Learning and Relearning

I've been meditating the words in the Book of Jeremiah and rereading the Purpose Driven Life by Pastor Rick Warren for a while now.

This is my first time to study the writings of the weeping prophet. Then for the PDL, I am enjoying a great re-learning experience. It was in 2004, when my sister gave the devotional book to me.

God’s Mercy Is New Every Morning

It’s truly amazing how God could be angry and loving at the same time. He got really mad to His people for not following His decrees specially for worshipping the Baals (idols) even He brought them out of Egypt and did excellent things to take care of them.

But because of His mercy – He gave a series of warning first through Jeremiah before punishing the ruthless nation. In chapter 5, Yahweh also stretched out His patience by saying "If you can find but one person who deals honestly and seeks the truth; I will forgive this city" and during the times even Jeremiah could not take the people’s evil ways anymore, He declared "Yet even in those days… I will not destroy you (Jerusalem) completely".

The Lord loves us so much that He is also hurt when He punishes us and letting us suffer the consequences of our awful decisions. And it’s really heartbreaking to think how undeserving He is for all the pains we caused and still causing. Of course, we are just humans... our flesh is really weak and so we commit sin but He’s strong and it's said in the Bible that "blessed are all who take refuge in Him". He does not change and so He is always ready to forgive. He is, in fact, the same yesterday and today and forever!

Wisdom from Purpose Driven Life

Without God – life makes no sense.

I was made by Him and for Him and so my calling is according to His purpose. It’s His will that I exist because of love. I did not create myself, so there is no way I can tell myself what I was created for. I am not an accident. He never does anything accidentally, and He never makes mistakes. He had a reason for everything He creates. And this life is preparation for the next – the eternity.

C. S. Lewis captured the concept of eternity on the last page of the Chronicles of Narnia, his seven-book children's fiction series: "For us this is the end of all the stories.... But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world ... had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story, which no one on earth has read, which goes on forever and in which every chapter is better than the one before."

God’s Love Endures Forever

I get sad when I read or hear people insulting my Lord Jesus Christ. They even make jokes about Him and scream dreadful words all over him. They are actually no different from the people in the New Testament who hurt Him physically and denied Him when He was to crucify on the tree. He did not deserve that and He does not deserve the present mockery. But the Lord forgives – He’s full of compassion. I believe that Jesus is praying hard for us to have a change of heart: be humble, to pray and seek His face so He’ll forgive our sins and heal our land as we turn our back from evil (2 Chronicles 7:14).

I thank God for He made me realize how selfish and stubborn I am for His love but because it’s His choice to accept me and by His grace – I am saved.

He fully knows that I am imperfect and undeserving but still He promised in Jeremiah 29:11 that He has great plans for me, to prosper and not to harm me, to give me hope and a future. And He gives me assurance everyday that He’s with me and reminds me to not be afraid though people who hate Him will fight against me but they will not overcome because He will also rescue me (1:19).

My Prayer

I pray that many will seek God’s kingdom and righteousness first (Matthew 6:33) and surrender everything to Him for Jesus is alive and He will surely come back. And because of His love for you and me, He wants to give an equal chance to know and follow Him. His Word tells it all. His promises are to keep.