In Jeremiah, God calls his people to repent. They had strayed from him and served other gods. They are is likened to a wife who had been unfaithful to her husband, using rather graphic language. For sin in any guise is abhorrent to God, but worshipping other gods was against the first commandment. Yet God is merciful and gracious and is willing to accept his people, if only they repent.

Israel refused to repent of its sin and was subsequently punished by God. Whilst Israel had served other gods, Judah had watched Israel, but learnt nothing, for Judah also served other gods. Similarly, we may watch other people sin, we may even disapprove, but we need to watch ourselves lest we fall into the same sin.

God isn’t after histrionics, for he sees the heart. Repentance is not about looking sorry, but a change of direction to follow God and not ourselves. Repentance is an attitude which doesn’t happen just once, but for the whole time we sin against God. Even as Christians, our attitude should be of continual repentance, asking for forgiveness of our God.

For ultimately, all our sin is against God. Whether it involved our fellow man or not. For if we loved God as we should, we’d love our neighbour as we should.

Yet, salvation is of the Lord. We are not so sinful as to be beyond salvation, if we repent and call upon God. For even though our sin is great, our Saviour is greater. For God is our Saviour. The creator and sustainer of the universe became our sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin. Let us not fool ourselves into thinking that we can deal with our sin ourselves, but let us cling to the only one who can deal with it.

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” Jim Elliott

What Jesus specifically said to the rich young ruler doesn’t apply to all Christians. For Jesus doesn’t require us to sell everything we have necessarily. Rather, if we are to claim Jesus is Lord, he must be Lord of all our lives, he must be put first. For if he is not Lord of all, he is not Lord at all. As such, we must surrender all that we have to him and his service. (Of course, this may require us to sell everything we have, depending on what our idols are!)

This may seem extreme, but if we compare what Jesus offers with what we this world offers, there is no comparison. For what Jesus offers is eternal life, to know God. What Jesus offers is fellowship with God. What more could we ask for, but almighty God?

Jesus then lists examples of what people must surrender…

And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. Mt 19:29

Whatever we have which we have kept from God needs to be surrendered to him. For the world will tell us we must put ourselves first, to only think of the here and now, but Jesus says it will only drag us down and make us last, both in this life and in eternity. For our chief good both in this life and in eternity is intimately tied up with putting ourselves last and putting God first.

Are we clinging onto that which will make us last or first?

You are my portion, O LORD; I have promised to obey your words.
I have sought your face with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise.
I have considered my ways and have turned my steps to your statutes. I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands.
Though the wicked bind me with ropes, I will not forget your law.
At midnight I rise to give you thanks for your righteous laws.
I am a friend to all who fear you, to all who follow your precepts.
The earth is filled with your love, O LORD; teach me your decrees.Ps 119:57-64

It would seem the rich young man came up to Jesus expecting to get a pat on the back. He thought he’d kept the commandments, he wasn’t a bad person. Instead of going by appearances though, Jesus looked a little deeper than the young man bargained for.

Jesus’ first response was to ask the man if he knew who he was dealing with when it came to keeping the law of God. This wasn’t just dealing with other men, but with a holy God. A God who is set apart from his creation, who cannot abide sin. A God who is good.

Regarding the law, God is more interested in attitudes than observance. Not only just a case of not murdering someone but not hating anyone. Not only a case of not committing adultery but not having lustful thoughts. Ultimately the tenth commandment, “You shall not covet” comes full circle going for the inner being of a person.

The man had come a cropper at the first hurdle when he asked

“what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Mk 10:17

For it is our attitudes to God and to others which condemn us. A nature which is at enmity with our creator.

What we need is a change of attitude, or to use a more religious word we need to repent. To turn away from sin and turn to God.

Hand in hand with repentance is faith in Jesus. In order to receive eternal life, we need to stop trusting in our own deeds and trust in the deeds of the only one who can save us – Jesus Christ. Jesus knew what would hinder the man from following him, and spelled it out to him. Jesus didn’t say this out of spite, but out of love. For this man had great faith in his possessions, which ultimately would stop him putting his faith in Jesus. It would be his possessions which would stop him having eternal life.

