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So many times I have seen Jeremiah 29:11 quoted and have repeated it myself: “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” We have taken that scripture very personally and applied it to mean to ME. (That is taking it out of context because it was written for a group of exiles, not just one person. However, I am sure God does have things planned for each and every one of us as individuals so I won’t argue the point. The NLT version of Psalm 40:5 says: “O LORD my God, you have performed many wonders for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list. You have no equal. If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them.”)
This morning as I was doing my daily Bible reading I noted just before that favorite verse of Jeremiah 29:11, another to which we ought to sit up and take notice. In verse 7, God tells Jeremiah to give this message to those in captivity, “And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.”
At the present time, few folks seem satisfied with the status of the political situation in the United States. Considering that and having just read God’s admonition to those in exile, started me thinking about another scripture that maybe we ought to pay more attention. It seems to be human nature to want to discuss our grave concerns about the state of our nation and voice our complaints loud and long. We tend to talk to anyone who will listen; let’s face it…we’ll talk whether they will listen or not! We write letters to the local newspaper editors and pen guest columns. We editorialize on blogs. We become masters in the field of verbiage yet fail to make full use of the greatest opportunity of all. I Timothy 2:1-4 is so clear in detailing what needs to be done and why: “ First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
Now if we look back to that favorite verse from Jeremiah, would you agree we have heard it repeated more frequently in recent years than the ones from Timothy? Why do you suppose that is? Have we become so selfish that we want to grab it all for old Number One and let the other guy look out for himself, let him do his own praying? Are we just simply heedless? Uncaring? What? Look back at the earlier verse in Jeremiah and the ones in Timothy to catch the reminders that that isn’t God’s way. He wants us to reach out to consider the plight of others, and He explains that what is good for them is good for us. It seems we, as a people generally, have become so busy looking inward that we can’t be bothered with looking beyond our own selves to what’s good for our fellow human beings, not just for this world, but for eternity as well.
We need to remember to learn to look and love as God does. He does have plans for us, to give us a future and a hope, but it’s not for us alone. He has a desire for all to be saved, to come to a knowledge of the truth, and He has given us the admonition to pray, not just for self, but for all. And that means all.
Marilyn Sue (Libby) Moore 8-22-2010
Before the creation of the world, because He knew mankind would need a Savior, God made a plan and chose to send His Son to be the perfect unblemished Lamb Whose blood would be available to wash away the sins of the world. A long time ago I chose to accept this wonderful Lamb of God as my Savior.
Ephesians 1:3-6
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.”
Think with me for a bit about what this means: Jesus chose to leave Heaven to live in an earthly body, knowing the kind of death He would eventually die. If you were already in Heaven, can you imagine choosing to come live on earth, knowing you would die such a painful death?
Jesus talked of His life being His own, to lay down and to take up again; He willingly chose to lay it down. He chose to allow the nails to be pounded into His hands and His feet while He also chose to yield His body to those who nailed Him to the cross. Jesus could have walked right through the crowd as He did on another occasion, (Luke 4:28-30) but instead, He chose to be obedient to the point of death.
John 10:17-18
"For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father."
Hebrews 5:8
“Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.”
God does not force us; He has blessed us with the same opportunity of freedom of choice He gave His beloved Son. Do you realize what God did when He placed that opportunity in our hands? He gave us tremendous power! We can choose!
When these thoughts first started working through my mind, a couple of lines became kind of a mantra to help keep me in line when I am tempted. A simple example would be: In the morning when I head to my laptop computer…do I first choose to click on the Internet icon for e-messages or do I click on my Bible Explorer Program for my Daily Bible Reading in order to get my day started right? Inside I say, “Jesus chose; I can choose. Jesus chose; I can choose.” Interestingly enough, just those few words help remind me to make the right choice. Maybe it’s because I am really a control freak and I want to be in charge; however, in reality I know my being in control is a myth because ultimately God is in control, not me anyway. Whatever else it is, it is a reminder of the power God has placed inside of me, the power to choose!
