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Today is Thursday August 19, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Jeremiah, chapters 19-22. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-august-19

Today's Message: Importance of Words

Words are essential in life if we want to learn anything or communicate with someone, while anyone can use some kind of sign language to show what they are trying to say, you still need words to interpret what it is that they are implying. Did you ever wonder why words have so many different meanings? I think that is a question that no one can answer, but it can be confusing at times. When reading the Bible one can interpret a word for a different meaning and this is where many people think of God's Word to be contradicting or even worse, that God is not the forgiving, loving God that we as Christians know, but someone cruel and punishable. For this cause it is important that we read all of God's Word and not just bits and pieces of it. Jesus Said, “It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” - Luke 4:4. It is only by learning every Word of God that one can interpret the true meaning of the word. Of course, we will never know everything that God has to say, but as long as we keep reading and studying all of His Word we will be all the more wiser and knowledgeable in guarding ourselves against Satan's deception.

To prove my point, the word, “cause” is in the Bible 449 times, but it does not always have the same meaning. For instance, one meaning of the word is defined as a person or thing that acts, happens, or exists in such a way that some specific thing happens as a result. God sent Jeremiah to warn the people in Jerusalem that God's judgment was upon them and what to expect if they did not heed His warning. “Because they have forsaken me, and have estranged this place, and have burned incense in it unto other gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents; They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind: Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that this place shall no more be called Tophet, nor The valley of the son of Hinnom, but The valley of slaughter.” - Jeremiah 19:4-6. Tophet the place that these people offered human sacrifices to their gods. God is warning them that because they ignored Him and worshiped the false gods and burned their children for them that they were going to fall into the hands of their enemy and the result will be devastating.

Jeremiah continues and tells them what the result or cause would be because they refused to listen to the warnings given to them.“And I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place; and I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hands of them that seek their lives: and their carcases will I give to be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth. And I will make this city desolate, and an hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished and hiss because of all the plagues thereof. And I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they shall eat every one the flesh of his friend in the siege and straitness, wherewith their enemies, and they that seek their lives, shall straiten them.” - Jeremiah 19:7-9. Now, if we take the meaning of the word “cause” and apply it here, God is saying if the people do not listen to my warning to forsake the false gods the result will be a city so desolate that the surviving people will be eating other bodies in order to survive. Now, this is a prophecy of what is to come if they continued walking in their wicked ways and the result of what they were doing. This prophecy did come true and in order to know how this came about you would have had to read the Book of II Kings chapter 6 as this is explained in further detail, including how their sin caused the people to start eating the flesh of people that had already died. We tend to think that none of this applies to us, but the truth is, it does apply to us. God is warning every nation, if they do not heed His warnings to put away the false gods, they will suffer just as Jerusalem did.

Another meaning of the word “cause” is, to be the cause of or bring about, Jeremiah has another warning for the false priests and pastors who continue to deceive the people. “Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong; that useth his neighbour's service without wages, and giveth him not for his work; That saith, I will build me a wide house and large chambers, and cutteth him out windows; and it is cieled with cedar, and painted with vermilion....As I live, saith the LORD, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet upon my right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence; And I will give thee into the hand of them that seek thy life, and into the hand of them whose face thou fearest, even into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans. And I will cast thee out, and thy mother that bare thee, into another country, where ye were not born; and there shall ye die.” - Jeremiah 22:13,14,24-26. Now, if we take that meaning of the word “cause” and apply it here, God is saying, if they continue to deceive the people they will cause or bring about judgment not only to the people of Jerusalem, but they will be carried away and held captive by the Babylonians. This is also a prophecy and is more detailed in the Book of II Chronicles chapter 36. The same applies to us as well, God is warning the false priests, and pastors that they better stop deceive His people because they are going to suffer dearly for it.

Perhaps one of the most compelling meanings to the word “cause” would be defined as, a movement to which a person or group is dedicated. “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” - I Timothy 1:15-17. Now, if we take that meaning of the word “cause” and apply it here, this would be none other than the cause of Christ, in other words a person or group of people who are dedicated to live by faith, all of God's Word, and telling the Gospel to others. Those who believe in the cause of Christ have eternal life and will not only tell others about Him, but not be ashamed to show His belief. No matter what suffering they face.

The entire Bible is centered around One person and that is the Lord Jesus Christ, “These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” - Luke 24:44-47. It all started in Jerusalem, and carried on over through the nations and generations and here we are today. If we want to understand what God is trying to say we need to learn exactly which of the meanings of the word He is trying to tell us. The only way to even figure it out is to first call on Jesus, God's Word made in the flesh. Once we develop our relationship with Him, the Holy Spirit will explain things to us that we never realized. Then we can truly know what God is saying instead of assuming it because we happened to pick up the Bible and read some random chapter. That is why I do my studies from the first to the last book so people can see exactly what God is saying. Just imagine the blessings as well as the lessons we will learn a little each day as we keep forward in learning some of God's amazing mysteries. Praise God!

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

All Scripture is quoted from the King James Version.
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