For eternal life is ultimately to know God. In order to know God, we must be made right with God. If we are made right with God, if we are justified by faith, our attitudes change and we will want to seek God’s will and not our own will. We will not cling to the transient, but take hold of that which is permanent.

Are we holding onto anything which would hinder our relationship with our creator?

Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope.
My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.
The arrogant mock me without restraint, but I do not turn from your law.
I remember your ancient laws, O LORD, and I find comfort in them.
Indignation grips me because of the wicked, who have forsaken your law.
Your decrees are the theme of my song wherever I lodge.
In the night I remember your name, O LORD, and I will keep your law.
This has been my practice: I obey your precepts.Psalm 119:49-56

As we go through life, we are not to only preach the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? Ja 2:14-16

We are to see to the temporal as well as the spiritual needs of those we meet. For the Christian worldview is not about sitting in a rarified spirituality, but a spirituality that is real and breaks into and permeates the everyday moments of life. Whether this is encouraging young people to pursue a good education, or helping someone to find suitable employment, or seeing that a single mother has sufficient support.

So we are to seek the temporal good of those around us. We must also be careful to note we must always share the gospel with others though. What good is it if we see to the needs of the body, but neglect the needs of the soul? A well-educated person, a comfortably employed person, or a well-supported person will not come to faith in Christ without someone telling them the gospel. For we are all sinners, enslaved by sin and ultimately destined to punishment because of our sin.

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. Jn 10:10

If we have eternal life, if we know God and the joy that brings, it would be unkind not to share that life with others.

As Christians, we are here to serve God as his priests in the here and now. The words God spoke to Jeremiah are equally applicable to us.

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. Jeremiah 1:5

We may not be called to be prophets like Jeremiah, but God has given us gifts and talents for use in his service.

Jeremiah wasn’t so sure of the calling and put up excuses why he couldn’t carry out the will of God. God doesn’t dispute with Jeremiah, but instead tells him to be obedient. After all, God knows Jeremiah better than Jeremiah does! As such we should be mindful of God’s calling and do what he calls us to do. If God calls, we are to do.

All of this would sound unreasonable if God were dependent on us, but instead God calls us to serve him not in our own strength but by his enabling power. By doing the will of God we will be doing what is ultimately best for us.

As the apostle Paul writes to the church in Corinth concerning the wisdom of God, and to the church in Rome concerning the bondage of sin, we are told of one who is able to release us from that sin. Rather than the foolishness of men, God uses his Holy Spirit in the salvation of his people.

For God the Holy Spirit inspires the Scriptures. Only God knows the mind of God. Through the Scriptures, we can know the will of God. Any serious look into the Scriptures will reveal a canon which, although inspired by God through 40 different men over a period of around 1500 years, is consistent throughout.

Yet, even with the Scriptures and the weight of evidence in their favour, our minds resist God’s will. Our sinful natures are enslaved by that sin and are constrained to go against God’s will. The Spirit illuminates our minds that we may turn to God. If any of us have already turned to God, it is not because we are any smarter than others, or any other reason within ourselves, but because of the Spirit working in us. However, once the Spirit enables us to turn to God, we will turn to God freely.

He changes us from within, for only with a changed heart can we truly do the will of God. He will sanctify us, slowly conforming us to the image of God the Son, slowly being made holy. We will desire to know God’s will and will want to carry it out, he reveals the will of God through his word. He enables us to understand and in so doing, be able to glorify our Creator.

As Jesus taught in Trans-Jordan, some Pharisees thought they’d trap him with a burning issue of the day. Two rabbinical schools of thought on the grounds for divorce vied for popularity. Surely Jesus would take a side and become entrapped.

Jesus saw beyond the facade, and instead addressed the real question, which neither school of thought really addressed.

“It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law,” Jesus replied.

Instead of only touching the surface of the laws concerning divorce, he addressed the heart of the problem – the human heart. He diagnosed that the human heart was sinful and needed fixing, but we ourselves are not capable of fixing it. However, Jesus is not only a great teacher, but he is the great physician and saviour. He is able to fix the human heart, to renew it, to restore it that it can be in right relationship with God. He can soften the heart which has hardened.

