Yesterday we looked at God's passionate call to Israel.
Today we see the effect of that passion on Jeremiah.
There are three important things to note from Jeremiah's words here:
1. He is crystal clear that God has sent him and called him to this ministry. This call motivates, drives, inspires and focuses him. Jeremiah knows there is nothing better that he can do with his life than follow this call. Jeremiah's passion comes from his sense of being privileged to have received a call.
2. The stakes are very high! If the people hear him, disaster will be averted. This is an important and urgent message. The analogy often given is "What would you do if you found the cure for cancer?" Here Jeremiah has found the key to turn back the Babylonian invasion, prevent the 18 month siege of Jerusalem and avoid the exile of Israel's brightest and best. His passion stems from the urgency of the message!
3. He is willing to lay down his life for this call. Notice how in v.15 he speculates "if you put me to death you will be guilty of shedding innocent blood..." but their guilt won't bring him back to life! His passion is so hot that self-preservation fades into the background!
You and I have been called by name by a God who meets us in the quiet of prayer and Bible Study. He meets us in worship and in sunrises and sunsets. He has made us His children and has called and entrusted us with the message of the gospel which is the cure for sin and the key to life and peace. It is an urgent and important message! We have our one life here on earth to devote to this message, but this one life (even if it is cut short on earth) stretches into eternity because of Christ's resurrection.
Shouldn't we be PASSIONATE?
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Theo Groeneveld theo@gracepresby.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
