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: Saturday, August 15, 2009 9:14 AM Subject: Daily Bible Reading For Saturday August 15 > Day 227 > > Jeremiah 13-15 (The Message) > > Jeremiah 13 > People Who Do Only What They Want to Do > 1-2 God told me, "Go and buy yourself some linen shorts. Put them on and > keep them on. Don't even > take them off to wash them." So I bought the shorts as God directed and > put them on. 3-5Then God > told me, "Take the shorts that you bought and go straight to Perath and > hide them there in a crack > in the rock." So I did what God told me and hid them at Perath. > 6-7Next, after quite a long time, God told me, "Go back to Perath and get > the linen shorts I told > you to hide there." So I went back to Perath and dug them out of the place > where I had hidden them. > The shorts by then had rotted and were worthless. > > 8-11God explained, "This is the way I am going to ruin the pride of Judah > and the great pride of > Jerusalem-a wicked bunch of people who won't obey me, who do only what > they want to do, who chase > after all kinds of no-gods and worship them. They're going to turn out as > rotten as these old > shorts. Just as shorts clothe and protect, so I kept the whole family of > Israel under my care"-God's > Decree-"so that everyone could see they were my people, a people I could > show off to the world and > be proud of. But they refused to do a thing I said. > > 12"And then tell them this, 'God's Message, personal from the God of > Israel: Every wine jug should > be full of wine.' > > "And they'll say, 'Of course. We know that. Every wine jug should be > full of wine!' > > 13-14"Then you'll say, 'This is what God says: Watch closely. I'm going to > fill every person who > lives in this country-the kings who rule from David's throne, the priests, > the prophets, the > citizens of Jerusalem-with wine that will make them drunk. And then I'll > smash them, smash the > wine-filled jugs-old and young alike. Nothing will stop me. Not an ounce > of pity or mercy or > compassion will slow me down. Every last drunken jug of them will be > smashed!'" > > The Light You Always Took for Granted > 15-17Then I said, Listen. Listen carefully: Don't stay stuck in your ways! > It's God's Message we're dealing with here. > Let your lives glow bright before God > before he turns out the lights, > Before you trip and fall > on the dark mountain paths. > The light you always took for granted will go out > and the world will turn black. > If you people won't listen, > I'll go off by myself and weep over you, > Weep because of your stubborn arrogance, > bitter, bitter tears, > Rivers of tears from my eyes, > because God's sheep will end up in exile. > 18-19Tell the king and the queen-mother, > "Come down off your high horses. > Your dazzling crowns > will tumble off your heads." > The villages in the Negev will be surrounded, > everyone trapped, > And Judah dragged off to exile, > the whole country dragged to oblivion. > > 20-22Look, look, Jerusalem! > Look at the enemies coming out of the north! > What will become of your flocks of people, > the beautiful flocks in your care? > How are you going to feel when the people > you've played up to, looked up to all these years > Now look down on you? You didn't expect this? > Surprise! The pain of a woman having a baby! > Do I hear you saying, > "What's going on here? Why me?" > The answer's simple: You're guilty, > hugely guilty. > Your guilt has your life endangered, > your guilt has you writhing in pain. > > 23Can an African change skin? > Can a leopard get rid of its spots? > So what are the odds on you doing good, > you who are so long-practiced in evil? > > 24-27"I'll blow these people away- > like wind-blown leaves. > You have it coming to you. > I've measured it out precisely." > God's Decree. > "It's because you forgot me > and embraced the Big Lie, > that so-called god Baal. > I'm the one who will rip off your clothes, > expose and shame you before the watching world. > Your obsessions with gods, gods, and more gods, > your goddess affairs, your god-adulteries. > Gods on the hills, gods in the fields- > every time I look you're off with another god. > O Jerusalem, what a sordid life! > Is there any hope for you!" > > Jeremiah 14 > Time and Again We've Betrayed God > 1-6 God's Message that came to Jeremiah regarding the drought: "Judah > weeps, > her cities mourn. > The people fall to the ground, moaning, > while sounds of Jerusalem's sobs rise up, up. > The rich people sent their servants for water. > They went to the cisterns, but the cisterns were dry. > They came back with empty buckets, > wringing their hands, shaking their heads. > All the farm work has stopped. > Not a drop of rain has fallen. > The farmers don't know what to do. > They wring their hands, they shake their heads. > Even the doe abandons her fawn in the field > because there is no grass- > Eyes glazed over, on her last legs, > nothing but skin and bones." > 7-9We know we're guilty. We've lived bad lives- > but do something, God. Do it for your sake! > Time and time again we've betrayed you. > No doubt about it-we've sinned against you. > Hope of Israel! Our only hope! > Israel's last chance in this trouble! > Why are you acting like a tourist, > taking in the sights, here today and gone tomorrow? > Why do you just stand there and stare, > like someone who doesn't know what to do in a crisis? > But God, you are, in fact, here, here with us! > You know who we are-you named us! > Don't leave us in the lurch. > > 10Then God said of these people: "Since they loved to wander this way and > that, > never giving a thought to where they were going, > I will now have nothing more to do with them- > except to note their guilt and punish their sins." > > The Killing Fields > 11-12God said to me, "Don't pray that everything will turn out all right > for this people. When they > skip their meals in order to pray, I won't listen to a thing they say. > When they redouble their > prayers, bringing all kinds of offerings from their herds and crops, I'll > not accept