Daily Dose of Hope

January 16, 2025

Day 5 of Week 42

Scripture: Jeremiah 50-51; 2 Peter 3

Welcome back, everyone, to the Daily Dose of Hope.  This is the devotional and podcast that complements the Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida.  It’s Thursday so that means you will have two days, Friday and Saturday, for catch up, rest, or getting ahead. 

Our Old Testament reading today is Jeremiah 50-51.  These two chapters prophecy the fall of Babylon.  God used Babylon for his purposes but they were a sinful, violent society.  We get the impression that God had always planned to punish Babylon for their sins, which included conquering Israel and many other nations.  So what happened?  Cyrus the Great (of the Persians) marched into Babylon and took the city in 539BC.  Cyrus was proclaimed king and he freed the Jewish people.  What we know from later books, such as Nehemiah, is that not everyone came back to Israel.  They had now been in exile for seventy years.  People had put down roots.  But others did venture back to Jerusalem...more on that soon.

Our New Testament reading is 2 Peter 3.  This is a urgent plea to be ready.  Jesus is returning and we don’t know the day or the hour.  Peter was dealing with scoffers/false teachers who didn’t believe in the second coming.  Peter wanted the Christians to stay strong in their faith.  He noted that God is not bound by time in the same way as humans.  To God a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like a day. 

One commentary I read about this chapter said that the last days basically started when Jesus ascended into heaven.  Peter was living in the last days when he wrote this letter and we are living in the last days right now.  If that is the case, then how should we live our lives?  Peter stresses that we should seek to live holy and Godly lives, as people waiting for a new heaven and a new earth.

What does this mean to you? 

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

January 15, 2025

Day 4 of Week 42

Scripture:  Jeremiah 47, 48, 49; Psalm 80; 2 Peter 2

Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Bible reading plan.  It’s Wednesday and that mean Recharge day!  Yeah!!!  I hope to see you tonight in the Garage for a time of fellowship, worship, prayer, and small community.

We head back to Jeremiah for our Old Testament Scripture for today.  God’s judgment is coming to the pagan nations – to the Philistines, to Moab, and to the Ammonites.  Just as God used Babylon to punish Judah, he would do the same for these nations.  They are being punished for their idolatry, for their sinfulness, for their support to other sinful cities, for arrogance, and for stealing land from Israel. 

Our New Testament Scripture for today is 2 Peter 2.  In this chapter, we see Peter elaborating on the concept of false prophets and false teachers. In verse one, Peter is referring to the false prophets found in the Old Testament. These would have been individuals who claimed to speak for Yahweh but really were not sent by Yahweh at all. Think of the four hundred prophets (I Kings 22) who were summoned by King Ahab to speak on behalf of the Lord. But they were on the king’s payroll and clearly didn’t speak on behalf of the one true God.

Peter is saying that just as there were false prophets, there will also be false teachers among you. These are people who are already part of the Christian community but have left the true faith. Peter warns that these false teachers will bring in teachings from the outside world, teachings that will create conflict and division among the body of believers. These are teachings that lead people astray and away from the true faith founded in Jesus Christ. By moving away from the faith, these people are actually bringing destruction and grief on themselves, as well as the church. The thing about false teachings is that they are fairly similar to the true faith. The false teacher uses elements of Christian faith to make their doctrine seem solid and sound.

Think of the Mormon faith. They believe in Jesus. They read the Bible. Thus, someone unsuspecting or not firm in their Christian walk might be easily swayed. But they also believe things that are clearly opposed to orthodox Christian teachings. How have false teachings infiltrated the church in our day? Be on guard, my friends, and well-rooted in God’s Word so that you will be grounded in Jesus and not be swayed.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

January 14, 2025

Day 3 of Week 42

Scripture: Jeremiah 43, 44, 46; 2 Peter 1

Welcome back, everyone, to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Bible reading plan.  Let’s get right into our Scripture for today.

We are back in Jeremiah for our Old Testament reading, specifically chapters 43, 44, and 46.  As you read this, do you sometimes feel sorry for Jeremiah?  I mean, he shares God’s message and the people get enraged at him.  Jeremiah must feel pretty exasperated as well. 

