by Don Ruhl

Read Second Timothy Chapter 3

Pay close attention to what the word of the Lord says and do not forget it. Paul guarantees,

12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution (2 Tim. 3:12, NKJV).

It is hard to accept when it happens, especially when you are new in the faith. We question why people persecute us for living the right way and speaking the right thing, but sometimes there is no explanation. You are godly and you are being persecuted for it. Accept it. If you fight it, you will become frustrated, but if you accept it, you will live in peace and contentment.

by Don Ruhl

Read Jeremiah 18 and 19

God tells Jeremiah to go visit a potter and watch him. As the potter makes a pot, here is what happens,

4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make (Jer. 18:4, NKJV).

Look at that last part, as it seemed good to the potter to make. The potter is in control. He is doing what he wants to do and what can the clay do about it? Then God says,

6 O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter? says the LORD. Look, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel! (Jer. 18:4, 6, NKJV).

As I have served the Lord since the mid-1970s, it is obvious that this is one of the greatest problems that people have with God, both the believer and the unbeliever, that is, they do not like it that they are the clay and God is the potter and He does as it seem[s] good to the potter to make. We want to be the potter and God the clay, but it does not work that way. Can you see clay trying to shape you? Even so, we cannot shape God.

Through this day, see which position you want to be.

by Don Ruhl

Read Jeremiah 12-14

Is there something in life that you do not understand? Are you tempted to question whether God knows what He is doing? There are things about life, and God's operation in life, that even the wisest men and women do not understand, but they know the proper way to approach God, or the proper way to think about God, in these matters. Here is Jeremiah's approach,

Righteous are You, O LORD, when I plead with You; Yet let me talk with You about Your judgments. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are those happy who deal so treacherously? (Jer. 12:1, NKJV).

Do you see Jeremiah's attitude? Something does not make sense to him, but he does not deny God's existence, thinking that God is wrong nor does Jeremiah put down God. The prophet starts out with the premise that God is always right. Then he presents the problem. He does not assume that he, as a finite, foolish and ignorant human, knows it all, but confesses his confusion and presents it to the One who knows all things.

What are your thoughts about God?

Do you approach Him with Jeremiah's attitude?

by Don Ruhl

Read Second Timothy Chapter 1

Paul speaks of God,

9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began (2 Tim. 1:9, NKJV).

We often speak of salvation by grace, but Paul also mentions that God saved us according to His own purpose. Whoa, do I look at my salvation as nothing more than a personal and self-satisfying matter, or do I see it as fulfilling God's purpose? Did He save me just to make me feel good or has He saved me to fulfill some purpose of His? What is my view of the matter?

Moreover, this was not an afterthought from our heavenly Father. Before time began, He had a purpose already in place for me, fulfilled in Christ Jesus. Do I comprehend the profundity of my salvation?

by Don Ruhl

Read Jeremiah 9--11

Stay Alert!

A difficult thing to accept is when one who is a friend starts to turn on you. Jeremiah writes of this,

Their tongue is an arrow shot out; It speaks deceit; One speaks peaceably to his neighbor with his mouth, But in his heart he lies in wait. (Jer. 9:8, NKJV).

There is one with whom I began a friendship in 1979, but 20 years later, he was saying and doing things to me that did not make sense. It grew worse and worse, until finally I cut off the friendship. It took me a long time to see his evil, although others saw it way before me. He went from congregation to congregation and turned people off constantly. He moved to the mid-west of America and continued to call me; sounding like a friend, but it was obvious he was lying in wait to see if I would say anything that he could refute.

I say all this to warn you. What Jeremiah says is true. It does happen that one, who speaks peaceably, can have evil intentions. It hurts when you finally discover it, but if you prepare yourself now, you will better handle it when it does happen. This is not to say that we should be suspicious of every person, but that we should realize that some friends might turn out to be different from what we initially realized.

Don Ruhl Church of Christ 220 NE Savage Street Grants Pass, Oregon 97526-1310 541-476-3100