Monday 10 October

Jeremiah 21:1-23:8

It is always helpful when the bible says things like “is that not what it means to know me?” (22:16).  It feels like the Hebrew equivalent of a highlighter pen and double underline.  And so we find today that knowing God means defending the cause of the poor and the needy.  Now this is particularly directed at the king of Israel so might need a little application.  The king of Israel was charged with shepherding the whole flock of Israel.  As a king it must have been so tempting to focus on the movers and shakers of Israel, on those who could cut you a deal and drop you a nice favour.  As a king it must have been so easy to spend time with the rich and the important, looking to the GDP figures of your country and ensuring that the bold and the brilliant had enough space to expand and excel.  If you as the king benefitted from this surge in your country’s fortunes, well, that would be just what you deserved for your excellent leadership skills.  But the Lord wanted the king to look to the poor, to the marginalised and the sick.  The Lord was less bothered about Israel’s GDP than the degree of Israel’s justice, the extent to which Israel took care of its weak.  We all have spheres of influence.  Some of us at work, some of us at home, some of us in our neighbourhood.  What is our priority in these places - our success or caring for the struggling?

1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:13

What really counts in the faith?  What is it that will bring us glory in the presence of Jesus?  It is not how many books we have read or conferences we have attended or how long our quiet times have been.  It is people.  It is saints who we have edged up to and prayed for and put and arm around and spoken words of encouragement to.  It is believers in Jesus who we have mourned with and rejoiced with and built up in the faith.  It is the people we have chosen to befriend and give our lives to for their growth and their maturity.  It is house-group and prayer groups and people we have spoken to at coffee on a Sunday.  When Jesus comes back all the work we have done for others in the spiritual realm will suddenly be exposed like UV rays under one of those special glow lamps.  And people will walk up to us and say “thank you so much for praying for me that time”, “thank you would helping me understand a bit more of who Jesus was”, “thank you for challenging me about my addiction and my sin”, “thank you for helping me become a Christian”.  And it will be a source of huge huge joy for us.  We will see the work that the Lord has done through us and it will be like a sparkling crown we place on our heads.  Building others up - that’s what really counts in the faith.

Psalm 119:9-16

I’ve often asked that question - How can a young man keep his way pure?