we can live in full gratitude of the moment in time we are in.

Be thankful today ~ thankful that the Lord your God knows you will fall short, but has put everything in place to not let you crash when you fall.

When you're walking closely with the Lord, you'll never crash. You'll always land safely in His hands.

- Image for today 

Today's image is of a long winding road.

There will be times in our lives where we wonder off track of the road we are meant to be following. And it's in those places where we will still find God. We will still find Him becuase He is looking out for us, He is watching over us and He wants nothing more than to redirect us back onto the path that He planned for us.

- Prayer 

Father God,

I wouldn't want to add up all the times I have fallen short of you. I wouldn't want to see the amount of times I have wondered from the road you planned for me.

Today with a humble heart, I come to you again to say that I'm sorry for when I have followed ways that are not your ways and listened to people you did not send to speak into my life. Help me to grow in strength and understanding of where you are in my life so that I can only grow closer to your word each day.

In your name I pray and your name I long to stay in,

Amen!

- Active idea

Now is the time to think ouer your life and to bring before God all the ways that you have fallen away from Him - intentionally and unintentionally. Jesus didn't die on the cross so that we can live in our bondage but so that we could repent and be forgiven and try again!

Thank you for joining me today! Hope to see you again soon!

Have a blessed Lent

~ X ~