Category: Devotional
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Better a Branch than a Tree
Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and all his hordes: “To whom would you compare your greatness? You are like mighty Assyria, which was once like a cedar of Lebanon, with beautiful branches that cast deep forest shade… Because Egypt became proud and arrogant, and because it set itself so high above the others, with its…
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The Smells of the Season
Yesterday, my family and I spent the day out and about in busy Southern California. Although we had an enjoyable day together, everywhere we went we noticed a strange odor. It wasn’t the fragrance of evergreen, or chestnuts roasting on a fire. It wasn’t hot cocoa or other Christmas treats. It was the raw, offensive odor…
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Sanctuary
“Therefore, tell the exiles, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Although I have scattered you in the countries of the world, I will be a sanctuary to you during your time in exile…” (Ezekiel 11:16) Although discipline is love, it certainly doesn’t feel like it sometimes. The people of Judah were experiencing the judgment and…
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Falling, Hearing and Standing
“…on this throne high above was a figure whose appearance resembled a man. From what appeared to be his waist up, he looked like gleaming amber, flickering like a fire. And from his waist down, he looked like a burning flame, shining with splendor. All around him was a glowing halo, like a rainbow shining…
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Rejecting the Word
Then all the …. leaders… approached Jeremiah the prophet. They said … Pray that the LORD your God will show us what to do and where to go….Whether we like it or not, we will obey the LORD our God. Ten days later the LORD gave his reply to Jeremiah. So he called… for all the…
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Works that Work
“For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each…
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Pulled out of the Pit
“So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the cistern … And there was no water in the cistern, but only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud. When Ebed-melech the Ethiopian… said to the king, “My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they did to Jeremiah the prophet by…
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Bonds of Peace
Recently you repented and did what was right, following my command. You freed your slaves and made a solemn covenant with me in the Temple that bears my name. But now you have shrugged off your oath and defiled my name by taking back the men and women you had freed, forcing them to be…
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Signposts and Landmarks
“Set up signposts, Make landmarks; Set your heart toward the highway. They way in which you went. Turn back, O virgin of Israel, Turn back to these your cities.” Jeremiah 31:21 In Jeremiah 31 — God is yearning for His people to return to Him. It’s an amazingly undignified thing for the Father to do.…
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Pages and Portraits
I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you. Jeremiah 31:3 As I continue my journey through Jeremiah, I am struck by God’s great love for His people. It’s a love that is everlasting, committed and faithful. I have been thinking a bit about weddings as I am preparing…
Invited & Called 