May the mumbling commence!
When God empowers us, we should not seek to gain our own
advantage. God empowers us to bless
other people. God empowers us to bless
the Lord. These two things are not
mutually exclusive. They are one and the
same! Read Jeremiah chapter forty-five
and the message that the Lord had for Jeremiah’s scribe, Baruch:
The prophet Jeremiah gave a message to Baruch son of
Neriah in the fourth year of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, after Baruch had written down everything Jeremiah had
dictated to him. He said, "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to you,
Baruch: You have said, 'I am overwhelmed with trouble! Haven't I had enough pain
already? And now the Lord has
added more! I am weary of my own sighing and can find no rest.'
"Baruch, this is what the Lord says: I will destroy this nation that I built. I
will uproot what I planted. Are you seeking great
things for yourself? Don't do it! But
don't be discouraged. I will bring great disaster upon all these people,
but I will protect you wherever you go. I, the Lord, have spoken!"
Do not seek great things for yourself. I wonder what Baruch had in mind for
himself… Did he want leadership…
kingship of the remnant of Judah? If so,
that was not in the cards. But God will
protect Baruch everywhere he goes… because Baruch has done the will of the Lord
in his life.
This passage makes me think of the passage in Matthew
chapter twenty when the disciples began to argue over who would hold positions
of authority in Jesus’ kingdom. Read
Jesus’ response to them in the passage below:
When the ten other disciples heard what James and John
had asked, they were indignant.
But Jesus called them together and said, "You know that
in this world kings are tyrants, and
officials lord it over the people
beneath them. But among you it should be quite different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever
wants to be first must become
your slave. For even I, the
Son of Man, came here not to be served but to
serve others, and to give my life as
a ransom for many." (Verses 24-28)
In Jesus’ kingdom we do not climb the ladder of success
at any cost. In Jesus’ kingdom we seek
to serve others before we serve our own needs and wants and desires. It may seem upside-down to us, but it’s
right-side up.
Let’s use God’s empowerment for the benefit of all
people to the glory of God.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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