Psalm 89...

I will sing of the mercies of the LORD forever;

With my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations.

2 For I have said, “Mercy shall be built up forever;

Your faithfulness You shall establish in the very heavens.”

3 “I have made a covenant with My chosen,

I have sworn to My servant David:

4 ‘Your seed I will establish forever,

And build up your throne to all generations.’ ” Selah

5 And the heavens will praise Your wonders, O LORD;

Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the saints.

6 For who in the heavens can be compared to the LORD?

Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened to the LORD?

7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints,

And to be held in reverence by all those around Him.

8 O LORD God of hosts,

Who is mighty like You, O LORD?

Your faithfulness also surrounds You.

9 You rule the raging of the sea;

When its waves rise, You still them.

10 You have broken Rahab in pieces, as one who is slain;

You have scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm.

11 The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours;

The world and all its fullness, You have founded them.

12 The north and the south, You have created them;

Tabor and Hermon rejoice in Your name.

13 You have a mighty arm;

Strong is Your hand, and high is Your right hand.

14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;

Mercy and truth go before Your face.

15 Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound!

They walk, O LORD, in the light of Your countenance.

16 In Your name they rejoice all day long,

And in Your righteousness they are exalted.

17 For You are the glory of their strength,

And in Your favor our horn is exalted.

18 For our shield belongs to the LORD,

And our king to the Holy One of Israel.

19 Then You spoke in a vision to Your holy one,fn

And said: “I have given help to one who is mighty;

I have exalted one chosen from the people.

20 I have found My servant David;

With My holy oil I have anointed him,

21 With whom My hand shall be established;

Also My arm shall strengthen him.

22 The enemy shall not outwit him,

Nor the son of wickedness afflict him.

23 I will beat down his foes before his face,

And plague those who hate him.

24 “But My faithfulness and My mercy shall be with him,

And in My name his horn shall be exalted.

25 Also I will set his hand over the sea,

And his right hand over the rivers.

26 He shall cry to Me, ‘You are my Father,

My God, and the rock of my salvation.’

27 Also I will make him My firstborn,

The highest of the kings of the earth.

28 My mercy I will keep for him forever,

And My covenant shall stand firm with him.

29 His seed also I will make to endure forever,

And his throne as the days of heaven.

30 “If his sons forsake My law

And do not walk in My judgments,

31 If they break My statutes

And do not keep My commandments,

32 Then I will punish their transgression with the rod,

And their iniquity with stripes.

33 Nevertheless My lovingkindness I will not utterly take from him,

Nor allow My faithfulness to fail.

34 My covenant I will not break,

Nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips.

35 Once I have sworn by My holiness;

I will not lie to David:

36 His seed shall endure forever,

And his throne as the sun before Me;

37 It shall be established forever like the moon,

Even like the faithful witness in the sky.” Selah

38 But You have cast off and abhorred,

You have been furious with Your anointed.

39 You have renounced the covenant of Your servant;

You have profaned his crown by casting it to the ground.

40 You have broken down all his hedges;

You have brought his strongholds to ruin.

41 All who pass by the way plunder him;

He is a reproach to his neighbors.

42 You have exalted the right hand of his adversaries;

You have made all his enemies rejoice.

43 You have also turned back the edge of his sword,

And have not sustained him in the battle.

44 You have made his glory cease,

And cast his throne down to the ground.

45 The days of his youth You have shortened;

You have covered him with shame. Selah

46 How long, LORD?

Will You hide Yourself forever?

Will Your wrath burn like fire?

47 Remember how short my time is;

For what futility have You created all the children of men?

48 What man can live and not see death?

Can he deliver his life from the power of the grave? Selah

49 Lord, where are Your former lovingkindnesses,

Which You swore to David in Your truth?

50 Remember, Lord, the reproach of Your servants--

How I bear in my bosom the reproach of all the many peoples,

51 With which Your enemies have reproached, O LORD,

With which they have reproached the footsteps of Your anointed.

