THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION OF OUR LIVES

This is what the Lord says:

“Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
    who draws strength from mere flesh
and whose heart turns away from the Lord.
⁶ That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes.  They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.

 ⁷ “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.
⁸ They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.”  ⁹ The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.  Who can understand it?  Jer. 17:5-9

 

 

As I sit here at the table attempting to rest on my "Sabbath Day", I'm challenged by this verse, and more so by the very last text in this scripture excerpt...."The heart is deceitful above all things, and beyond cure.  Who can understand it?"  Because we live in a culture where we follow our hearts (emotions/feelings) more than we follow the LORD.   I mean think about it.....do we REALLY allow the LORD to lead us in many of the decisions that we make?   We all make hundreds if not thousands of decisions a day, some that impact people immediately, some that impact a few, some that have the potential to literally change the world....and I wonder do we ever really consider the LORD when we "pull the trigger" on whatever the decision is for the moment.

 

Preceding this 9th verse God says "Cursed is the one who trusts in man, relies on their abilities, and whose heart turns away from the Lord."  This is devastating to whomever is this person.  In this section of Jeremiah this was written to the people of Judah regarding their sin.  But if this is our/my devotional verse for the day....one has to answer these questions to get to the single most important question of our lives.

 

1)  Do you, are you trusting in a man/woman?  (Whether it's your pastor or the president...or whomever do you "trust in them" or do you "trust them to be human, and capable of making a mistake," that is forgivable under the eyes of God.)

 

2) Do you rely on your own strength or someone else's on a regular bases, so much so that you find yourself relying less and less on the Holy Spirit? (Is your faith your default, or the last resort?)

 

3) Has your heart turned away from the Lord?  (This is probably the biggest.....because it's impossible to be a complainer with your heart facing Christ.)  When we can find more fault in, or about than be thankful for......your heart is in a bad place.    Not only is it in bad place, but it will lead you to a darker place.   Verse 9 reminds us that the heart is deceitful in other words it's skilled at getting or attempting to manipulate people or things to get what it wants.  This is why we have a culture that does what feels good, not what's good for it.   This is why marriages end.   This is why many people leave jobs, schools, churches, cities, etc.....because they actually believe that JESUS or GOD wants them to feel good, and be comfortable.  

 

Last time I checked....Jesus challenged his followers to drop what they were doing and follow Him.   He told some to sell all they had, and follow Him.    He told others to let the dead bury their own dead, and follow Him.   He cared about their heart being turned toward the Father, so much so that their bodies followed their hearts desire to be with and connected to Him.  

 

I don't recall Jesus asking his disciples ever...."How did that make you feel?"  Nor did Paul ever ask for feedback regarding any of his letters......it wasn't that they weren't compassionate....they were actually extremely compassionate, but they knew the heart of man, and the only way to keep that heart from ruining their lives and the ministry was to encourage them to keep their hearts turned toward the will of God.   So the single most important question is not, what you are thinking, or how do you feel about....., or what would you like to do?   

 

It's:  What is GOD, JESUS, the HOLY SPIRIT telling you to do? (Not what you think....but what are they actually telling you to do.)   God was/is always specific....He didn't tell Abraham to  climb any mountain.  He didn't tell Noah to build whatever he wanted to build.   He didn't tell David you'll be someones king.   He didn't say I'm sending a Savior, but you won't know who He is.  Jesus reminds us that His sheep, know His voice...so whatever the decision put your heart in check and do what Christ has specifically told you to do. 

 

As for me........I know I'm to remain focused on the GREAT COMMISSION and COMMANDMENT (which equips me to fulfill changing lives, transforming communities, or whatever the mission is) and leave the rest to Him, so that I really don't have time to complain about...because there's work to do in me, and around me through loving God, and loving people.  What are THEY (the Trinity) telling you to do?  Be Blessed

BE ALL THAT YOU CAN BE.........In God's ARMY!

¹⁵ Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that has nothing to be ashamed of, rightly dividing the word of truth.  KJV

 

Concentrate on doing your best for God, work you won’t be ashamed of, laying out the truth plain and simple.  MSG

 

¹⁵ Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.  NLT

 

¹⁵ Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. NASB  2 Tim. 2:15

 

 If we all had to have our beds, lockers, or houses checked.....oh my it would be a totally different world.  But the since I get when I read 2Timothy 2:15 is for us, the believers to take our studying of the WORD of GOD serious, if for nothing else to show our Father our devotion to learning about Him, His will for us, and His WORD.  Hence the picture above.....I read into the text that we are essentially to BE ALL WE CAN BE FOR GOD!  None of us will be perfect, but it's always about putting our best foot forward in learning the WORD.   But unfortunately what I see, what many of us see, is that we are a lazy people.  For instance according to recent publishing for college students they are expected to spend 3hrs of studying for every credit hour.   The average H.S. student is expected to spend roughly 4-6hr a night studying.   Now I know few to none of us, or our kids study to this max, but we can all agree that some study more than others.   To be even more realistic some don't have to spend as much time, as they retain more, while others don't study as much as they should.

So what is one to do......The WORD is true, and doesn't lie.....so are we....believers to actually study the WORD of GOD?   Are we really expected to know scripture?   YES and YES!  I grew up being told that the BIBLE is our BASIC INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE LEAVING EARTH, and if I'm honest....if I truly had spent more time studying earlier in life, it very well may have saved me from many of the mistakes that I made.  Wisdom is knowledge applied....and if you don't have knowledge of the WORD you can't apply it to everyday living so in turn you find yourself making the same mistakes (financially, relationally, professionally) expecting different results, which we all know is insanity.

So PASTOR RAY, what do you suggest we do:  I thought you'd never ask..

1) Since you, we are roughly in church for about 1-2hrs, while 20-40min of that is given to presenting the message, that you'd devote at least 30-1hr reading/studying the verse for yourself.

2) This is assuming (cause we should be doing this) review any notes you have taken, see if there's something you missed.  If you can go online to listen to the message again, or have a CD, utilize those tools to help in your studying.

3) Challenge your pastor/church leadership, if there is something you don't understand call them, and ask them to explain it, in most cases they would love for someone to ask them to further impart spiritual knowledge.

4) Get into a small group, a Bible Study at your local church....in ACTS 2:44-47 it was in these small groups that people grew in faith, and wisdom, and as a result the church grew.   We were designed for community, and without it, we are only an island to ourselves.

I'm sorry but there is nothing much more shameful than a said believer showing up to work on Monday, and being asked " What was the message about.....?"  Only to have them tell you....they don't know, they can't remember.....because this is not showing yourself approved.   This is showing them you are not a student of the WORD, and you could've actually not even gone to church and produced the same answer.   It's time for us to wake up, Christian brothers and sisters....and in our hands should be  the tools necessary on Sunday morning to take notes, jot down ideas that spin from the our full engagement into the WORSHIP EXPERIENCE on SUNDAY.  I currently see a few folks taking notes, others grabbing CDs after service......but only GOD knows are you taking growing in knowledge/wisdom serious enough that you are changing how you love and live in a post-modern world.  


You know what was mind blowing, and impressive....?  Watching the movie The Book of Eli, and seeing how one man dedicated his life to getting the WORD of GOD in him so much, that he memorized.  When I think of 2Timothy 2:15....I can't help but think of the example that man had of being able to recite the WORD cover to cover.  It would be incredible if we all could do that, me included....but for now....can you at least begin taking notes, studying, get into a group, and being ready to give an honorable, and intelligent answer when someone asks you...."What was the message about...?"   LGLP247