I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.
Through Jeremiah God promises to restore the people of Israel after they have been thoroughly punished for their sins. He tells them that He will pass judgement against those that have mistreated them. God will turn their mourning into joy. All of this is true and applies to the people of Israel, but there is also a message here for those who love the Lord who are not biological descendants of Abraham. When we sin God will discipline us so that we will turn back to Him and to righteous deeds. When we turn back to Him, He will comfort us and turn our mourning into joy. God will give rest to the weary if they will only lay their burdens on Him rather than insisting on carrying them themselves.
We are instructed to pray for all people. We should ask God to intercede on their behalf and we should thank God for them. I think that might be a challenge for us sometimes. There are people that we have trouble thanking God for. People that we would rather ask God to remove from our lives. But we are called to thank God even for those people we would rather not have to deal with. We need to remember that those people we find troublesome have been brought into our lives by God for a reason. In particular, we should pray for those in authority and give thanks for them. That can certainly be a trial for many of us. Can we be thankful for those in authority? Even when we think what they are doing is wrong? Nevertheless, we are called to do so. Further we are called to live quiet and peaceful lives, even when those in authority seem to be doing things that are contrary to the will of God. We are to do this because it pleases God.
Paul tells us to pray in our places of worship with hands lifted up. But more importantly, he tells us to pray free from anger or controversy. There is something to the idea of praying with our hands lifted up. I learned sometime back that it is possible to alter how I feel in a particular situation by changing my body language. If I sit with my arms crossed while someone talks to me, not only do I give them the impression that I am unreceptive to what they are saying. I have discovered that I am less receptive to what they are saying. I have also found that when I am feeling down and depressed, if I make the effort to smile, some of that depression will lift. If I smile, I am more likely to feel happy. So, when we lift our hands when we pray, we are more open to God’s Spirit being poured out upon us than when we bow our heads and clasp our hands as if we are expecting to be justifiably reprimanded (although there is a time and place for that posture in prayer as well).
All of those who choose to follow Christ have become citizens of the City of God, no matter where on earth they live. No longer are we to be citizens of the U.S. or citizens of India or Canada. Hong Kong, or Poland. We are to be citizens of the Kingdom of God. The source of our life springs from the City of God.
Telling lies about others can do as much harm to them as physically attacking them. This harm can come not just from derogatory lies, but also from lies that claim positive attributes for the person that they do not possess. We are also told that relying on an untrustworthy person in times of trouble is like having a bad tooth or a lame foot. I pray that I am never that bad tooth or lame foot for someone.