52 Blessed be the LORD forevermore!

Amen and Amen.—Psalm 89

This psalm really resonated with me this morning.  John MacArthur says that it describes the author’s attempt to reconcile the seeming contradictions between his theology and the reality of nation’s conditions. Looking out at the world as it looks today, I do the same thing and as I do, my faith is encouraged. The Psalmist begins by reminding us (himself) that God’s promises are sure.  Our God’s truth stands forever.  Forever, O Lord, You word is settled in heaven.  He changes not and no one can oppose Him.  

Underlying all that is happening in our world today is my faith in the ONE whose mercies don’t come to an end and whose truth is everlasting.  The truth of His word is my comfort in affliction and the anchor of my soul.   As the saying goes, I don’t know the future, but I am intimately acquainted with the ONE who holds all of it in His sovereign hand.  I am His and He is mine.  He knows me and my soul follows close behind Him.  He has given me eternal life...I will never perish and neither shall any man pluck me out of His hand.  He is greater than ALL.  

My day to day expectations may be thwarted and disappointed, but my faith and hope in my God is sure and brings me deep comfort in all that I face.  I am more than a conqueror through Him who loves me...for I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us (ME) from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. The joy of the Lord is my strength.  The Psalmist began with praise and ended with the same.  I will do likewise...

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!

"For who has known the mind of the LORD?

Or who has become His counselor?"

"Or who has first given to Him

And it shall be repaid to him?"

For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.—Romans 11:33-36

Oh, how blessed is the man who places his trust in Him!  

ABIDE...

Keep commanding and teaching these things. 12 Let no one look down on [you because of] your youth, but be an example and set a pattern for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in [moral] purity. 13 Until I come, devote yourself to public reading [of Scripture], to preaching and to teaching [the sound doctrine of God's word]. 14 Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, [that special endowment] which was intentionally bestowed on you [by the Holy Spirit] through prophetic utterance when the elders laid their hands on you [at your ordination]. 15 Practice and work hard on these things; be absorbed in them [completely occupied in your ministry], so that your progress will be evident to all. 16 Pay close attention to yourself [concentrate on your personal development] and to your teaching; persevere in these things [hold to them], for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.—1 Timothy 4:11-16 AMP (emphasis mine)

Be an example, do not neglect the spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit has given you and pay close attention to your own development and persevere.  These words of exhortation from Paul, to Timothy, his precious son in the faith can be summed up in one word...abide.  Stay close to Jesus...hold fast to Him, hold fast to His word and as His Spirit directs, do the next right thing.  Without Him we can do nothing good.  Without the Spirits’ love shed abroad in our hearts, motivating our words and deeds, we become as sounding brass or clanging symbols.

Beloved, with a steadfast heart set on the Lord your God, persevere on your journey...put one foot in front of the other, do the next right thing and trust His sufficiency in all of it. Do not grow weary. He is faithful. He will use your obedience and devotion in ways you could not imagine..not only in your life, but also in the lives of those He has lovingly placed near you.  When the Lord is your Shepherd, goodness and mercy will follow you. You will not be able to outrun them...they WILL ALWAYS overtake you.  His goodness will surround your footsteps and His mercy will cover your missteps. He gives beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that you may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified  

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.  He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.  Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.—Isaiah 40:28-31 ESV 

Refrain Your Voice from Weeping and Your Eyes from Tears...

15 Thus says the LORD:

"A voice was heard in Ramah,

Lamentation and bitter weeping,

Rachel weeping for her children,

Refusing to be comforted for her children,

Because they are no more."

16 Thus says the LORD:

"Refrain your voice from weeping,

And your eyes from tears;

For your work shall be rewarded, says the LORD,

And they shall come back from the land of the enemy.

17 There is hope in your future, says the LORD,

That your children shall come back to their own border.

18 "I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself:

'You have chastised me, and I was chastised,

Like an untrained bull;

Restore me, and I will return,

For You are the LORD my God.

19 Surely, after my turning, I repented;

And after I was instructed, I struck myself on the thigh;

I was ashamed, yes, even humiliated,

Because I bore the reproach of my youth.'