In today’s reading, Jeremiah delivers the message to the remaining people in Judah to NOT go to Egypt.  God instructs them to stay in Judah where he will care for them.  What do they do?  We read this yesterday as well.  They disobeyed and went to Egypt.  They call Jeremiah a liar and once again dismiss the prophecy.  The wives burn incense to other gods.  God is rightfully angry so he has more to say through Jeremiah.  God tells the people that Babylon will trample on them in Egypt too.  They can’t run and hide from the consequences of their actions.  Our final chapter for today, 46, is actually poetic prose about how God will destroy Egypt. 

Our New Testament reading is 2 Peter 1. Today, we start Peter’s second letter to the churches to whom he ministered in Asia Minor (now modern-day Turkey). It appears that very soon after Peter wrote the first letter, he felt compelled to send another. Why? Because there are reports of false teachers in their community, as well as dissension among the believers themselves. This had the potential for unraveling the young church.

In order to combat both these destructive elements, Peter urges the believers to grow deeper in their faith, becoming more spiritually mature, by leaning on God’s Word. Pay close attention to the letter’s opening sermon. Normally, this part of the letter would include some kind of thanksgiving but Peter neglects it. He seems to want to grab the attention of the readers by getting right to the meat of the subject. Thus, we can see it isn’t a typical letter.

This is a call to virtue. Because of what Jesus has done for us, we are called to live a certain way. Then ensures what’s referred to as a virtue chain. Add to your faith goodness, add to goodness knowledge, add to knowledge self-control, add to self-control perseverance, add to perseverance godliness, add to godliness mutual affection, and add to mutual affection love. This is similar to virtue chains in Romans 5 and Galatians 5. The order of the virtues is not that important (and vary in each case) but developing these virtues is of utmost importance. It’s in developing these virtues that we can be useful to the Kingdom. We aren’t useful to the Kingdom if we are negative, conflictual, and critical. We DO NOT honor Jesus if we are negative. We DO NOT honor Jesus and provide a good witness to the faith if we foster conflict. We DO NOT honor Jesus and provide a good witness to the faith if we are critical. But if we live out goodness, knowledge (I’ll add Godly knowledge), self-control, perseverance in the faith, Godliness, mutual affection and care for others, and love, THEN we demonstrate who and whose we are. We show the world Jesus through our actions and behavior.

Spiritual maturity is not demonstrated by judgmentalism, critical spirits, or seeing the world through a negative lens. That actually seems spiritually immature. Plus, the enemy rejoices when we become fixated on those things. But, wow, what could we do for Jesus if we very intentionally, very deliberately worked on living into these virtues? The outside world might stop and take notice and say “There is something different about her. I want to be like her. I want what she has.” And we have this beautiful opportunity to share the source of our hope.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

January 13, 2025

Day 2 of Week 42

Scripture:  Obadiah; Jeremiah 40-42; Psalm 147; 1 Peter 5

Welcome back, everyone, to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church Bible reading plan.  Happy Monday! 

We have some really interesting Scripture to read today.  Let’s start with the book of Obadiah.  How many of you have read this minor prophet before?  This is the shortest book in the Old Testament – it’s just twenty-one verses.  It’s a group of judgement poems against the people of Edom, which was a pagan nation that neighbored Israel.  So here’s the question: Why would God single out the nation of Edom?

Edom was unique.  It shared an ancestry with the people of Israel.  The people of Edom also descended from Abraham. Think back to Genesis.  You will recall that Isaac and Rebekah had two sons – Jacob and Esau.  These brothers had a difficult, contentious relationship and they went their separate ways.  Jacob’s descendants became the people of Israel, but Esau’s descendants became the people of Edom.

There was always tension between Israel and Edom but they also, on some level, knew they were family.  But things changed after the Babylonian conquest of Judah.  After the Babylonians decimated the Jewish people, the Edomites came in and plundered the other cities in Israel.  They took advantage of the remaining people, killing many.  It was ugly. 

The book of Obadiah is intended to hold the Edomites accountable for what they did.  They tend to be arrogant, thinking they are better than the Israelites.  They could have helped Judah when Babylon came knocking but they didn’t.  They took advantage of the situation. The book of Obadiah makes it clear that Edom will face the same fate as the Israelites.  What they did to the Israelites will also be done to them. Eventually, Obadiah says that all nations that behave like Edom will experience the consequences of their actions.  God’s justice will be distributed to all these nations who behave in this way.

