Scripture:

Jeremiah 31:33:34

33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their [a]hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

Matters of the Heart

It has always been a heart condition: our decisions to either follow or stray from the Lord.  We decide in our heart whether we will follow the Lord or not; our thoughts become the influencers, but it is a heart decision.   Even now our salvation rests in this truth: Romans 10:9  "Declare with your mouth, believe in your heart."  So, here is the promise for you and I, the promise of the work of Christ and the Holy Spirit. Because of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, you and I can have a new heart, a new life; through the work of the Holy Spirit, the Word is written on our hearts. 

We need:

Internal transformation: God changes people from the inside out by placing His law in minds and hearts through the work of the Holy Spirit.

Personal relationship: By our giving ourselves over to the work of the Holy Spirit and surrendering to Christ, we enter into a personal relationship, where the Holy Spirit reminds us of the works of Christ, and that brings us into relationship.

Our God-Shot today is that all of us need heart transformation, that we need the work of the Holy Spirit to give us a new heart, one where the word of the Lord resides, a heart given over to Him, a life surrendered to His leading; we need internal transformation and personal relationship.

So, what are you surrendering to the work of the Lord in your heart, in your life this week?

Lord, I pray that we would surrender our whole hearts to be fully devoted to your work in our lives. It is not a mystery that we can be hard-headed, rebellious people, but your promise here is that you would give us a new heart, one that holds your word that is a dwelling for your inward work. Help us to surrender to the process in Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

Jeremiah 18:4

4 But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.

In His Hands

I think all of us have areas of our lives that we would change, do differently, make better.   We carry with us the broken pieces of our past: abandonment, physical/emotional hurt, loss, disappointments, betrayals, lies; the list goes on.   They are the marred pieces of our life.    But, in the hands of the LORD, the master potter, we can be remade, formed into His purpose.   I often tell people that the things I have been through, the things which the Lord has brought me through, my scars, they have made me who I am today; some of them made me greater, stronger, but all of them, in the hands of the Lord, have transformed my life, this vessel into something useful for the Master.

Today our God-Shot is that no matter how broken your vessel is today, in the Hands of the Master Potter, in His hands, the LORD's hands, you can be reshaped, reformed, resurrected from your brokenness; in His hands, you can become all that you are meant to be.  Beauty for Ashes.  Allow Him into the depths of your life; allow His hand to remake your broken pieces, your marred clay.

Father, thank you for the works you have done in our lives, reshaping the broken pieces into something we could not have imagined. The work you are doing even today, as we surrender these areas to you, I know that you will do great work. We give our lives over to you. In Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

Jeremiah 17:7-8

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,

And whose hope is the Lord.
8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,
Which spreads out its roots by the river,
And will not fear when heat comes;
But its leaf will be green,
And will not be anxious in the year of drought,
Nor will cease from yielding fruit.

Our Connection 

Notice Jeremiah's words: "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord."  What does trusting the Lord look like?  

• Waiting on Him: You stop trying to force doors open or manipulate people and circumstances to get your way.
• Releasing anxiety: You bring your heavy thoughts and fears to prayer, leaving them with Him instead of picking them back up.
• Accepting closed doors: You trust that a delayed or denied request is a form of protection or redirection from a loving Father.
• Listening More:  Leaning on His understanding, not our own.
• Obedience: Going where He directs.

The benefits of trusting Him:

• Unmovable "Like a tree planted by the water"
• Sustained: All your needs are met.
• Protected: "And will not fear when heat comes;  And will not be anxious in the year of drought,  "

Today our God-Shot is that a life invested in Him, where we completely trust Him even when we don't understand, that we stand on the solid ground that what He has is always better, His decisions, His direction is always better for my life.   

Challenge for you this week:  

What do you have to TRUST the Lord for? What is it that you need to SURRENDER?

Lord, we place our trust in you. We know that your way is better, your plans are better, and the purposes you have in our lives are perfect. Lead us in them; let us not stray from them; let our whole life be invested, fully committed to you and your way in Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

Jeremiah 11:4-5

4 which I commanded your fathers in the day I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and do according to all that I command you; so shall you be My people, and I will be your God,’ 5 that I may establish the oath which I have sworn to your fathers, to give them ‘a land flowing with milk and honey,’ as it is this day.” ’ ”

When we read that Obedience over Sacrifice, maybe on the surface we don't see it.  Our obedience to His word tells the Lord that we love and trust Him; our obedience becomes worship; it becomes our sacrifice of praise.   It is the picture of having a loving father and not wanting to disappoint Him, so even when He is not around, we keep His wisdom, and we do what He has told us.   Here in today's portion, the Lord reminds His children how He brought them out of great oppression (the iron furnace), telling them, Obey My voice, and do according to all that I command you; so shall you be My people, and I will be your God.'   But notice that the blessing of obedience is that we step into His promise of "Abundant Life."

Today our God-Shot is that it is our obedience that leads us into the promises of God; it is our following Christ, doing what He says, that leads us into a life and it more abundantly.  See, when He has your heart, He has your obedience; you walk with Him, you follow His ways because you LOVE Him.   We have in our world made obedience a bad word, but obedience is staying the road that leads to a blessed life and avoiding the things that don't belong in our lives; it is avoiding the pitfalls, because His way is BETTER.

Lord, thank you that your way is better, and when I step into your plan, my life gets better, my world gets better, I get better. Thank you that you desire that I walk in them and reap the full blessing that comes from that. I pray that we will not stray from it to the left or the right in Jesus' name, Amen!

Scripture:

Jeremiah 8:22

Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? Why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?

In a time when Judah was so spiritually broken, Jeremiah asks this rhetorical question: "Is there no balm in Gilead?"   Gilead was known for its healing resin, a balm that had great healing properties.  The answer is yes, there is opportunity for restoration, for deliverance, for spiritual healing, but the people were not interested in change, in transformation; it would only be when the pain of staying the same would become greater than the pain of staying the same that they would change, would they cry out.

This is the cry of a merciful God who wants His children to turn, to make the right choices, to repent (change their mind), to be healed, made right, to be near to Him.   That's Grace, that's Mercy, not wanting to give them what they deserve.

Today our God-Shot is to examine the area of our heart, our relationship; is there anything that is out of alignment, that we could apply the balm of Gilead, that we could get right in our lives.  

Lord, it is healthy for us to examine our lives, to look at them circumspectly and ask, what is my heart's proximity to you, Lord?   And then turn, then receive restoration, be set right, step back into the covering of your great care, Lord; keep us near, Lord in Jesus' name, Amen!