20 Is Ephraim My dear son?

Is he a pleasant child?

For though I spoke against him,

I earnestly remember him still;

Therefore My heart yearns for him;

I will surely have mercy on him, says the LORD.—Jeremiah 31:15-20

These verses never fail to bring to my mind my Father’s love and mercy for me, His child.  As a parent, I can relate, also.  Truly, we pour our heart into our children and love them as much as we are able in our fallen state.  God was a good Father to Israel...the very best there is...but, tragically, they still went the wrong way.  They rejected Him and rejected His word to them.  And yet in verse 20 He says this.

      Is Ephraim My dear son?

      Is he a pleasant child?

      For though I spoke against him,

      I earnestly remember him still;

      Therefore My heart yearns for him;

      I will surely have mercy on him, says the LORD.

Beloved, there is no one who understands the pain and suffering of a mom or a dad whose child has turned to his own way like our Lord.  He is our Father.  He hurts and grieves when His children walk away from Him and put themselves in places where He cannot minister to them, bless them, and comfort them with His love.  The Bible from the beginning to the end is about the Father's love, care and wooing of Israel,  His firstborn.  It starts in Genesis, and the final restoration occurs in Revelation. 

It is so good for me to remember that my God KNOWS my heart for my children. He KNOWS MY DESIRES for them. He also understands my yearning for the one I miss daily.  It comforts me to know that He loves her more than I do. My God’s love is perfect, and His desires for her (and for me) are only good.  He died for her so that she could have Him with her always.  As a mom, I love knowing that He is always with her and will never leave her.  That HE WILL complete that good work He began in her and in me.  John 17 tells me that He prays for her. What a comfort this is to my heart.  Jesus prays for both of us.  My prayers and my love can be tainted with my desires for me...His love and His prayers only desire her good, as well as mine.  

All my springs are in you, Father!  Praying this morning for mercy...for both of us.  That forgiveness would reign and restoration occur.  God has no greater desire and joy than to see His children walk in truth and come home at the end of their journey.  

There is hope in your future, says the LORD,

That your children shall come back to their own border.—Jeremiah 31:17

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.—Jeremiah 29:11 

Plenteous in Mercy...

 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.--Psalm 86:5

Father,

I stand in awe of Your goodness toward me in Christ Jesus. Me...who was dead in trespasses and sin and still your enemy!  Me...a stubborn, vile sinner bent on her own way.  You, Lord, heard my cry and saved me!  You brought me up out of the miry clay and redeemed me....You have set my feet on a rock. Safely ensconced in your arms,  I sit in the heavenly places with You!  

You are rich to all who call upon Your name!  How excellent is your lovingkindness toward us, O God, therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.  You, Lord, are good to all and Your tender mercies are over all Your works.  Your goodness endures continually...mercy and redemption are with You.  You are nigh unto all who call on You and fulfill the desires of those that fear You.  You hear their cry and save them  You preserve those who love You. 

Praying that I, who have been forgiven much, will have Your heart of love towards those You have placed in my life....Your thoughts of mercy grace and forgiveness ...let them be my thoughts....let them be my ways.  I confess to You that these are not my thoughts...nor my ways.  Truly, Father, as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are Your ways and thoughts so much higher than mine.  You are God!  There is none like You.  You pardon sin and pass over transgression.  You do not retain your anger forever because YOU DELIGHT IN MERCY!!!  You turned to me and had compassion on me.  You subdued my iniquities and cast my sins into the depths of the sea!  If you Lord, should mark iniquities, O God, who could stand!  You remember me according to Your mercy for Your goodness sake.   There is forgiveness with You. 

Luke 15:17, 20-24... 

“But when he came to himself, ....“And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry;for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.

For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.--Psalm 86:5

Father,

I stand in awe of Your goodness toward me in Christ Jesus. Me...who was dead in trespasses and sin and still your enemy!  Me...a stubborn, vile sinner bent on her own way.  You, Lord, heard my cry and saved me!  You brought me up out of the miry clay and redeemed me....You have set my feet on a rock. Safely ensconced in your arms,  I sit in the heavenly places with You!  