For Jesus goes back to the beginning as his basis for marriage. How God had instituted it before sin entered the world. This was to be an exclusive, lifelong, intimate relationship between and man and a woman.

The divorce laws were not to be used as a first resort, but as a last resort. All efforts must be made to nurture a loving relationship. However, even as Christians, our hearts are still imperfect, then the relationship might be beyond repair. It may be that one party is so hardened as to be abusive, or failing in their basic duty to care for their family.

Whilst the bible presents God’s ideals, it is also realistic and shows how we should handle others. For we are not to stand in judgement over others, that is the preserve of God alone. Instead, we are to show others what God word says is the best way to live, but to realise that even we fail to live according to God’s word and that there is remedy to our sinful state, the source of our failing.

This chapter of the book of Proverbs starts with words of caution from a mother to her son. Words of caution concerning his relationships with women and finding a mate, that he choose wisely and carefully. The Proverbs in general speak much of friendships, and how one should choose friends carefully, based more on character rather than appearance or personality. How much more are these wise words applicable to marriage, which should be one of the closest, and long lasting, human relationships. To this end, verse 10 starts with

A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Pr 31:10

Wise men and women are hard to find, for whilst wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord, it doesn’t end there. This doesn’t mean men should hold out for the perfect woman, for if one ever turns up, she’ll be looking for the perfect man.

A husband and wife are to complement each other, such that the union between them can glorify God more than they can as individuals. The biblical view of men and women is that they are created equal, but with different strengths and weaknesses. This is not to say that the traditional view of the roles of a husband and wife are necessarily the same as the biblical view. Only a cursory glance through the chapter reveals a woman who is business orientated, buying and selling not just food and clothing, but invests in property without the interference of her husband. Her husband has full confidence in her abilities. Of course, such a woman has married a man who is respected for his counsel and wisdom.

This husband is not boorish, but praises his wife. He considers her abilities. He encourages her in her strengths and, as mentioned previously, has full confidence in her abilities.

Finally, they are committed to each other, for life. Elsewhere, the Proverbs exhorts men to remain faithful to the wife of their youth. The apostle Paul reminds men they are to love their wives, as Christ loves the church. The church made up of sinful men and women who don’t deserve their Saviour. Yet Christ gave up his life for the church.

As we go through the Christian life, we very often find it difficult to tell others about Jesus Christ. Christians throughout the ages have had this problem, and it is this problem which caused Paul to write to Timothy.

Paul used his how much more reasoning with Timothy. After all, if God was willing to save us sinners from sin, and not only that but to change us from within, how much more would he enable us to tell others the good news?

This is not to say we won’t undergo suffering for the gospel, but the Spirit within us enables us out of a love for our fellow man to tell others of the salvation from sin available through Jesus Christ.

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. Rom 1:16

It is even more striking when you think that, unlike today in the West, where the most we might suffer is a little mockery or a slightly damaged ego, compared within the Roman Empire where Timothy would likely be risking imprisonment, possibly even death. Again, Paul uses the much more than argument – Christ had defeated death, so what are we to be afraid of?

This is not to say we are to be foolish in our sharing of the gospel, but that we take every opportunity when we can.

I must admit, when the preacher posed the question, “Who is Gomer?” I had to think for a bit before turning to the minor prophets. It can be far too easy to take God’s salvation through his Son too lightly. Looking at the story of Hosea, helps one regain a proper perspective on what God has done. For Hosea was a prophet, a man of God, but was told to marry an adulterous woman, Gomer. Just the thought of a godly man contemplating such a thing, yet alone being asked by God to do it. Even after the marriage, Gomer continues in her adulterous ways, bearing children who Hosea cannot be certain are his.
Despite all this, God asks Hosea to remain faithful to her, to even go and redeem her with his own money when she is in trouble, but not to treat her as his property, but as his wife.

This great display of faithfulness, patience and love is a picture of how God treated his people, the nation of Israel, and today is a picture of how he treats us. If we are his people, through faith in his Son, we are Gomer. Even though we have sinned against him, worshipped other things besides him, yet he offers us reconciliation. He has paid the price, through the sacrifice of his Son on the cross, that we might be redeemed, not to be treated as his slaves, but as his children.

