O. Addison Gethers
e-mail address [email protected] [email protected] twitter URL http//:twitter.com/OAddisonGethers Messenger contact window live/msn messenger: [email protected] aim: durangoadd64 skype: cowboys62 yahoo messenger: OADDISONGETHERS rs ----- Original Message ----- From: "Donnie Parrett" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, August 10, 2009 9:17 PM Subject: Daily Bible Reading For Tuesday August 11 > Day 223 > > Jeremiah 1-3 (The Message) > > Jeremiah 1 > Demolish, and Then Start Over > 1-4 The Message of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah of the family of priests who > lived in Anathoth in the > country of Benjamin. God's Message began to come to him during the > thirteenth year that Josiah son > of Amos reigned over Judah. It continued to come to him during the time > Jehoiakim son of Josiah > reigned over Judah. And it continued to come to him clear down to the > fifth month of the eleventh > year of the reign of Zedekiah son of Josiah over Judah, the year that > Jerusalem was taken into > exile. This is what God said: > 5"Before I shaped you in the womb, > I knew all about you. > Before you saw the light of day, > I had holy plans for you: > A prophet to the nations- > that's what I had in mind for you." > > 6But I said, "Hold it, Master God! Look at me. > I don't know anything. I'm only a boy!" > > 7-8God told me, "Don't say, 'I'm only a boy.' > I'll tell you where to go and you'll go there. > I'll tell you what to say and you'll say it. > Don't be afraid of a soul. > I'll be right there, looking after you." > God's Decree. > > 9-10God reached out, touched my mouth, and said, > "Look! I've just put my words in your mouth-hand-delivered! > See what I've done? I've given you a job to do > among nations and governments-a red-letter day! > Your job is to pull up and tear down, > take apart and demolish, > And then start over, > building and planting." > > Stand Up and Say Your Piece > 11-12God's Message came to me: "What do you see, Jeremiah?" > I said, "A walking stick-that's all." > And God said, "Good eyes! I'm sticking with you. > I'll make every word I give you come true." > 13-15God's Message came again: "So what do you see now?" > I said, "I see a boiling pot, tipped down toward us." > Then God told me, "Disaster will pour out of the north > on everyone living in this land. > Watch for this: I'm calling all the kings out of the north." > God's Decree. > > 15-16"They'll come and set up headquarters > facing Jerusalem's gates, > Facing all the city walls, > facing all the villages of Judah. > I'll pronounce my judgment on the people of Judah > for walking out on me-what a terrible thing to do!- > And courting other gods with their offerings, > worshiping as gods sticks they'd carved, stones they'd painted. > > 17"But you-up on your feet and get dressed for work! > Stand up and say your piece. Say exactly what I tell you to say. > Don't pull your punches > or I'll pull you out of the lineup. > > 18-19"Stand at attention while I prepare you for your work. > I'm making you as impregnable as a castle, > Immovable as a steel post, > solid as a concrete block wall. > You're a one-man defense system > against this culture, > Against Judah's kings and princes, > against the priests and local leaders. > They'll fight you, but they won't > even scratch you. > I'll back you up every inch of the way." > God's Decree. > > Jeremiah 2 > Israel Was God's Holy Choice > 1-3 God's Message came to me. It went like this: "Get out in the streets > and call to Jerusalem, > 'God's Message! > I remember your youthful loyalty, > our love as newlyweds. > You stayed with me through the wilderness years, > stuck with me through all the hard places. > Israel was God's holy choice, > the pick of the crop. > Anyone who laid a hand on her > would soon wish he hadn't!'" > God's Decree. > 4-6Hear God's Message, House of Jacob! > Yes, you-House of Israel! > God's Message: "What did your ancestors find fault with in me > that they drifted so far from me, > Took up with Sir Windbag > and turned into windbags themselves? > > It never occurred to them to say, 'Where's God, > the God who got us out of Egypt, > Who took care of us through thick and thin, those rough-and-tumble > wilderness years of parched deserts and death valleys, > A land that no one who enters comes out of, > a cruel, inhospitable land?' > > 7-8"I brought you to a garden land > where you could eat lush fruit. > But you barged in and polluted my land, > trashed and defiled my dear land. > The priests never thought to ask, 'Where's God?' > The religion experts knew nothing of me. > The rulers defied me. > The prophets preached god Baal > And chased empty god-dreams and silly god-schemes. > > 9-11"Because of all this, I'm bringing charges against you" > -God's Decree- > "charging you and your children and your grandchildren. > Look around. Have you ever seen anything quite like this? > Sail to the western islands and look. > Travel to the Kedar wilderness and look. > Look closely. Has this ever happened before, > That a nation