You are rich to all who call upon Your name!  How excellent is your lovingkindness toward us, O God, therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.  You, Lord, are good to all and Your tender mercies are over all Your works.  Your goodness endures continually...mercy and redemption are with You.  You are nigh unto all who call on You and fulfill the desires of those that fear You.  You hear their cry and save them  You preserve those who love You. 

Praying that I, who have been forgiven much, will have Your heart of love towards those You have placed in my life....Your thoughts of mercy grace and forgiveness ...let them be my thoughts....let them be my ways.  I confess to You that these are not my thoughts...nor my ways.  Truly, Father, as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are Your ways and thoughts so much higher than mine.  You are God!  There is none like You.  You pardon sin and pass over transgression.  You do not retain your anger forever because YOU DELIGHT IN MERCY!!!  You turned to me and had compassion on me.  You subdued my iniquities and cast my sins into the depths of the sea!  If you Lord, should mark iniquities, O God, who could stand!  You remember me according to Your mercy for Your goodness sake.   There is forgiveness with You. 

Luke 15:17, 20-24... 

“But when he came to himself, ....“And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry;for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.

A Heart Set on Pilgrimage...

 Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee. Whose heart is set on pilgrimage.As they pass through the Valley of Baca, They make it a spring; The rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; Each one appears before God in Zion.--Psalm 84:6-7

These are some of my most favorite verses in Scripture.

The blessings of being in the presence of our God and worshiping Him during our earthly pilgrimage here are not for the divided or half-hearted. No, the blessings come to those whose heart, mind, soul and strength are completely surrendered to Him...whose life is full of His ways.  This is the man whose heart can be filled with joy and can find refreshment even as he walks through the most difficult times here on this earth. This is the man who can look back over the difficult valleys that he has passed through and can see the beauty the Lord has wrought through them by his surrender. This is the man who finds His all in His God and can comfort others with the comfort He Himself has received. His eyes are on His God and His strength also  is spent there. The path shines ever brighter as he walks. His hope is in His God who will receive Him when his time here is done. He will awake in His likeness and will see His face in righteousness and his joy will be unending.

For the LORD God is a sun and shield;

The LORD will give grace and glory;

No good thing will He withhold

From those who walk uprightly.

O LORD of hosts,

Blessed is the man who trusts in You!—Psalm 84:11-12

Partakers of the Heavenly Calling...

Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, 12 that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.—2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

As believers, we are partakes of the heavenly calling of God in Christ Jesus.  As such, we press on toward the goal of our calling...Christlikeness.  I am thankful that it is God that does this work in me.  I am thankful that it is Him who works in me both to will and to do for His good pleasure...He is faithful and will complete the good work He began in me at salvation. I am not perfect yet but by God’s gracious kindness to me in His Son, I am moving in that direction.  Someday I WILL awake in His likeness.  Beloved...stay the course.   Finish well.  

For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.—Romans 8:29

Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.—1 John 3:2

As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness;

I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.—Psalm 17:5

Rejoicing Before 6 a.m.

 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.—1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

This is the way of peace and the way of joy in Christ Jesus. THIS is His will for ME! Now I have to confess here that this morning, I wondered why the Holy Spirit chose to put the command to rejoice always, first.  That is hard for me early in the morning.  My prayers upon awakening usually run toward Lord, have mercy on me for I am weak and then I thank Him because I can start my day with coffee and His word.  Once I have my coffee, the rejoicing part comes easier. Pretty shallow...I know. But here is the thing...rejoice always comes first because my joy in Him is the background melody of my life... Before I pray...in order to pray, I must "REMEMBER" my God.  For me to even go to prayer or thanksgiving when I awake, I must remember Him and rejoice because He is my hope and my source of joy as a believer...THIS world is not my home. My circumstances change constantly but my Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever...He is ALWAYS with me and nothing can separate me from His love...so yeah...rejoice always....even at 6 am before coffee.