But there is actually more to this little work.  The word Edom in ancient Hebrew is incredibly similar to the word “humanity.”  You see, the people of Edom have behaved in such a way that they are acting out the depravity of all human beings.  We are all broken and depraved.  We are selfish and arrogant.  And yet, God loves us. 

The book ends with hope.  God will eventually put in place a New Jerusalem that will include all the nations.  God will put an end to evil and bring his peace to the world. 

Let’s head over to Jeremiah.  We are looking at chapters 40-42.  We are reading about what is happening to the remnant left behind in Judah.  It’s a hot mess.  There are assassinations and ploys for power.  The few people left are considering leaving the area and heading to Egypt.  They ask Jeremiah to speak to the Lord on their behalf.  The Lord is clear – he will care for them if they stay.  If they head to Egypt, he will be angry and they will have to face the consequences of that anger.  And yet, what happens?  They disobey, of course.  They bring all the people are left, including Jeremiah the prophet into Egypt, very specifically against God’s instruction. 

When they arrive, the people begin to burn incense to other gods.  They revert to their old ways.  Jeremiah gives them a word from the Lord – if they don’t stop, they will all die in Egypt.  But they don’t stop.  Man, they never learn, do they?  Wow, us humans are sure a big mess.  I wish I could say we were significantly different than these people from Judah who fled to Egypt, but are we?

Let’s head over to the New Testament.  In this last chapter of I Peter, we find Peter giving final thoughts to the churches. This is where he lands the plane, he emphasizes certain critical points for their Christian walk. While Peter discusses a number of things, these three stand out as most important: humility, alertness, and faithfulness.

Let’s start by talking a bit about humility. In this context, humility means putting aside our own agenda for God’s. It means accepting the fact that we may not get recognition but we should serve God anyway. No task is too small or too menial for God’s Kingdom. God’s Kingdom is advanced so much more when people don’t worry about who gets the credit. That’s humility.

Then, there’s alertness. We need to be on guard. This means not allowing our minds to get sloppy. It means staying focused on God and not getting distracted by worldly influences. If we do, this provides an inroad for the enemy to sneak in and cause problems. Stay focused on the things of God.

Finally, there is faithfulness. Regardless of our earthly circumstances, stay true to God and the beliefs of the faith. It might not always appear to be so, but God always walks with us directing our paths. We are never alone, even when we experience persecution. God is faithful to us and calls us to stay faithful to him.

How are you doing in these areas? Where are you when it comes to being humble for the faith? How alert are you–do you struggle with distraction and sloppy thinking? Finally, where are you on the faithfulness scale? Have you stayed true to the faith?

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

January 12, 2025

Day 1 of Week 42

Scripture:  Lamentations 1-5; Psalm 137; 1 Peter 4

Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan. 

Today, for our Old Testament reading, we are starting the book of Lamentations.  Jeremiah is typically considered the author of Lamentations. The book is filled with poetic prose that mourns the loss of Jerusalem.  After the Babylonian conquest, the city is in ruins and the remaining people are hungry.  Jeremiah is “lamenting” this destruction. 

And yet, there is still a sense of hope in the Lord.  In chapter 5, we find Jeremiah speaking directly to God.  Verses 19-22, You, Lord, reign forever;  your throne endures from generation to generation. Why do you always forget us? Why do you forsake us so long?  Restore us to yourself, Lord, that we may return; renew our days as of old unless you have utterly rejected us and are angry with us beyond measure. There is still a plea for God’s mercy and a sense of hope that God can and will restore them. 

Our New Testament reading is 1 Peter 4.  This is an interesting passage.  Peter is talking about suffering.  Specifically, he is saying that we should expect to suffer.  This is part of the mission that God has given us.  It is also simply part of living in a broken world. 

Yet, what kinds of things go through your mind when you suffer?  Too often, our own suffering (or watching the suffering of others) may actually make us question God’s goodness or even God’s existence.  Why is it we think life is going to be smooth sailing?  No where in Scripture is this mentioned in the slightest.  Jesus suffered and we will too.  It just is what it is until Jesus comes in final victory. 

Paul makes it clear that in the middle of this suffering, we are also to love others well.  We aren’t to sit around and feel sorry for ourselves or complain.  We are to demonstrate the love of Christ to others. 

