08/11/12 - Jeremiah 4 - 6

S - Jeremiah 4: 1 - 4  "If you return, O Israel, declares the Lord, to me you should return.  If you remove your detestable things from my presence, and do not waver,  2 and if you swear, 'As the Lord lives,' in truth, in justice, and in righteousness, then nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory."  3 For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: "Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.  4 Circumcise yourselves to the Lord; remove the foreskin of your hearts, O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn with none to quench it. because of the evil of your deeds."

O - My child whom I love, today I want to tell you . . . remove your detestable things from my presence.  All of those things that cause you to not totally trust in me need to be done away with.  That attitude of "I can't", that feeling of "I am better than . . .", those impure thoughts, the times when you do not trust in me enough to call on me for help in making a decision or getting out of a tough spot.  All of these things are not of me, they are put in your mind to take it off of me.  Get rid of this stuff and put your total trust in me and my ability to carry you through all of the tough times that you will go through.  I want your total devotion!  I have so much that I want to do through you that you will never believe it. Just remember that I am doing it, not you.  As soon as you begin to take the glory for any of the things that happen, I can no longer use you.

A - I can't wait to see what kind of things the Lord is going to do through me this school year.  I want to put total trust in him and rely on his strength to guide me through the tough times.  I must humble myself before the Lord and say as Paul did, "This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God." (1 Corinthians 4:1)  I am just a servant of the one true, living God.  My goal in life is to serve him and work to grow his kingdom and increase the numbers in his family.

P - Heavenly Father, forgive me for the times when my thoughts and actions do not glorify you.  Forgive me for the times when I take credit for the things that you are doing through me.  give me the strength of Samson, the courage, boldness, and daring of Daniel, and the humility of Paul.  Help me to turn all glory to you.  As I begin this school year, I pray that you will also give me the love that only you can give so I can love my students the way you do.