has traded in its gods > for gods that aren't even close to gods? > But my people have traded my Glory > for empty god-dreams and silly god-schemes. > > 12-13"Stand in shock, heavens, at what you see! > Throw up your hands in disbelief-this can't be!" > God's Decree. > "My people have committed a compound sin: > they've walked out on me, the fountain > Of fresh flowing waters, and then dug cisterns- > cisterns that leak, cisterns that are no better than sieves. > > 14-17"Isn't Israel a valued servant, > born into a family with place and position? > So how did she end up a piece of meat > fought over by snarling and roaring lions? > There's nothing left of her but a few old bones, > her towns trashed and deserted. > Egyptians from the cities of Memphis and Tahpanhes > have broken your skulls. > And why do you think all this has happened? > Isn't it because you walked out on your God > just as he was beginning to lead you in the right way? > > 18-19"And now, what do you think you'll get by going off to Egypt? > Maybe a cool drink of Nile River water? > Or what do you think you'll get by going off to Assyria? > Maybe a long drink of Euphrates River water? > Your evil ways will get you a sound thrashing, that's what you'll get. > You'll pay dearly for your disloyal ways. > Take a long, hard look at what you've done and its bitter results. > Was it worth it to have walked out on your God?" > God's Decree, Master God-of-the-Angel-Armies. > > Addicted to Alien Gods > 20-22"A long time ago you broke out of the harness. > You shook off all restraints. > You said, 'I will not serve!' > and off you went, > Visiting every sex-and-religion shrine on the way, > like a common whore. > You were a select vine when I planted you > from completely reliable stock. > And look how you've turned out- > a tangle of rancid growth, a poor excuse for a vine. > Scrub, using the strongest soaps. > Scour your skin raw. > The sin-grease won't come out. I can't stand to even look at you!" > God's Decree, the Master's Decree. > 23-24"How dare you tell me, 'I'm not stained by sin. > I've never chased after the Baal sex gods'! > Well, look at the tracks you've left behind in the valley. > How do you account for what is written in the desert dust- > Tracks of a camel in heat, running this way and that, > tracks of a wild donkey in rut, > Sniffing the wind for the slightest scent of sex. > Who could possibly corral her! > On the hunt for sex, sex, and more sex- > insatiable, indiscriminate, promiscuous. > > 25"Slow down. Take a deep breath. What's the hurry? > Why wear yourself out? Just what are you after anyway? > But you say, 'I can't help it. > I'm addicted to alien gods. I can't quit.' > > 26-28"Just as a thief is chagrined, but only when caught, > so the people of Israel are chagrined, > Caught along with their kings and princes, > their priests and prophets. > They walk up to a tree and say, 'My father!' > They pick up a stone and say, 'My mother! You bore me!' > All I ever see of them is their backsides. > They never look me in the face. > But when things go badly, they don't hesitate to come running, > calling out, 'Get a move on! Save us!' > Why not go to your handcrafted gods you're so fond of? > Rouse them. Let them save you from your bad times. > You've got more gods, Judah, > than you know what to do with. > > Trying Out Another Sin-Project > 29-30"What do you have against me, > running off to assert your 'independence'?" > God's Decree. > "I've wasted my time trying to train your children. > They've paid no attention to me, ignored my discipline. > And you've gotten rid of your God-messengers, > treating them like dirt and sweeping them away. > 31-32"What a generation you turned out to be! > Didn't I tell you? Didn't I warn you? > Have I let you down, Israel? > Am I nothing but a dead-end street? > Why do my people say, 'Good riddance! > From now on we're on our own'? > Young women don't forget their jewelry, do they? > Brides don't show up without their veils, do they? > But my people forget me. > Day after day after day they never give me a thought. > > 33-35"What an impressive start you made > to get the most out of life. > You founded schools of sin, > taught graduate courses in evil! > And now you're sending out graduates, resplendent in cap and gown- > except the gowns are stained with the blood of your victims! > All that blood convicts you. > You cut and hurt a lot of people to get where you are. > And yet you have the gall to say, 'I've done nothing wrong. > God doesn't mind. He hasn't punished me, has he?' > Don't look now, but judgment's on the way, > aimed at you who say, 'I've done nothing wrong.' > > 36-37"You think it's just a small thing, don't you, > to try out another sin-project when the first one fails? > But Egypt will leave you in the lurch > the same way that Assyria did. > You're going to walk away from there > wringing your hands. > I, God, have blacklisted those you trusted. > You'll get not a lick of help from them." > > Jeremiah 3 > Your Sex-and-Religion Obsessions > 1 God's Message came to me as follows: "If a man's wife > walks out on him > And marries another man, > can he take her back as if nothing had happened? > Wouldn't that raise a huge stink > in the land? > And isn't that what you've done- > 'whored' your way with god after god? > And now you want to come back as if nothing had happened." > God's Decree. > 2-5"Look around at the hills. > Where have you not had sex? > You've camped out like hunters stalking deer. > You've solicited many lover-gods, > Like a streetwalking whore > chasing after other gods. > And so the rain has stopped. > No more rain from the skies! > But it doesn't even faze you. Brazen as whores, > you carry on as if you've done nothing wrong. > Then you have the nerve to call out, 'My father! > You took care of me when I was a child. Why not now? > Are you going to keep up your anger nonstop?' > That's your line. Meanwhile you keep sinning nonstop." > > Admit Your God-Defiance > 6-10God spoke to me during the reign of King Josiah: "You have noticed, > haven't you, how fickle > Israel has visited every hill and grove of trees as a whore at large? I > assumed that after she had > gotten it out of her system, she'd come back, but she didn't. Her flighty > sister, Judah, saw what > she did. She also saw that because of fickle Israel's loose morals I threw > her out, gave her her > walking papers. But that didn't faze flighty sister Judah. She went out, > big as you please, and took > up a whore's life also. She took up cheap sex-and-religion as a sideline > diversion, an indulgent > recreation, and used anything and anyone, flouting sanity and sanctity > alike, stinking up the > country. And not once in all this did flighty sister Judah even give me a > nod, although she made a > show of it from time to time." God's Decree. > 11-12Then God told me, "Fickle Israel was a good sight better than flighty > Judah. Go and preach > this message. Face north toward Israel and say: > > 12-15"'Turn back, fickle Israel. > I'm not just hanging back to punish you. > I'm committed in love to you. > My anger doesn't seethe nonstop. > Just admit your guilt. > Admit your God-defiance. > Admit to your promiscuous life with casual partners, > pulling strangers into the sex-and-religion groves > While turning a deaf ear to me.'" > God's Decree. > "Come back, wandering children!" > God's Decree. > "I, yes I, am your true husband. > I'll pick you out one by one- > This one from the city, these two from the country- > and bring you to Zion. > I'll give you good shepherd-rulers who rule my way, > who rule you with intelligence and wisdom. > > 16"And this is what will happen: You will increase and prosper in the > land. The time will > come"-God's Decree!-"when no one will say any longer, 'Oh, for the good > old days! Remember the Ark > of the Covenant?' It won't even occur to anyone to say it-'the good old > days.' The so-called good > old days of the Ark are gone for good. > > 17"Jerusalem will be the new Ark-'God's Throne.' All the godless nations, > no longer stuck in the > ruts of their evil ways, will gather there to honor God. > > 18"At that time, the House of Judah will join up with the House of Israel. > Holding hands, they'll > leave the north country and come to the land I willed to your ancestors. > > 19-20"I planned what I'd say if you returned to me: > 'Good! I'll bring you back into the family. > I'll give you choice land, > land that the godless nations would die for.' > And I imagined that you would say, 'Dear father!' > and would never again go off and leave me. > But no luck. Like a false-hearted woman walking out on her husband, > you, the whole family of Israel, have proven false to me." > God's Decree. > > 21-22The sound of voices comes drifting out of the hills, > the unhappy sound of Israel's crying, > Israel lamenting the wasted years, > never once giving her God a thought. > "Come back, wandering children! > I can heal your wanderlust!" > > 22-25"We're here! We've come back to you. > You're our own true God! > All that popular religion was a cheap lie, > duped crowds buying up the latest in gods. > We're back! Back to our true God, > the salvation of Israel. > The Fraud picked us clean, swindled us > of what our ancestors bequeathed us, > Gypped us out of our inheritance- > God-blessed flocks and God-given children. > We made our bed and now lie in it, > all tangled up in the dirty sheets of dishonor. > All because we sinned against our God, > we and our fathers and mothers. > From the time we took our first steps, said our first words, > we've been rebels, disobeying the voice of our God." > > > > > > > Please join us on Skype Monday thru Friday at 8:00 EST for our Morning > Skype Prayer Time. > > > Contact Me At: > Donnie Parrett > 1956 Asa Flat Road > Annville, Kentucky 40402 > Home Phone: 606-364-3321 > Church Phone: 606-364-PRAY > Skype Name: Donnie1261 > Email: [email protected] > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Deaf-Blind Inspirational Life Group" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/DBILG?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