How long will we test his faithfulness, his patience, his love?

As the Jesus and his disciples travelled to Capernaum, Mark paints us an interesting picture of the disciples bickering as they followed their Master. No doubt, Jesus was in front, and like children, the disciples are jostling for the best position as they vie for the top spot right behind Jesus.

Jesus had spotted this and so asked them what they were bickering about when they reached Capernaum. They didn’t respond, so he sat them down and explained that in his eyes, being first was different from how the world defines being first. The world pays attention to those with money, those with large militaries behind them, those who have influential friends. You can imagine the disciples arguing amongst themselves, Andrew claiming primacy because he was called first, Peter because Jesus had given him the keys to the kingdom, John because he was the closest and maybe even Judas as he held the purse strings.

Jesus turned the world’s ideas of importance on its head. He told his disciples that the greatest must be the least, that the one who serves would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus goes straight to the heart of the human condition. As people, we want to be important, to be powerful, to be selfish, to be God, this is the nature of our rebellion against the one true God. We would have to turn from our sin if we were to live a life of service to God. If Jesus had left it at that, we would be doomed, for in our own strength we cannot overcome our sinful nature.

Jesus not only tells us what we should be, but shows us. Though he is God, he humbles himself to become a man, to serve. His primary mission is not to teach us how we can please God, but to enable us to please God through his sacrifice on the cross. For by his sacrifice, we can be justified through faith in him. When we are justified, he sends his Spirit to dwell in us, to change us from within, enabling us to serve him.

As Jesus came down from the mountain and approached the rest of the disciples, he was confronted with unbelief of differing degrees.

Firstly there were the teachers of the Law who didn’t believe Jesus was the Messiah, and opposed him and his followers where they could.

Secondly were the disciples who failed to use the powers they had been given to heal the boy.

Finally there was the man who had brought his son to be healed. It would seem he had a hint of faith, as he had brought his son to be healed, but his conversation with Jesus showed what faith he had.

Jesus’ initial response to all three groups was to berate them for their unbelief. He then focuses in on the man and his son. He chides the man for questioning his ability to heal.

“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.” Mk 9:23

At this the man asks Jesus to increase his faith. Jesus, upon assessing the situation then heals the boy demonstrating the ability he had to the man, showing the man that his faith was well-founded.

As we go through life, we can be like one of the three types of believer. We can fail to recognise Jesus as our Saviour, and even seek to oppose him and his followers.

We can be like his disciples who have some faith, but fail to use the abilities he gives us to do his will. If this is the case we need to spend more time in prayer, that our knowledge of him might grow, and so might our faith.

For this is what the man who brought his son had asked. Even though our faith may be small, we can ask that our faith might be increased. Though we may doubt the abilities of Jesus, through his Spirit our faith will grow.

As two of Jesus’ followers walked to Emmaus after the Passover, there was an air of disappointment among them. Their messiah had been crucified and as far as they could tell, it was over. They found it incredible that the stranger who joined them had not heard of the events which had happened in the past week in Jerusalem.

They had discussed the events in depth before the stranger had come along, and now they explained their discussion to their new travelling companion. As they went along, the discussion changed from them explaining events, to their companion explaining the reason for the events from the scriptures they knew so well. He called them foolish and explained why their Messiah had been crucified.

Once they had reached their destination, they still did not know the identity of the stranger. They urged the stranger to join them, instead of continuing to his destination as night was falling, and so he joined them. Only when he gave thanks for the bread and broke it did they realise this stranger was their Messiah, their Christ. At this revelation they rushed back to Jerusalem to tell the eleven disciples what had happened.

Much like Cleopas and his friend, we can travel through life with Jesus right beside us yet never realising. We may even call ourselves Christians, but not fully understand what Jesus Christ did on that first Good Friday. We may need to receive a dose of humility, it may be uncomfortable as our attitudes and thinking are corrected from the scriptures. However, once the truth is revealed to us and we receive it by faith, we’ll not be able to keep this good news to ourselves, but will want to tell the world.