Then said the Lord to me, You have seen well, for I am alert and active, watching over My word to perform it. (Jeremiah 1:12 AMP)
Jeremiah was ordained by God before the foundation of the world to be a prophet to the nation of Israel. He was given the difficult task of telling them that because of their forsaking of God and embracing the gods of the pagan nations, judgment was coming. God told Jeremiah to not be afraid of their faces. In other words, he was not to be intimidated by their obvious anger and displeasure towards him. After all, he probably would hear more than once the remark, ” and who are you to judge us?” No doubt they would point out to Jeremiah his own easily besetting sins, for we know that the only sinless and perfect instrument of God on earth was The Lord Jesus Christ.
What was true of Jeremiah is true for every child of God. We are called to be witnesses of Jesus Christ in a fallen world. We are called to have beautiful feet that shares the gospel wherever we go. We are called to bear witness of the truth of God’s Word. We are living in times that parallel the days of Jeremiah. We are a nation that as a whole has forsaken the worship of The One True and Living God. We are a nation that has forsaken walking in the ways of God and have chosen to worship the gods of mammon, sexual pleasure and immorality, self-love that has become obsessed with food and exercise way beyond it’s normal usage. When taking opposition to those things, one becomes the object of ridicule and scorn. Name-calling like “hater” or “self righteous” are spewed out, along with a list of your easily besetting sins (oh if they only knew me like God knows me!).
Beloved, there is judgment coming to the person and nation that chooses to reject Jesus Christ, ignore His Word and follow their own imaginations and thoughts. Do not be intimidated by their face,s beloved. You are never wrong when you speak God’s truth with the love of Christ and genuine compassion and care for their souls. The nation of Israel soon found that what Jeremiah said was true. The people that you share the gospel with or the truths of Scripture will one day see that what you have spoken is true.
May He use your life and your lips as a faithful vessel to declare His Word today to a people who have lost their way. It is never easy to stand for Jesus in an ungodly world. But what other option do you have?
Mark 8:38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