So think about your own views on suffering.  No one wants to suffer.  No one wants to be in pain.  Heck, we don’t even like to feel uncomfortable.  What is your reaction to Peter’s text on suffering? 

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

January 9, 2025

Day 5 of Week 41

Scripture: 2 Kings 25-26; 2 Chronicles 36; Psalm 126; 1 Peter 3

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church Bible reading plan. 

Today, we get a little break from Jeremiah and we are heading back to 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles for our Old Testament Scripture reading.  For hundreds and hundreds of years, God warned his people: Obey the covenant, do not worship other gods, do not neglect the poor. And with just a few exceptions, the people disobeyed. There were judges and prophets sent to warn the people. In fact, there was no shortage of warnings. Yet, the people continued to turn away from God, to be influenced by the culture around them, and to follow the ways of the pagans. In today’s Scripture, we see God lifting his hand of protection. His people have not held up their end of the covenant and he is finally allowing them to experience the consequences of their actions. It’s hard to read and yet, we know it had to happen for the next stage of the journey to occur.

In both 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles, we read about the siege on Jerusalem from two different perspectives.  This was a long siege – well over a year.  This led to famine and a lot of death.  The king has his eyes gouged out and is imprisoned.  His sons are killed in front of him.  It isn’t a pretty scene.  The consequences to sin are severe. 

Let’s move over to 1 Peter 3.  There are two major ideas in this chapter.  The first is this idea of wives submitting to husbands in such a way that unbelieving husbands will come to know Jesus.  So, I’ve thought about this.  We see this through the lens of inequality and power differentials.  We see this through an earthly lens because that’s what we know.  We know of power being abused and humans mistreating other humans.  But what happens when we read through this a Kingdom lens? 

Could it be that wives can treat their husbands in such a way that these men can see Jesus in them?  And then, the reverse is also true.  Husbands can treat wives in a way that the women can see Jesus in them.  I don’t think we should get hung up on the language that some people love and others despise.  We know this was written in a different time and cultural context.  We know that Jesus and even Paul elevated the status of women.  So I really don’t want this to be about the status of women.  I want this to be about how to treat others, especially our spouses, in a way that they want to know more about Jesus.  Does that make sense?

The other idea presented in this text is being humble and treating others in a way that honors Christ.  It isn’t that different from the first idea.  It’s about living and behaving in such a way that God is honored and that others want to know more about Jesus.  Verse 18, But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect...  How many believers do you know that are arrogant and even look down on other who think differently than them?  The key word here is humility.  Humility, humility, humility.  As you might recall, humility was one of Jesus’ attributes.  I think I will leave it here for now.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

January 8, 2025

Day 4 of Week 41

Scripture:  Jeremiah 38, 39, 52; 1 Peter 2

Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church Bible reading plan.  It’s Wednesday and Recharge is back again!  Join us in the Garage at 6:30 for fellowship, worship, prayer, and small community. 

Let’s get into our Scripture.  We are in Jeremiah for our Old Testament text.  The Babylonian siege is underway in Jerusalem.  The king, Zedekiah, seems to be totally complacent.  His officials want to get rid of Jeremiah and it’s like he kind of shrugs his shoulders and lets them do it.  When someone wants to save Jeremiah, the king okays it and takes no responsibility.  The king is really only concerned for his own well-being, which Jeremiah assures him will be fine if he gives himself and his family over to the Babylonians.  If he insists on staying and fighting, then things will be ugly. 

We see this actually happen in chapter 39.  The Babylonians break down the city walls and capture the king. They gouge out his eyes and shackle him, imprison him, but he isn’t killed.  The city is burned.  But Jeremiah is spared.  Chapter 52 goes into greater detail about the siege of Jerusalem.  It was just as God said it would occur. 

It’s interesting to me that there were so many warnings.  God sent prophet after prophet to tell the kings and the people to get their acts together.  They rarely did.  They didn’t believe in God’s power.  They didn’t believe that God would do what he said he would do. 

Here’s the question for us:  Do we believe that God will do what he says he will do?  Do we believe he is all-powerful?  If we do, this has huge implications for how we do life.  Think about it.