You will keep him in perfect peace,

Whose mind is stayed on You,

Because he trusts in You.

Trust in the LORD forever,

For in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength.—Isaiah 26:3-4

God’s Abounding Grace...

 1 Sing aloud to God our strength;

Make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob.

2 Raise a song and strike the timbrel,

The pleasant harp with the lute.

3 Blow the trumpet at the time of the New Moon,

At the full moon, on our solemn feast day.

4 For this is a statute for Israel,

A law of the God of Jacob.

5 This He established in Joseph as a testimony,

When He went throughout the land of Egypt,

Where I heard a language I did not understand.

6 "I removed his shoulder from the burden;

His hands were freed from the baskets.

7 You called in trouble, and I delivered you;

I answered you in the secret place of thunder;

I tested you at the waters of Meribah.

Selah

8 "Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you!

O Israel, if you will listen to Me!

9 There shall be no foreign god among you;

Nor shall you worship any foreign god.

10 I am the LORD your God,

Who brought you out of the land of Egypt;

Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.

11 "But My people would not heed My voice,

And Israel would have none of Me.

12 So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart,

To walk in their own counsels.

13 "Oh, that My people would listen to Me,

That Israel would walk in My ways!

14 I would soon subdue their enemies,

And turn My hand against their adversaries.

15 The haters of the LORD would pretend submission to Him,

But their fate would endure forever.

16 He would have fed them also with the finest of wheat;

And with honey from the rock I would have satisfied you."—Psalm 81

Beloved, our God LOOKS to be gracious to us!  He looks to show mercy!  His desire for us is good.  In this Psalm I hear the heart of a loving Father who cannot help but feel compassion on His own wayward child whose heart seems to be set upon going in the opposite direction and treasuring up sorrow for themselves.  

Verses 1 through 5 is a call to praise probably to celebrate a certain Feast Day of Israel..according to commentators, perhaps the Feast of Booths.  Verses 6-16 read as if God is giving the people a message in the first person.  He reminds them of the great and awesome things He has done for them and admonishes them to listen to Him and obey His commands.  Verse 10 is my favorite, (Open your mouth wide and I will fill it) and reminds me of Philippians 4:19:

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

God desired to fill them with good from His inexhaustible treasury of grace. Oh, to to be in a position always to have His endless supply of grace poured out in my life.  

The next verses (11-12) are words of admonishment and make me weep. The LORD had done great things for His people.  Their hearts “should” have been thankful and their every thought toward obedience.  Instead, as Romans 2 aptly describes, they despised the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering and in accordance with their hardness and impenitent heart were treasuring up for themselves wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who "will render to each one according to his deeds".  

Verse 12 tells us that He gave them over to their own stubborn heart.  They would walk in their own counsel and eat the fruit of their OWN way.   The horror of that judgment couldn’t be greater nor could it be more just.  Instead of working out their own salvation, they would work out their own destruction.  

Hear our God’s kind and fatherly heart that is grieved over His people’s sin and resultant punishment in these last three verses.  

13 "Oh, that My people would listen to Me,

That Israel would walk in My ways!

14 I would soon subdue their enemies,

And turn My hand against their adversaries.

15 The haters of the LORD would pretend submission to Him,

But their fate would endure forever.

16 He would have fed them also with the finest of wheat;

And with honey from the rock I would have satisfied you."

In verse 13 I hear the cry of Jesus as He weeps for Jerusalem. 

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!—Luke 13:34

If Israel had been willing to obey, He would have subdued their enemies and fed them with the finest of wheat...with honey from the rock He would have satisfied them. 

Beloved, if you find yourself going in the opposite direction from what God has intended, turn...it is not too late.  Our God WAITS to be gracious to us. The LORD your God IS gracious and merciful, and will not turn His face from you if you return to Him."

Oh Father...Make us willing!  Keep us faithful. Help us to walk always in the light of Your countenance. We don’t want to miss out on anything You have for us both here in this world and in eternity.  The LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD will give grace and glory.  No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.  