them. I'm > finishing them off with war and famine and disease." > 13I said, "But Master, God! Their preachers have been telling them that > everything is going to be > all right-no war and no famine-that there's nothing to worry about." > > 14Then God said, "These preachers are liars, and they use my name to cover > their lies. I never sent > them, I never commanded them, and I don't talk with them. The sermons > they've been handing out are > sheer illusion, tissues of lies, whistlings in the dark. > > 15-16"So this is my verdict on them: All the preachers who preach using my > name as their text, > preachers I never sent in the first place, preachers who say, 'War and > famine will never come > here'-these preachers will die in war and by starvation. And the people to > whom they've been > preaching will end up as corpses, victims of war and starvation, thrown > out in the streets of > Jerusalem unburied-no funerals for them or their wives or their children! > I'll make sure they get > the full brunt of all their evil. > > 17-18"And you, Jeremiah, will say this to them: > > "'My eyes pour out tears. > Day and night, the tears never quit. > My dear, dear people are battered and bruised, > hopelessly and cruelly wounded. > I walk out into the fields, > shocked by the killing fields strewn with corpses. > I walk into the city, > shocked by the sight of starving bodies. > And I watch the preachers and priests > going about their business as if nothing's happened!'" > > 19-22God, have you said your final No to Judah? > Can you simply not stand Zion any longer? > If not, why have you treated us like this, > beaten us nearly to death? > We hoped for peace- > nothing good came from it; > We looked for healing- > and got kicked in the stomach. > We admit, O God, how badly we've lived, > and our ancestors, how bad they were. > We've sinned, they've sinned, > we've all sinned against you! > Your reputation is at stake! Don't quit on us! > Don't walk out and abandon your glorious Temple! > Remember your covenant. > Don't break faith with us! > Can the no-gods of the godless nations cause rain? > Can the sky water the earth by itself? > You're the one, O God, who does this. > So you're the one for whom we wait. > You made it all, > you do it all. > > Jeremiah 15 > 1-2 Then God said to me: "Jeremiah, even if Moses and Samuel stood here > and made their case, I > wouldn't feel a thing for this people. Get them out of here. Tell them to > get lost! And if they ask > you, 'So where do we go?' tell them God says, > "'If you're assigned to die, go and die; > if assigned to war, go and get killed; > If assigned to starve, go starve; > if assigned to exile, off to exile you go!' > > 3-4"I've arranged for four kinds of punishment: death in battle, the > corpses dropped off by killer > dogs, the rest picked clean by vultures, the bones gnawed by hyenas. > They'll be a sight to see, a > sight to shock the whole world-and all because of Manasseh son of Hezekiah > and all he did in > Jerusalem. > > 5"Who do you think will feel sorry for you, Jerusalem? > Who do you think will waste tears on you? > Who will bother to take the time to ask, > 'So, how are things going?' > > 6-9"You left me, remember?" God's Decree. > "You turned your back and walked out. > So I will grab you and hit you hard. > I'm tired of letting you off the hook. > I threw you to the four winds > and let the winds scatter you like leaves. > I made sure you'll lose everything, > since nothing makes you change. > I created more widows among you > than grains of sand on the ocean beaches. > At noon mothers will get the news > of their sons killed in action. > Sudden anguish for the mothers- > all those terrible deaths. > A mother of seven falls to the ground, > gasping for breath, > Robbed of her children in their prime. > Her sun sets at high noon! > Then I'll round up any of you that are left alive > and see that you're killed by your enemies." > God's Decree. > > Giving Everything Away for Nothing > 10-11Unlucky mother-that you had me as a son, > given the unhappy job of indicting the whole country! > I've never hurt or harmed a soul, > and yet everyone is out to get me. > But, God knows, I've done everything I could to help them, > prayed for them and against their enemies. > I've always been on their side, trying to stave off disaster. > God knows how I've tried! > 12-14"O Israel, O Judah, what are your chances > against the iron juggernaut from the north? > In punishment for your sins, I'm giving away > everything you've got, giving it away for nothing. > I'll make you slaves to your enemies > in a strange and far-off land. > My anger is blazing and fierce, > burning in hot judgment against you." > > 15-18You know where I am, God! Remember what I'm doing here! > Take my side against my detractors. > Don't stand back while they ruin me. > Just look at the abuse I'm taking! > When your words showed up, I ate them- > swallowed them whole. What a feast! > What delight I took in being yours, > O God, God-of-the-Angel-Armies! > I never joined the party crowd > in their laughter and their fun. > Led by you, I went off by myself. > You'd filled me with indignation. Their sin had me seething. > But why, why this chronic pain, > this ever worsening wound and no healing in sight? > You're nothing, God, but a mirage, > a lovely oasis in the distance-and then nothing! > > 19-21This is how God answered me: > > "Take back those words, and I'll take you back. > Then you'll stand tall before me. > Use words truly and well. Don't stoop to cheap whining. > Then, but only then, you'll speak for me. > Let your words change them. > Don't change your words to suit them. > I'll turn you into a steel wall, > a thick steel wall, impregnable. > They'll attack you but won't put a dent in you > because I'm at your side, defending and delivering." > God's Decree. > "I'll deliver you from the grip of the wicked. > I'll get you out of the clutch of the ruthless." > > > > > > > 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. 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