Jeremiah 1:4-4 (HCSB) 4 The word of the Lord came to me: 5 I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born. I appointed you a prophet to the nations.
Jeremiah 20:8-9 (HCSB) 8 For whenever I speak, I cry out, I proclaim, “Violence and destruction!” because the word of the Lord has become for me constant disgrace and derision. 9 If I say, “I won’t mention Him or speak any longer in His name,” His message becomes a fire burning in my heart, shut up in my bones. I become tired of holding it in, and I cannot prevail.
John 14:21 (HCSB) 21 The one who has My commands and keeps them is the one who loves Me. And the one who loves Me will be loved by My Father. I also will love him and will reveal Myself to him.”
Philippians 2:12 (HCSB) 12 So then, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now even more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
As each of us lives in this world, there are many thoughts or things that many of us desire. Some desire to always live in a life of vacation – not having to or needing to work. Some desire to always live in close proximity to their biological relatives and childhood friends. Some desire to not be in the presence of anybody they are biologically related to or grew up with. Some desire to always live as the center of attention. Some desire to always live in the position of first in every thought, word and deed. Some desire to always live in a position of knowing that others want to be them or want to be with them. Some desire to always live in a place of peace, tranquility and having no problems. And then there are some who desire nothing more than to be chaos, to be confusion, to be disorder and to be trouble.
The prophet Jeremiah was a man who was chosen for his assignment before he even graced his mother’s womb. The prophet Jeremiah was not like many popular prophets of today. The prophet Jeremiah – who was assigned to be a prophet to the nations – did not prophecy peace, wealth, prosperity, and all of the desires of people’s heart – the nation of Israel and the other nations. The prophet Jeremiah proclaimed a word, cried out that word, spoke only the word that did not please his hearers as his hearers did not want to hear what The Creator had to say about how they were living nor wanted to believe that The Creator would reject them and send them into bondage. The prophet Jeremiah would not be well thought of today, nor invited to the family cookout, nor be invited to latest and greatest congregational gathering, nor thought to be a great preacher, teacher, proclaimer or messenger, nor be paid by the people ‘who wanted to hear from The Lord’.
The prophet Jeremiah was on fire from The Creator. Because of his messages from The Creator, in the people’s eyes, Jeremiah was a disgrace, was scoffed at, and made a mockery. It is interesting that this ‘Man of God’ was a disgrace, a scoffer, and mocked by the people yet he was the oracle by whom The Creator chose to use to forecast the pain that was coming to His People because that had chosen to abandon The Instructions that He had given through that old prophet named Moses. It is interesting that this ‘Man of God’ was a disgrace, a scoffer, and mocked by the people yet he was the oracle by whom The Creator was giving His People an opportunity to turn from their wicked ways and be received back into His Loving Arms. It is interesting that this ‘Man of God’ was a disgrace, a scoffer, and mocked by the people yet he was the oracle by whom The Creator was using to show all nations what it would be like if they chose not to hear His Word, chose not be subject to His Word, and chose to reject Him and all that He desires for them to be. It is interesting that this ‘Man of God’ was a disgrace, a scoffer, and mocked by the people yet he was the oracle by whom The Creator was please with.
The prophet Jeremiah obeyed The Father even when it did not feel good to him, obeyed The Father even when the folk mocked him, obeyed The Father even when folk didn’t think well of him, obeyed The Father even when folk began to talk about him even if they thought that he was coming to them, and obeyed The Father even when he was tired of being the spectacle that he was created to be. The prophet Jeremiah was filled with The Spirit – just as John the Baptist & The Messiah – which is the fire within his bones that he references in verse 9 of chapter 20. When The Spirit -The Anointing, The Fire, The Seal – is within you, the message that you have been given is a message from The Father that you must proclaim and you are not able to keep it to yourself as it was never intended for you to keep, but to give away. The prophet Jeremiah worked to please The Father in spite of the pain that he had to endure as he worked the work of salvation for his natural nation and the adopted nations (note: this refers to the natural branch and adopted branch that Paul speaks of in the epistle to the Romans). The prophet Jeremiah knew The Instructions of The Creator, held onto The Instructions from The Creator, and lived out The Instructions of The Creator. The prophet Jeremiah was not created to please the folk. The prophet Jeremiah did not choose to please folk by not telling them what The Creator said, and did not choose to please folk by adding to or subtracting from the word for them from The Creator.
Family, if you love The Father & The Son, obey His Word with fear and trembling. To fear Him is to know and understand His Power, His Authority, His Dominion, His Immutability, His Everlastingness, His Sovereignty, and His Uniqueness. To tremble before Him is to realize your limited capacity, your finiteness, your powerlessness, you’re created in His image and your life is in His Hands. Family, work out your own soul’s salvation by coming to Him in Spirit & in Truth, by surrendering His image back to Him, by knowing what He has said and obeying His Word, and then by living as a citizen of His Kingdom while you tarry for The Master’s return. Family, get that fire that the prophet Jeremiah had and stand firm on fire for your salvation and the salvation of others.
Shalom (Peace)!
Scriptural References:
buildinglivesforeternity.com 