Nations come and Nations Go

Today's readings are from Jeremiah 46, 47, 48

Reading the end of Jeremiah is like reading a preamble to history. The nations that Jeremiah all wrote about disappear...little by little..from history. One could say Egypt is still around, but the Egypt today has no resemblance to the Egypt of Jeremiah's day.

It's an important principle in understanding the Kingdom of God. Sixteen hundred years ago the great North African theologian, Augustine, wrote a massive work to refute the charges of Roman elitists that the destruction of Rome was the fault of the Christian religion. He wrote his book, "The City of God" and in it he lays out the principle: Nations will come and Nations will go, but the Kingdom of God will last forever. God is the one who gives life to nations, but as they develop they often become corrupt and in time they lose their legitimacy for ruling. It should make us as Americans pause to prayerfully think.

Peace

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Comments

Paul said…

Many things start out with good intentions don't they. One example that sticks out in my mind is King Solomon. As he starts out his rule, God asked him what he wanted. When Solomon answered correctly in wanting wisdom and knowledge to govern God's people, God grants him not only this but also "wealth, riches, and honor, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have." God thinks this story is so important he tells it to us twice. (once in 1 Kings, and once in 2 Chronicles) 1 Kings 11:9 says "The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord." Even a king such as Solomon eventually turned away from the Lord. How can I learn from this? I can learn from this by realizing it could happen to me if I am not focused on the one who is good,just,righteous,all-knowing,gentle,compassionate,humble-should I go on? Thanks Elliott for doing this excercise, leading our fellowship, but most of all for doing a really good job at listening to the Spirit. (I think)

May 28, 2011 at 6:25 PM

The Tabernacle

The readings today are Exodus 36, 37, 38 I wanted to post some pictures of what these various parts of the Tabernacle looked like. It's not the easiest read in the world, but if you persevere through it, you can get a picture of all the different pieces that made up the tabernacle. It is a replica of the various parts of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness: First thing in the chapter listed is the outside of the tabernacle which consisted of curtains tied together and put on cross bars through loops. Next at the beginning of 37 is the table and lampstand: Also, the altar of incense: And, the altar for the burnt offering which was in the courtyard: Finally, the courtyard which made it all come together: Hope that helps with what it might have all looked like. Most importantly, this was their "place" of worship they were building. I hope you have a great day of worship. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Wednesday, Day 25: Christmas Eve - God Loves Us (So We Can Relax)

For Kids: There’s a lot of things we have to do each day. Get up from our sleep, Get dressed, Eat Breakfast, Get ready for School, Listen to the teacher, play with friends, eat our lunch, and after it’s all done, go back home. There’s time to play, Then we eat our supper… And eventually we have to get ready for bed and go to sleep! And then we do it all over again the next day. Sometimes there’s a vacation - like right now - and we get more time to play, to have fun and not have to do work at school. Our parents are good at helping us know what time it is and what we need to do next – even when we don’t want to move on to the next thing. God is also good at helping us know what time it is, and what is next. He doesn’t shout at us, or yell, or even scream…he does it peacefully, quietly. He wants us to understand that he does it, most of all, for us. Christmas can be quite busy and there’s lots of things going on at once…but let us not forg

The difference between defending and explaining

The news of recent has focused the suffering of Christians in the middle east who have been martyred for their faith in Christ at the hands of Islamic Terrorists. Through the centuries many Christians have lost their lives as a result of their faith. For us, who live in America, there is little chance that we would have this happen here - but it's entirely possibly that terrorism will strike out at Christians sometime. But, for many Christians in the western world - especially here in the U.S. - being a Christians who believes God's word there is a form of persecution that is defined by words like "ostracized", "passed over", "ridiculed", and more. What do we do in the face of opposition to faith? When the Apostle Peter writes to the early believers who are undergoing great pressure, even persecution for their faith in Jesus, he gives them this charge. 1 Peter 3:8-18 8 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly lov

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