Daily intake of the Word nourishes the Spirit. Jeremiah's Menu is an exercise in recognizing God's Word made flesh in and around me. Eating the Word in a way that supplies the spiritual nutrients needed to grow. The Menu is offered with the hope of inspiring you to taste and see that the Lord is good. Bon Appetite!
Quote Du Jour
Quote du Jour
Christians may differ on a variety of points, but they have all one spiritual appetite; and if we cannot all feel alike, we can all feed alike on the bread of life sent down from heaven. At the table of fellowship with Jesus we are one bread and one cup. As the loving cup goes round we pledge one another heartily therein. Get nearer to Jesus, and you will find yourself linked more and more in spirit to all who are like yourself, supported by the same heavenly manna. ---Charles Spurgeon, Morning and Evening
This feels like a long story...
one I'm not sure where to begin...
it's been so long in the making...
The call to write... teach... encourage others in His Word...
is not one I feel equipped... prepared... trained... to do...
This place... this blog... this table...
it's the place of rough stuff... first drafts...
the pouring out... of what He's pouring in...
So when she makes the challenge...
to promote this place... let more people know it's here...
invite more to the table... openly...
I cringe...
She asks... Where does this attitude come from...?
The question causes me to wrestle...
the wrestling with Him... turns into recognition of whining...
a prayer ensues...
I'm whining... Lord... forgive me...! You know my challenge... fear of putting too much of me... in what I write here... and wondering what people think... and is it good enough... But You call... and I give... so it must be enough... like the widow with her two cents... she gave publicly... openly... giving all she had... She openly gave out of her poverty... all she had... for all to see... Lord... from the world's perspective... she was poor... pathetic... but You saw her as one giving out of abundance... an abundance of faith...
And he sat down opposite the treasury
and watched the people putting money into
the offering box. Many rich people put in large
sums. And a poor widow came in and put in
two small copper coins, which make a penny.
And he called his disciples to him and said to them,
"Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more
than all those who are contributing to the offering box.
For they all contributed out of their abundance,
but she out of her poverty has put in everything
she had, all she had to live on."
Mark 12:41-44 ESV
Today... I'm that poor widow... when it comes to writing about Your Word... I'm poverty-stricken... when it comes to degrees... diplomas... formal education... credentials... regarding theology... Greek... Hebrew... and hermeneutics...
But here... I publicly lay out my offering... giving what I believe You're calling me to... Giving willingly... out of the abundance of faith... You have blessed me with... Giving... writing... based on the promise... that You will teach...
"I will put my teaching within them and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God, and they will be My people. No longer
will one teach his neighbor or his brother, saying,
'Know the Lord,' for they will all know Me, from the least
to the greatest of them" --- this is the Lord's declaration.
Jeremiah 31:33-34 HCSB
All your children shall be taught by the Lord,
and great shall be the peace of your children.
Isaiah 54:13 ESV
Giving everything I have... by faith... that it is You that I hear... and in faith... that if I get it wrong... You have the power to work it for good...
And we know that for those who love God all things
work together for good, for those who are called
according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28 ESV
Willing to go public...
hoping to please You...
So... today I go public... sharing my wrestling...
embracing the freedom... to be poor...
in the face of so much writing from those who are rich...
in degrees... credentials... education...
Understanding... my shame... the desire to stay invisible...
is really being ashamed of Him... of what He's doing in me...
This freedom thing... it's challenging...
but how I want to be free...
I wonder... is there something He's calling you to...? where you feel poor... poverty-stricken...? not good enough to do...? no credentials...? according to the world...?
I encourage you... exercise your freedom... to be poor...
because in Him... whatever you give... will come out of His abundance...
[Note... the one who challenged me to go public... also said... I had to share my story... I have many... but today... this is the one I'm led to share... I'm the poor widow... openly giving... her two small coins... really less than two cents... dismissing the shame... of not being a legitimate teacher... in the eyes of the world... choosing to see me... through Him... Amen...]
Seven days... only... seven days till Christmas...
this time next week... will bring the joy of celebration...
Are you ready...?!
The gift experienced yesterday... Behold, the Lamb of God...
helped prepare a heart...
grateful for the time and gift...
grateful for the one with whom I went...
Grateful for these twenty-five days...
and the call to focus on Him...
Christmas... a time of thanks...
for a promise answered...
a gift received...
Jesus... the fulfillment of the promise...
a forever King...
a Promised Land...
a Life Eternal...
A gift received... only by recognizing... our need...
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prisons to those who are bound;
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;
to grant to those who mourn in Zion --- to give them
a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness
instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead
of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.
Isaiah 61:1-3 ESV
He came to the poor... with good news...
to the brokenhearted... with healing...
to the captive... with liberty...
to a stump of a world... with hope of life...
Poor and needy...
These words echo through my mind...
recognizing... this is who we are...
this is how He came...
His humble dependence...
from cradle to cross...
no crib... no bed...
no place to call home...
even in death... a borrowed tomb...
showed us who we really are...
He came to live like us...
reveal our poverty...
Poor and needy...
Unless we know the reality of our need...
we will not receive the promise... the gift...
we'll miss it altogether...
The Pharisees in their pride missed it...
actually dismissed it...
disposing of it on a cross... (or so they thought...)
Poor and needy...
He knocks on the door...
but only those who recognize their need...
their blindness...
their dis-ease...
answer it...
"... For you say, I am rich, I have prospered,
and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched,
pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy
from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich,
and white garments so that you may clothe yourself
and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen,
and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. ..."
Revelation 3:17-18 ESV
Those who think they are "blessed"...
let Him knock... and knock... and knock...
"...Behold, I stand at the door and knock.
If anyone hears my voice and opens the door,
I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. ..."
Revelation 3:20 ESV
To receive the gift...
to open the door...
you have to hear the message...
receive the truth...
You are poor and needy...
let Me in... so I can heal...
provide... make new...
Are you poor and needy...? or do you have it all together...?
