“If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, Then how can you contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, In which you trusted, they wearied you, Then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan? Jeremiah 12:5

 

*There is a memorable passage concerning Jeremiah’s life when, worn down by the opposition and absorbed in self-pity. He was ready to abandon his unique calling in God and settle for being a Jerusalem statistic. At that critical moment he heard the reprimand: “So, Jeremiah, if you’re worn out in this footrace with men, what makes you think you can race against horses? And if you can’t keep your wits during times of calm, what’s going to happen when troubles break loose like the Jordan in flood?” (Jer 12:5). 

Biochemist Erwin Chargaff updates the questions: “What do you want to achieve? Greater riches? Cheaper chicken? A happier life, a longer life? Is it power over your neighbors that you are after? 

Are you seeking greater wisdom, deeper piety?”Are you going to quit at the first wave of opposition? Are you going to retreat when you find that there is more to life than finding three meals a day and a dry place to sleep at night? Are you going to run home the minute you find that the mass of men and women are more interested in keeping their feet warm than in living at risk to the glory of God? Are you going to live cautiously or courageously? 

I called you to live at your best, to pursue righteousness, to sustain a drive toward excellence. It is easier to relax in the embracing arms of The Average. Easier, but not better. Easier, but not more significant. Easier, but not more fulfilling. I called you to a life of purpose far beyond what you think yourself capable of living and promised you adequate strength to fulfill your destiny.

If you are fatigued by this run-of-the-mill crowd of apathetic mediocrities, what will you do when the real race starts, the race with the swift and determined horses of excellence? What is it you really want, Jeremiah? Do you want to shuffle along with this crowd, or run with the horses? It is understandable that there are retreats from excellence, withdrawals from faith. It is easier to define oneself minimally  and live securely within that definition than to be defined maximally and live adventurously in that reality. 

It is unlikely, I think, that Jeremiah was spontaneous or quick in his reply to God’s question. He weighed the options. He counted the cost. He tossed and turned in hesitation. 

The response when it came was not verbal but biographical. His life became his answer, “I’ll run with the horses.”

And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. Luke 14:27 

*selected.. Run with horses

But God who is rich in mercy, for His great love, Wherewith He loved us....... Ephesians 2:4

 

**There are two words in the Bible that give us hanging-on power: But God…! These two words constitute one of the greatest phrases in the Bible, and they occur in some of our favorite passages. We’ll be reading along in the Bible and come to the record of something difficult. There was a problem; there was a danger or distress. Then we see the words, BUT GOD…. But God had an answer. But God stepped into the picture. But God issued a promise. But God came.

Joseph told his brothers in Egypt: “You meant evil against me; BUT GOD meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20). The psalmist said: “My flesh and my heart fail; BUT GOD is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:26). During a national crisis, King Jehoshaphat was told: “The battle is not yours, BUT GOD’s” (2 Chronicles 20:15).

The Bible says, “They took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb. BUT GOD raised Him from the dead” (Acts 13:29-30). Romans 5:8 says, “BUT GOD demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.”

One of our biggest problems is Reversed Clause Syndrome. We say, “God is great, but I have a terrible problem. God is good, but I have troubles.” We should reverse the sentence and say, “I have a terrible problem, but God is great, and He will lead me through it. I have troubles, but God is good, and He will work it out for my benefit.”

In 2 Corinthians 7, this phrase BUT GOD occurs in a significant way. The apostle Paul described an agonizing moment of discouragement that swept over him, saying, “For indeed, when we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were troubled on every side. Outside were conflicts, inside were fears” (2 Corinthians 7:5). The pressures of life had troubled Paul to the point of interrupting his ministry and putting a damper on his preaching: “When I came to Troas to preach Christ’s Gospel, and a door was opened to me by the Lord, I had no rest in my spirit… taking my leave of them, I departed…” (2 Corinthians 2:12-13).

“We were troubled on every side,” he explained. “Outside were conflicts, inside were fears. BUT GOD, who comforts the downcast, comforted us…” (2 Corinthians 7:5-6, NIV).

The passage says: “BUT GOD, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not only by His coming but also by the comfort you had given him” (2 Corinthians 7:6-7, NIV).

Are you facing a problem today?... But God..!!!!!! 

**selected.. David Jeremiah

The Bible and Car Key

 

*A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer’s showroom, and knowing that his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted.

As Graduation Day approached the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car for him. Finally on the day he was to graduate his father called him into his private study, told him how proud he was to have such a fine son and how much he loved him. He then handed him a beautifully wrapped gift box.

Curious, but somewhat disappointed the young man opened the box and found a lovely leather bound Bible with his name embossed on it in gold. He was angry so he raised his voice to his father and said, "With all of your money you give me a Bible rather than the sports car I wanted.” He then stormed out of the house leaving the Bible behind.

Many years passed and the young man was very successful in the business he went in. He had a beautiful home and a wonderful family but realized when he thought about his father that he was very old. He then decided that perhaps he should go to see him because he had not seen him since that graduation day.

However, before he could make arrangements to go he received a phone call from a funeral home director telling him that his father had passed away and had willed all of his possessions to him. He was told that he needed to come home immediately and take care of things.

When the son arrived at his father’s house sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father’s important documents and saw the Bible his father had given him for graduation. The Bible looked new just as it was years ago when he was given it.

With tears in his eyes he opened the Bible and began to turn through the pages. His father had carefully underlined a verse which was Matthew 7:11 which reads, "And if ye being evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more shall your Heavenly Father which is in Heaven give to those who ask Him.”

As the son read those words a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag on it with the car dealer’s name, the same dealer who had the sports car that he wanted so badly for his college graduation. On the tag was the date of his graduation and the words written in large print "PAID IN FULL.”

“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! Matthew 7:9‭-‬11 

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Ephesians 1:3 

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