114 Jeremiah 23:33-36 'Burden' of the Lord
JMD Devotional 114 Jeremiah 23:33-36 'Burden' of the Lord
And when these people, or a prophet or a priest, ask you, What is the burden of the Lord [the thing to be lifted up now]? then you shall say to them, What burden [indeed]! [You are the burden!] And I will disburden Myself of you and I will cast you off, says the Lord.
And as for the prophet, the priest, or [any of these] the people, whoever [in mockery calls the word of the Lord a burden and] says, The burden of the Lord, I will even visit in wrath and punish that man and his house. [For the future, in speaking of the utterances of the Lord] thus shall you say every one to his neighbor and every one to his brother: What has the Lord answered? or, What has the Lord spoken? But the burden of the Lord you must mention no more, for every man's burden is his own response and word [for as they mockingly call all prophecies burdens, whether good or bad, so will it prove to be to them; God will take them at their own word]; for you pervert the words [not of a lifeless idol, but] of the living God, the Lord of hosts, our God!
When I was eighteen, I bolted out from under my father's roof, not for wanderlust or adventure; but because I was made to feel like I was a burden. What a sad reduction of all the riches that God conceals in a human being to reduce that person to an expense, an inconvenience, a bother. I have also been guilty of being so absorbed in my own things to react poorly when interrupted. That poor reaction exposes how off-center my life is at the time; how far from being a Christ-like husband and father, from being the friend someone needs, from being approachable, caring and authentic. How many times I've growled at or scolded a tender heart who just wanted a few moments of my undivided attention! God forgive me!
Would we have the audacity to treat the blessings of divine revelation, of the Holy Spirit intersecting our life, or a divine appointment as a 'burden'? If not God, then what are our lives about?
Dear God,
My attitudes and misunderstandings are so often the battleground in which I am so outgunned! Bring me back to the basics; help me to focus on my relationships with You and my family. Impart a gracious spirit that cherishes each word from God and help me to love my neighbor. Help me to slow down for people, to be accessible, to share their burdens; and to not consider them a 'burden'. Please break through my agenda, please interrupt me, please 'barge in' 'uninvited'; remind me that it is all about You, and that You are wonderful!
Amen
All (but*) quotes are from The Amplified Bible, published by
the Lockman Foundation. (AMP)
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
*New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
**Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. (Eugene Peterson's easy-to-read, contemporary Scripture translation)
If you know of someone who would like to subscribe to
my daily devotional, please forward.
jamesdinsmore_32907@yahoo.com
Short, concise, thought-provoking.
More features:
My Poetry
http://saintjamespoetry.blog.com/
(Some) of my Devotionals
http://recoverydevotional.blogspot.com/
And when these people, or a prophet or a priest, ask you, What is the burden of the Lord [the thing to be lifted up now]? then you shall say to them, What burden [indeed]! [You are the burden!] And I will disburden Myself of you and I will cast you off, says the Lord.
And as for the prophet, the priest, or [any of these] the people, whoever [in mockery calls the word of the Lord a burden and] says, The burden of the Lord, I will even visit in wrath and punish that man and his house. [For the future, in speaking of the utterances of the Lord] thus shall you say every one to his neighbor and every one to his brother: What has the Lord answered? or, What has the Lord spoken? But the burden of the Lord you must mention no more, for every man's burden is his own response and word [for as they mockingly call all prophecies burdens, whether good or bad, so will it prove to be to them; God will take them at their own word]; for you pervert the words [not of a lifeless idol, but] of the living God, the Lord of hosts, our God!
When I was eighteen, I bolted out from under my father's roof, not for wanderlust or adventure; but because I was made to feel like I was a burden. What a sad reduction of all the riches that God conceals in a human being to reduce that person to an expense, an inconvenience, a bother. I have also been guilty of being so absorbed in my own things to react poorly when interrupted. That poor reaction exposes how off-center my life is at the time; how far from being a Christ-like husband and father, from being the friend someone needs, from being approachable, caring and authentic. How many times I've growled at or scolded a tender heart who just wanted a few moments of my undivided attention! God forgive me!
Would we have the audacity to treat the blessings of divine revelation, of the Holy Spirit intersecting our life, or a divine appointment as a 'burden'? If not God, then what are our lives about?
Dear God,
My attitudes and misunderstandings are so often the battleground in which I am so outgunned! Bring me back to the basics; help me to focus on my relationships with You and my family. Impart a gracious spirit that cherishes each word from God and help me to love my neighbor. Help me to slow down for people, to be accessible, to share their burdens; and to not consider them a 'burden'. Please break through my agenda, please interrupt me, please 'barge in' 'uninvited'; remind me that it is all about You, and that You are wonderful!
Amen
All (but*) quotes are from The Amplified Bible, published by
the Lockman Foundation. (AMP)
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
*New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
**Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. (Eugene Peterson's easy-to-read, contemporary Scripture translation)
If you know of someone who would like to subscribe to
my daily devotional, please forward.
jamesdinsmore_32907@yahoo.com
Short, concise, thought-provoking.
More features:
My Poetry
http://saintjamespoetry.blog.com/
(Some) of my Devotionals
http://recoverydevotional.blogspot.com/
posted by James M. Dinsmore at 8:10 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home