Oh, it feels good to be able to say…and know…
Jesus chose…
I can choose…
Philippians 4:13
“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”
Marilyn Sue (Libby) Moore 8-13-2010
Our firstborn, Beth Zimmerman, writes a blog that has over 200 regular readers. That is the known number. I suspect someone reads a particular post and sends a hyperlink to a friend saying, “You need to read this one,” and a new follower is born. Having done so myself and having recently read one of Beth’s latest blogs:
http://www.bethszimmerman.com/2010/08/06/quit-enabling-us-already/
as well as the comments, I certainly hope that is the case. (Did you notice how easily I slipped that in? )
As a result of having read and pondered this particular posting on Beth’s blog, along with the comments, my thoughts have turned deeper and deeper towards relationships within families. As she mentioned times have changed, but as she and so many others point out, they cling to God Who has not, nor will not, ever change. What a blessing in a world filled with uncertainty and constant change to know we have The Solid Rock on which to stand!
In the beginning, God had plans for relationships. Before there were mothers and fathers, He said, “For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24) Did you get that “BEFORE there were mothers and fathers” part of my statement? Sounds like God had some kind of plan, so bear with me here.
First, let me explain my understanding of the phrase “for this cause”: It seems to me to mean because He made them male and female to become one flesh in marriage. (Not a popular stance in the eyes of some in today’s world, but that is the who God created us to be.)
Next, I would be remiss if I left those of you hanging who have grave concerns over abusive relationships in which you unexpectedly found yourselves. First, you answer to God alone. I do know the marriage relationship is compared to Christ and the church in Ephesians and the examples found there are laid at the feet of both the man and the woman. I’ll quote the last verse only here but heartily encourage the reading of the entire passage found in Ephesians 5:22-33: “Nevertheless let each individual among you also love his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see to it that she respect her husband.”
Now, let’s go back to the idea of husband and wife putting each other BEFORE mother and father. My guess is we are all equally familiar with scripture that teaches us to honor our parents, but just where do we draw the line…or do we? Any loving parent understands there are occasions when a celebration has to be canceled (postponed) because a child unexpectedly runs a high fever, breaks a bone causing a run to the ER, or some other such disaster, but what about the more subtle interruptions between husband and wife? After 52+ years of marriage, I can even say once a new little dog came first! Thankfully my husband was in full agreement that it should be that way or I would have had a very difficult decision to make…but you know what? Husband would have made the first cut because 52+ years ago I promised to love and honor him.
We may laugh a little, but what about the interference of other people we love who are in our lives: God-fearing, well meaning, sometimes genuinely helpful loved ones? Perhaps our mothers and fathers, sons and daughters? Do our parents let us go when we marry? Do our children interfere in our relationships? Probably one of the best things that occurred when John and I married was our move to another state. No running home to Mamma at the first argument. (I’d never seen my parents argue and I thought it meant the end of my new marriage! Boy, did I have a lot to learn!) Thankfully, when we lived closer, both John’s and my parents were hands-off except for visits although I am sure there were occasions when every one of them would love to have had a word or two with each John and me!
However, as we aged, the time came when my widowed mother, at age 87, came to live with us at our invitation. I make a point of saying, “our” invitation because it was total agreement. We had a lovely, roomy house in the country, but in a state far from her original home state. She happily agreed to come and within two years, another move followed for us, along with some mini-strokes in her. That, combined with the stress of her care and my misunderstanding of all the changes in her, forced the decision for a nursing home for her. It was either my husband or my then 89-y-o-frail mother. That decision haunts me to this day; however, the teaching I could hear from her from past years came through loud and clear, as it still does today, “Your husband comes first.”
I didn’t abandon my mother although it feels like it. I still spent inordinate amounts of time trying my utmost to get the care she required until the day she died… including another move to another state. I know I did what God planned from the beginning, in that I put my husband before mother or father, seeking to honor Him and His Word along the way. Mother and father, son and daughter, other loved ones have their places, but let’s remember, as difficult as the decision sometimes is, it is the husband and wife God planned to be one.
“For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.”
Marilyn Sue (Libby) Moore 8-7-2010