May the Lord Make Us Increase and Abound in Love...

 And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, 13 so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.—1 Thessalonians 3:12-13

The more we know God...the more we trust Him

The more we trust Him...the more we love Him

The more we love Him...the more we obey Him

Verse 10 says this:

night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face and perfect what is lacking in your faith?

What is always lacking in our faith as fallen human beings saved by grace?   

LOVE.  

Beloved, true faith works through our love toward God and our love toward one another.  God IS love and His love is the the bond of perfection and the overarching theme of all of Scripture. Love is the debt that is never paid and is always owed. There is always room in our hearts and our lives for more love to abound toward God and toward one another.   Love enables us to fulfill the law and in so doing establishes our hearts blameless in holiness before God.  

Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.—Matthew 7:12

Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."—Matthew 22:37-40

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.—1 Corinthians 13:1-3

Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not bear false witness," "You shall not covet," and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.—Romans 13:8-10

Clinging, Cleaving and Girdles...

 1Thus saith the LORD unto me, Go and get thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy loins, and put it not in water. 

 2So I got a girdle according to the word of the LORD, and put it on my loins. 

 3And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, 

 4Take the girdle that thou hast got, which is upon thy loins, and arise, go to Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock. 

 5So I went, and hid it by Euphrates, as the LORD commanded me. 

 6And it came to pass after many days, that the LORD said unto me, Arise, go to Euphrates, and take the girdle from thence, which I commanded thee to hide there. 

 7Then I went to Euphrates, and digged, and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it: and, behold, the girdle was marred, it was profitable for nothing--Jeremiah 13:1-7

Yes...God is saying exactly what you think He is saying. He paints quite a word picture of cleaving and clinging...one that I certainly won’t soon forget.  This passage comforted me by showing me the extremes God goes to get our attention and that, is such a good thing.

God told Jeremiah to buy a girdle and put it on.  He then tells him not to wash it or take it off  but to go the   Euphrates, and bury it in a hole under a rock. Days, months, maybe years went by...and the Lord spoke to him again telling him to dig it up.  Jeremiah did as he was told...When he unburied the linen garment it was rotted, ruined and profitable for nothing.

So what was the point? Read the next few verses: 

8Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,9Thus saith the LORD, After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem.10This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing. 11For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the LORD; that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear--Jeremiah 13:8-11 

God was saying that He had drawn His people, Israel, close to Him...as a girdle clings to  a man's skin; God wanted to be close to His people. BUT they rebelled and sought help in the wrong places and went after other gods. They walked in the imagination of their own hearts...believing their own lies and had done what was right in their own eyes.  Because they had put off their God and clung to their pride, they liked Jeremiah's underwear,  had become rotted and good for nothing. Judgment was coming to Judah via the Babylonians.  There in Babylon they would  finally be cured of their idolatries.  Their city and temple would be ruined just as the prophet's garment.

The application here for us is pretty obvious. Without the Lord, we are USELESS. Rotten and good for nothing.  Beloved...cling to your God...abide in the Vine. Put  Him first in your life always. We are made for His pleasure...to glorify Him.  If you are living for anything but the Lord, you are not living your life as He would have you live and will become unprofitable.  May it never be.

I love what Jeremiah says a little further down in Chapter 13 beginning in verse 15.

Hear and give ear: Do not be proud, For the LORD has spoken.  Give glory to the LORD your God Before He causes darkness, And before your feet stumble  On the dark mountains, And while you are looking for light, He turns it into the shadow of death And makes it dense darkness.  But if you will not hear it, My soul will weep in secret for your pride; My eyes will weep bitterly  And run down with tears,  Because the LORD’s flock has been taken captive. 

Jeremiah says if you won't listen I will weep for you...wow...I will weep for you.  He wasn't mad or flipping out..he was heartbroken for them.  What a heart Jeremiah had for God and for the people God had placed in his care.  Oh, Father, would that my own heart would be the same!