Inspirational Thought of the Day:

God can turn our pits into a place of vision is we will stay on mission.

Scripture of the Day:

Jeremiah 38:6

“So when they lowered Jeremiah into the cistern with ropes he sank in the mud.”

Jeremiah 40:6

“He stayed there to live among the people who had been left in the land of Judah.”

Ever felt like you were thrown into the pit by the very people you were serving? Jeremiah did not just feel that the people he served wholeheartedly were angry at the revelation he shared from God. They demonstrated it time and again. Killing the prophet in a slow, agonizing death was their way of treating him.

Such a sinister way of dealing with conviction. We might not have pits around us that people can throw one another into today, but I daresay we are capable of throwing one another verbally into the pit. It happens all the time. In churches. In workplaces. Families.

We assassinate one another’s character to elevate ourselves or achieve an agenda. It does not readily occur to us that we are crucifying our own brothers and sisters in Christ rather than praying for them. There was not any benefit for God’s people to tear down Jeremiah and there surely is no benefit for us today to do the same. Such behavior is demonic.

What is startling to me, though, is Jeremiah’s response. He does not retaliate. He defended himself to the rulers as being innocent and asked for protection from the bloodthirsty troop he was witnessing to, but he did them no harm. But Jeremiah went even one more step beyond: he stayed on mission.

Jeremiah was offered a place of refuge, an escape where he would be taken care of. The official who offered this to Jeremiah knew that Jeremiah would be persecuted heavily if he remained with his own people. But Jeremiah chose to stay.

He chose to stay with a stubborn people because his heart was burdened for their souls. More than his own comfort, more than being right, more than the pursuit of relief. He loved His people.

We, too, are on a mission from God, though we might not always perceive it. Will we quit when the mission gets tough, or stay, knowing God is enough? Will we love people even when they sin against us, falsely accuse us and try to throw us off mission?

Jeremiah had a secret. He knew God had called him and would enable him. Even in the pits of life. He will do the same for us.

When we are in a situation that is the pits, God can turn our pits into a place of vision is we will stay on mission.

Lord, thank You for the privilege of serving You. Help us to not be distracted and to stay on mission. May we love those You have called us to serve and glorify You and not grow weary in Your calling.