DEVOTION FOR TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2007
JEREMIAH 29:11-14a

WHAT DOES GOD THINK OF YOU?

11 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. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, says the LORD, and I will bring you back from your captivity” Jeremiah 29:11-14a (NKJV)

This is a very dangerous text to use for a devotion. It is dangerous because when we use a verse or verses for a devotion we have a tendency to allow that verse to stand alone. Today, we have a prime example. Anyone could read these verses and then move on to something else thinking that all was well with their relationship with God. It is so easy to become complacent. That is dangerous as it is not that simple.

If you read the verses following the text, you see an entirely different picture, you see God speaking condemnation rather than praise. At this point it is so easy to become confused if you do not have something to compare.

If you turn to the Bible to read the text, it is common to continue reading a few following verses if you are serious about your devotions and Bible Study. But we have to do more. It is important to read what came before these verses to see if it can add to our understanding. In this case it can.

The verses before tell us that God is speaking to people who have been faithful to Him, even under the difficult circumstances of captivity. It is to these people who come to Him in prayer that He has thoughts of peace, and they have a future of hope. It is to these people who seek and search for Him that He promises to bring back to Him.

In these days between Ascension and Pentecost, we know that we are in the captivity of sin. If we seek and search, if we pray and live in hope, then these verses are for us. On the other hand, if we are content to live and enjoy the worldly thrills of the captivity of sin, then the verses that follow refer to us. Which of these verses apply to you. Jesus has Ascended. Jesus will return. WHAT DOES GOD THINK OF YOU?

WE PRAY in these words of Praise to God from a verse from a beautiful hymn:

O for the wonderful love He has promised,
Promised for you and for me!
Though we have sinned, He has mercy and pardon,
Pardon for you and for me. AMEN.

“Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling” from Cyberhymnal.org

A SUGGESTION FOR LIVING THE DEVOTION

In life we make decisions concerning what we want and then do everything possible to achieve our goal. So, ask yourself the question: Are God’s Love and Life Eternal with Him worth the same sacrifices and effort?