Reading from Saturday, October 23

Yup.

Reading for October 23
Jeremiah 42:1-44:23
So here we see the promise God made a few chapters ago in its full context. The people of Israel ask Jeremiah what God says about the future of their people. Here's what God says:

¹⁰ 'If you stay in this land, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you, for I am grieved over the disaster I have inflicted on you. ¹¹ Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you now fear. Do not be afraid of him, declares the LORD, for I am with you and will save you and deliver you from his hands. ¹² I will show you compassion so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your land.'

So that's the good part that we read a little way's back, but then he gives the following qualifier:

¹³ "However, if you say, 'We will not stay in this land,' and so disobey the LORD your God, ¹⁴ and if you say, 'No, we will go and live in Egypt, where we will not see war or hear the trumpet or be hungry for bread,' [...] ¹⁶ then the sword you fear will overtake you there, and the famine you dread will follow you into Egypt, and there you will die. [...] 'As my anger and wrath have been poured out on those who lived in Jerusalem, so will my wrath be poured out on you when you go to Egypt. You will be an object of cursing and horror, of condemnation and reproach; you will never see this place again.'

So while all that hope and peace and joy that I read about, while extremely beautiful still comes with the caveat of loving and obeying God - at least back then. After Christ's death, I would make the assumption that this grace and love would be freely given to anyone who chooses to believe it.

2 Timothy 2:1-21
This is awesome.

 ¹¹Here is a trustworthy saying:
   If we died with him,
      we will also live with him;
 ¹²if we endure,
      we will also reign with him.
   If we disown him,
      he will also disown us;
 ¹³if we are faithless,
      he will remain faithful,
      for he cannot disown himself.

Verses 11 and 12 are pretty easy to swallow cause and effect scenarios - but verse 13 is where we should hang out hats. Through our unfaith - through my struggles with my faith - God will remain faithful to me. That is unbelievable.

Psalm 92:1-93:5
 ⁵ How great are your works, O LORD,
       how profound your thoughts!
 ⁶ The senseless man does not know,
       fools do not understand,
 ⁷ that though the wicked spring up like grass
       and all evildoers flourish,
       they will be forever destroyed.
 ⁸ But you, O LORD, are exalted forever.

The grass withers and the flowers fall...


Proverbs 26:3-5
FOOLS!

 ³ A whip for the horse, a halter for the donkey,
       and a rod for the backs of fools!
 ⁴ Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
       or you will be like him yourself.
 ⁵ Answer a fool according to his folly,
       or he will be wise in his own eyes.