Old Testament reading: Jeremiah 39-41
“For the Lord of Hosts has purposed it, and who shall annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?” (Isa 14:27). This truth is manifest in Jeremiah 39:1-2. Despite the lies of the princes of Judah and their persecution of Jeremiah for speaking against the city, and Jeremiah’s pleas to the king to save himself, his family and the city of Jerusalem, the city wall was breached and the city itself destroyed… Just like God said. In an unspeakable act of cruelty, Nebuchadnezzar killed Zedekiah’s sons before his very eyes, then put out his eyes in order for that to be the final image he would ever see. Conversely, Jeremiah was protected by Nebuchadnezzar and guaranteed provision by the captain of the guard. Jeremiah chose to stay with Gedaliah, whom Nebuchadnezzar appointed as governor over the remnant of the poor who had been left behind in Jerusalem by the Chaldeans. Gedaliah would soon be murdered in an insurrection prompted by the Ammonites.
New Testament reading: Luke 12-13
Our thoughts on this text have centered on vices and virtues — vices in the form of covetousness (Day 26) and worry (Day 116), and the virtue of patience (Day 206). Today we balance those scales with the virtue of watchfulness, which is simply an expression for faithfulness. In Luke 12:35, Jesus tells us to have our waists girded and our lamps burning. In verse 36 He admonishes His disciples to be as a servant who is ready for his master’s return at all times, whether in the second or third watch (around midnight or 3 a.m.). We are reminded that the thief does not enter when men are on guard. In like fashion, Satan would love nothing more than for us to “forget” the return of our Lord, for in so doing we would forfeit our inheritance and our joy. Many Christians affirm the reality of the second coming, but because this old world has continued on for many years, they often conduct themselves in a way so as to say, “I know He’s coming, but He’s not coming back any time soon.” But Jesus says the master will return on a day when many of his servants are not looking for him, and in finding them unprepared, “will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.” Therefore be ready!
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