Jeremiah 15:15-21 … “I did not sit in the company of merrymakers, nor did I rejoice; under the weight of your hand I sat alone, for you had filled me with indignation.” vs. 17
When the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah he had been filled with joy and gladness. He was thrilled to be called by the name of the Lord and gladly began his prophetic ministry among the people. But his work did not bring him joy; he found it impossible to be “one of the guys” and found himself isolated from his peers. In fact his old friends turned against him and refused to listen to what he said. That same thing can happen to followers of Jesus. We too have been named and called to bring a message of love and mercy to hurting and broken people. But many of them have been caught up in the worship of wealth, power, and pleasure, and have little inclination to even consider repentance. We then have a choice. We can swallow our words of judgment and join them in their idolatrous merry-making, or we can walk in the way of the Spirit and perhaps sit alone on Saturday night. There is a certain integrity involved with following Jesus–and even though our inclination is to be loving and caring, sometimes we have to walk away from family and friends. That’s not the funnest time in our journey of faith, but the joy that began our Jesus-connection will be enough to sustain us in the tough times too.
Thought for the Day: What fills me with indignation?
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