October 1, 2025

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“Pay them back what they deserve, Lord, for what their hands have done. Put a veil over their hearts, and may your curse be on them! Pursue them in anger and destroy them from under the heavens of the Lord.“

(Lamentations 3.64-66)

TODAY’S REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD TO US:

When the Apostle Paul wrote to the Christ fellowship in Philippi, “Regardless of the condition in which I find myself, I have learned to be content.” Regardless of all the hardships, trials and tribulations Paul endured because of his commitment to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, Paul maintained his identity in Christ. I would say it this way, “Paul did not forget himself.” Paul would go on to say, “I have learned the secret of enduring it all. The secret is this: I can do all of this through Christ who strengthens me.” It is learning that mindset which can influence each one of us to press forward and overcome the challenges of this world. We must remember, however, that the true secret of Paul’s success which should be ours as well is this: we should not forget ourselves, our mission and our purpose. True success does not come in worldly valuation (fame, fortune, power, riches, prominence). Rather, our true success is when our commitment is to live out the gospel in the world without becoming a part of the world. Yes, it takes great faith to not be swallowed up by the things of this world. Yes, it takes great faith to not become consumed by the same destruction passion and reflect more the Enemy of God and humanity than the God of all creation. We must remember this; Jesus was successful because His focus was always on the glory of God. He “never forgot Himself.”

In contrast, Jeremiah seemed to consistently forget himself. He was a work in progress just as Israel was a work in progress. That progress was aimed at becoming the people whom God intended to demonstrate to the world the goodness and glory of God. Maybe that is a lesson we can learn from the Garden of Eden experience. What we do not hear there was a sense of mission and purpose beyond the Garden. The success of Adam and Eve was contingent upon “not forgetting themselves.” What they needed was the aforementioned word of Paul, “In whatever condition I find myself, I will be content.” If they were content with abiding with God in the Garden, stewarding and shepherding the resources there for the glory of God and love one another, then they would have easily refused the discontent of Satan which promoted: there is more to life than this and God is keeping you from it. Sadly, it seems to be the story of life, all our lives. It is probably the best explanation of “original sin” that I could offer. You see, mighty ones of God, regardless of how much “else” there may be in the world, we must learn to be faithful with what we have been given. The essence of the Parable of the Pounds was that very truth. The master gave to his three servants supervision over his property according to the measure of their abilities. One received 5/9ths. One received 1/3rd (3/9ths). One received 1/9th. They are received 100% trust as the master saw it by his experience with them. The first two servants were not seeking to increase their value as their first priority. They sought to live into the master’s trust. The gain was a natural consequence of their faithfulness to the task given. If they had taken upon themselves to seek a greater fortune and thus increase their value in their master’s eyes, the result may not have been the same. [This is how I equate Paul’s “in all things I do it is by the strength of Christ in me to do the Father’s will.” The will of the Father was to produce the word of salvation and integration into Kingdom living. God was not calling everyone to a “G.O.A.T.” status (greatest of all time.) We see that in the life of John the Baptist who was not seeking fame for himself but glory to God in preparation for the greater joy that was coming into the world. John said of himself, “I must decrease so that He may increase.” (John 3.30) Ultimately, John decreased dramatically as he gave his life up for the cause of God’s call to righteousness. Do we not see the same in the life of Jesus who took on our cross, our sin and our consequence for sin which is eternal death? He “decreased” so that we might increase. Why didn’t Jesus then die an eternal death? Isn’t it because, “He who had no sin, became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God”? (2 Corinthians 5.21) Jesus did not die an eternal death because He lived and died for others and not for Himself. There is a powerful message in that which all the world, the people who dwell on earth, must hear. To die for oneself puts the whole focus on self and not God. Just as the servant who was given 100% of his master’s valuation of him focused more on losing instead of stewardship and ultimately lost it and was thrown into immortal jeopardy, so it may well be for those of us who are more committed to promoting self above all else. Just saying….

So where does that leave me with Jeremiah? He definitely was a work in progress. God gave to him the full measure of who he knew Jeremiah was capable of. He may have been “all of that” before he was born (he, too, was fearfully and wonderfully made; made in fullness before he was knitted and fitted in his mother’s womb…as are we regardless of our birth narrative), but he had to learn what that fullness truly looked like in application. Sometimes that has to happen with trial and tribulation. Sometimes, as is true for all of us, we have to learn it the hard way. Israel was learning it the hard way. They often “forgot themselves” and had to be reminded. In Jeremiah’s laments, we see the exposure of that reality. At the beginning of Lamentations 3, for example, Jeremiah sees the hand of the Lord working on him as a potter works with clay to make some kind of vessel of purpose. He accepts the instruction and the discipline of the Lord. All that had happened to him, and by extension all that happened to Israel, was God “working all things together for good.” In the middle of Lamentations 3, we see Jeremiah committing to enduring the process to the end knowing “the good work which God has started He will bring to completion.” (Philippians 1.6) However, by the time we get to the conclusion of Lamentations 3, Jeremiah commands God to destroy those who were used to “shape” him. He may have wanted the result but he certainly didn’t want the process. Instead of being angry with God, he vented his anger on those who were serving God’s purpose. Granted they took pleasure in bringing Israel down and took credit for it, they would be held to the same standard as everyone else. That standard is not bound merely in “don’t forget yourself” but also “don’t forget whose you are.” Mighty ones of God, herein lies the lesson of truth for us all.

TODAY’S PRAYER IN RESPONSE TO GOD’S WORD:

Father, in these days we are finding the need to believe even more than ever before. We all have known trouble, some in greater ways than others, but You are offering us the assurance that we will not be consumed by it forever. Regardless of the “time” we are in and the “time” we have been given, we ask for Your Holy Spirit which Jesus asked You to share with us, to lead and guide and direct us in the paths we should go. Teach us what we still need to learn. Empower us to put that learning into action. Bless our actions not as a works righteousness but as righteous works of faith, hope and love in Jesus’ name. AMEN.