Title: Jewels from Jeremiah / Topic: Purpose

Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 1; Jeremiah 2; John 10

Scripture: Jeremiah 1:4-7
4 The word of the LORD came to me, saying,
5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."
6 "Ah, Sovereign LORD," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child."
7 But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD.

Observation: This word of the Lord was to Jeremiah specifically, but there are several lessons for all of us in these verses. 1) God knows each of us before we are even born and creates a purpose for each of us to fulfill. 2) We are not to try to run from God's purpose or give Him excuses for why we cannot do it. Jeremiah tries to do this in verse 6 and God rebukes him for it in verse 7. 3) Verse 8 instructs us to not let fear control us or stop us from accomplishing the Lord's task for us. The Lord says to trust Him for our protection.

Application: I must believe God has created me for a specific purpose and it is my job to seek Him and find out what that is. He ways in which this purpose is revealed to me include prayer, studying the Word, paying attention to what I'm good at, and listening to the insight given to others (especially leaders) in the Body of Christ. I must also not allow myself to use any excuse for not doing what God has given me to do. I must believe God will protect me and never give in to fear, which is always a tool of the enemy of our souls.

Prayer: I'm 52 years old Lord. And I still struggle with these lessons. Forgive me for all the time I've wasted both in fear and in making excuses. I want my remaining years to count for something. I want to bring the "talents" You've given me back to You with interest, having invested them well. Help me to make my life count for something Lord. May I hear from You, "Well done, good and faithful servant". Nothing else matters to me but to please You.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.