Text by Wilbert Lirag
Read:
Jeremiah 3:12-15, NASB
12 Go and proclaim these words toward the north and say,
‘Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the Lord;
‘I will not look at you in anger.
For I am gracious,’ declares the Lord;
‘I will not be angry forever.
13 Only acknowledge your wrongdoing,
That you have revolted against the Lord your God,
And have scattered your favors to the strangers under every leafy tree,
And you have not obeyed My voice,’ declares the Lord.
14 ‘Return, you faithless sons,’ declares the Lord;
‘For I am a master to you,
And I will take you, one from a city and two from a family,
And bring you to Zion.’
“Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you knowledge and understanding.
Reflect:
As we look back on life, we may find there were moments when we lived without God’s guidance.
We may also identify a time when we were ignorant of a loving and gracious Lord and Savior.
How about a season when we tried to figure out how to live our life apart from God?
Or what about disobeying His voice and instructions for us?
Jeremiah 3:12-14 describes the belief, values, and behavior of Israel. This also reminds us of our perspective on our previous life. During this time we were faithless, rebellious, unfaithful, and disobedient. We had lived in ignorance and stubbornness doing what we knew was right.
Along the way, we realized there is more to life. We came to our senses and decided to repent from our sins. Someone was there to help us to return to following the Lord. Oftentimes, some people guided us to love and follow the Lord.
The verse Jeremiah 3:15 started with the word “Then”. We know that there is something that needs to happen when we use the word then. In this case, repentance needs to happen first. After that, God will give us shepherds after His own heart. They will feed us with knowledge and understanding.
God had in mind gifts prepared after our repentance. He made sure that His gifts will reflect what is in His heart and His intentions. He handpicked gifts for us so we can continue to live in freedom and walk in victory as His sons and daughters. He made sure that after our repentance, shepherds will take care of us.
They cure our ignorance and misunderstanding of His laws and promises. They are valuable and essential to counter any form of crisis. This crisis can range from identity crisis to family crisis to health crisis and so on and so forth.
And we know these people. They walked with us when we were young. They taught and disciplined us as we grew. They celebrated our victories and cried with us during our losses. They fasted and prayed in secret. They bent knees countless times in prayer so we will experience and walk with Him more and more. They studied and expounded the Word of God many times to us. These things they did so we will know Him and seek His kingdom and His righteousness.
They work hard day and night to make sure every sheep entrusted to them will grow and mature.
Respond:
Understanding that our pastors are gifts from God, how do we value them? How do we protect and celebrate them? How do we encourage and comfort them? How do we pray and love them? How do we honor and walk alongside them?
Let us think about these questions. Let’s write the answers in a sticky note that we can put in front of a refrigerator to remind us of these actions. Pick one of the actions we noted and do it daily.
If there is any sin that we can identify in our life, now is the best time to repent.
Wilbert Lirag stays in Chiang Mai, Thailand together with his wife Rachel and their daughter Lanna. Right now, he works as a funnel builder and an email copywriter while helping an NGO in Chiang Mai with their online marketing. His love for the Word of God started when he received his first bible when he was freshman student in UPLB. As a lifelong learner, what excites him daily is to see God's words renew and transform his mind and other people.
AUTHOR: WILBERT LIRAG