In today’s New Testament reading, 1 Peter 2, Peter is highlighting the blessings which belong to all believers. He starts by stating that they are a chosen people (by the way, that means WE are a chosen people). While the people of Israel were certainly chosen by God, God has now chosen a new group of people who have obtained membership in this chosen group not by inheriting it through Abraham but by believing in Jesus Christ.

Similarly, Peter calls the readers of this letter a royal priesthood and a holy nation, words that are very similar to those found in Exodus, Isaiah, and Malachi, in describing those who lived under the Mosaic covenant. Now, those who profess faith in Jesus are part of the royal priesthood and they are a holy nation, not because of who they are related to but because of who they are in Jesus Christ.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Peter goes on to elaborate. God’s purpose in redeeming us is not only for our own benefit (although it certainly is to our benefit) but to glorify God. We get to declare his praises, for he has called us out of a life of darkness and into a life of light–glorious, wonderful, abundant life in Christ. Because of God’s mercy, we are freed from the bondage and darkness of sin and can live in the freedom of knowing that we have been forgiven and that we are new people.

Do you live in the knowledge that you have been forgiven and that you are a new person in Jesus? Do you truly believe that God chose YOU and that you are God’s special possession? Friends, God loves you and desires to be in an intimate relationship with you. Wherever you are in your relationship with Jesus today, spend some time with him. Get right with him if need be, praise him, rejoice in his blessings, and simply be grateful.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

January 7, 2025

Day 3 of Week 41

Scripture: Jeremiah 30-33; 1 Peter 1

Hello and welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional/podcast that complements the New Hope Church Bible reading plan.  I hope you have a wonderful day.  Please know you were prayed for!!!

In Jeremiah today, we read about God’s promise of restoration to his people.  In these four chapters, God speaks through Jeremiah to Judah that after the exile, there will be the opportunity to return to Jerusalem and rebuild.  All is not lost.  It might feel like it at the moment but it really isn’t.  He wants them to have a long-term view.

In chapter 32, God has Jeremiah buy a piece of land from his cousin.  He went through the ordeal of going through the legal process of the purchase to illustrate that once again in the future, people will be buying and selling land in Jerusalem.  Right now, the Babylonians are laying siege to the place, but eventually God will restore it.  And then in chapter 33, God promises that there will come a time when he makes a new covenant with his people.  Of course, as Christ-followers, we know this new covenant to be Jesus.  It’s only then that there will be redemption and total restoration.

For our New Testament passage, we are starting a new book today – 1 Peter.  This is a letter written by the apostle Peter to the churches in five regions of Asia Minor, what is now modern-day Turkey. This first chapter is a call to recognize their living hope in Jesus, the joy that is found in Christ despite earthly persecution, and the need to pursue holiness of life.

I would like us to focus on this concept of holiness. Peter implores these early believers to set aside their old way of life before they knew Jesus and to seek a life characterized by holiness. In the Old Testament, holiness referred to being set apart from everything else. God is holy and totally without sin, and he continually tried to foster holiness in his people. In fact, holiness is central to the character of God.

In the New Testament, the concept of holiness still means set apart but it also refers to being morally pure. The early Christ-followers were set apart, not in the sense that they separated themselves from the world because they did not, but because they were ethically and morally different from those around them. They lived according to a different standard, seeking the righteousness of God. Peter is encouraging these early Christians to seek God’s holiness, to live their lives in a way that looks entirely different from the culture around them. They were essentially to pattern their lives on Jesus Christ. Part of pursuing holiness is seeking God’s will daily, hourly, possibly even minute by minute.

Do you seek holiness in your life? Why or why not?

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

January 6, 2025

Day 2 of Week 41

Scripture: Jeremiah 37, 21, 34; Psalm 79; James 5

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional that complements the daily Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida.  Let’s get into our Scripture for today.

For our Old Testament reading, we have three more chapters in Jeremiah – 37, 21, and 34, in that order.  In chapter 37, we read about the things that lead up to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians.  It appears that Egypt very briefly comes to the aid of Judah, which simply puts off the Babylonian conquest; it does not prevent it.  Jeremiah is put in prison briefly but eventually is cared for by the current king. 

The next two chapters are really interesting.  Things are getting heated in the city of Jerusalem.  They are actively fighting the Babylonians.  The Lord speaks through Jeremiah and tells the people that those who continue to oppose this, who insist on fighting and staying in Jerusalem, they will eventually die.  But those who surrender will live.  He promises the same to the king. 

And then there is this interesting passage about freeing the slaves.  God wants the Jews to free the Hebrew slaves among them and surprisingly, they agree.  Briefly that is.  They free them and then take them back.  This greatly angers the Lord and he promises that they will face harsh consequences. 

Our New Testament reading is James 5.  James closes out his letter with a strong command to pray. If you are suffering, then pray. If you are cheerful, then pray. If you are ill (physically or spiritually), then be sure to pray and have people pray over you. For prayer is powerful and the prayers of righteous people make a big impact!

Do you believe that your prayers make a big impact? Do you believe that the prayers of the faithful people around you can accomplish big things in God’s Kingdom? I have witnessed firsthand the power of prayer. I should mention that God often doesn’t answer prayer the way we want it answered but God always answers. Prayer makes a difference–for the person or situation we are praying for AND in our own hearts. When we pray, God changes us!

Who do you need to pray for today?  Lord, hear our prayers.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

January 5, 2025

Day 1 of Week 41

Scripture: Jeremiah 27, 28, 29, 24, James 4

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional that complements the daily Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida.  Let’s get into our Scripture for today.

For our Old Testament reading, we are back in Jeremiah.  Again, we are bouncing around the chapters.  In chapter 27, Jeremiah prophecies that the king of Judah, as well as the pagan kings surrounding Israel, will soon be serving King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.  He makes a yoke and wears it, as a beast of burden would use in the fields, and uses it illustrate his point.  They will be bound to the king of Babylon.  And if they refuse, life will be even worse for them.  They will experience drought, famine, and warfare. 

In chapter 28, Jeremiah deals with a false prophet named Hananiah.  He disputes Jeremiah’s prophecy and says that the king of Babylon will fall.  To make matters worse, he takes the yoke off Jeremiah’s neck and breaks it.  As a result, he faces what God calls a “yoke of iron” and he died that same year.  His lies led to death.

Chapter 29 jumps ahead.  All of a sudden, we find Jeremiah sending a message of God to the exiles who are being carried off into Babylon from Jerusalem.  He tells them to settle down, as seventy years is a long time.  But after the time is up, God will provide a way back for them.  And then in verse 11, we have that very famous verse, “I know the plans the Lord has for me, plans to prosper me and not harm me, plans for hope and a future.”

This is one of those verses that we totally misinterpret.  We see it on graduation cards and baby blankets.  But this was a prophecy to the people who are about to spend seventy years in exile in Babylon.  They are going to be outsiders among pagans.  They have to totally rebuild their lives.  Yes, God will remember them and provide a way back in two generations.  God will keep his promise.  But first, they must experience the consequences of their own bad choices. 

And then, finally, we end today’s Jeremiah reading in chapter 24.  Again, it’s after the Babylonian conquest.  God is speaking to Jeremiah about the exiles.  He is using two baskets of figs as an illustration.  The good figs represent those who will head into exile; these are the people who God sees as worthy and faithful.  Those left behind, including the king and his officials, are like the bad figs and they will be dealt with severely.

Our New Testament reading is James 4.  Apparently, James is writing to a group of people who have had some pretty nasty conflicts, even possibly violent ones. As with the previous few chapters, James is warning against community strife. In chapter 3, James spoke of the damage that careless words can cause. These careless words, the misuse of the tongue, can then lead to disputes and heated arguments. We don’t know what the specific disputes were about in James’ day, but we do know and understand the damage that ugly words and violent disputes can cause in the Christian community. It happened 2000 years ago and it still happens today.

Isn’t it ironic that people who profess a faith that so fundamentally involves loving one another, being peaceful, gentle, and joyful, can then treat each other with such malice and carelessness? I’ve been on a church staff for 17 years now and I’ve seen people who call themselves Christ-followers be downright hateful and mean toward one another. And oh the ugly things I’ve seen people carelessly post on Facebook!

Most of the time, these disagreements were over miscommunications or relatively insignificant things. But they have the potential to cause true damage to our Christian fellowship. Friends, they must stop. That being said, there are times in which we must stand up for what is right and speak truth. But even then, we can speak the truth in love.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki