Repent, Restore, Serve.

Jeremiah 15:15-21

¹⁵ LORD, you understand;
   remember me and care for me.
   Avenge me on my persecutors.
You are long-suffering—do not take me away;
   think of how I suffer reproach for your sake.
¹⁶ When your words came, I ate them;
   they were my joy and my heart’s delight,
for I bear your name,
   LORD God Almighty.
¹⁷ I never sat in the company of revelers,
   never made merry with them;
I sat alone because your hand was on me
   and you had filled me with indignation.

.. Jeremiah was proving himself to the Lord.  Not like the Lord didn’t know that already; but Jeremiah did it anyways.  He was providing the Lord proofs of what he did and he didn’t do as God’s prophet.  He was asking the Lord to avenge him from his enemies because he has been faithful to the Lord – vv. 16-17.

¹⁸ Why is my pain unending
   and my wound grievous and incurable?
You are to me like a deceptive brook,
   like a spring that fails.

.. But yet Jeremiah’s questions remain – why unending pain?  Why does it seem like nothing is changing, regardless of his faithfulness to the Lord.

 

¹⁹ Therefore this is what the LORD says:

   “If you repent, I will restore you
   that you may serve me;
if you utter worthy, not worthless, words,
   you will be my spokesman.
Let this people turn to you,
   but you must not turn to them.
²⁰ I will make you a wall to this people,
   a fortified wall of bronze;
they will fight against you
   but will not overcome you,
for I am with you
   to rescue and save you,”
            declares the LORD.
²¹ “I will save you from the hands of the wicked
   and deliver you from the grasp of the cruel.”

.. All that the Lord wanted from Jeremiah was to continually trust in Him; to not have to prove or provide reasoning of what He did – how faithful he was to God and what he did during the times of pain in obedience to the Lord.  Repenting means turn back up to what Jeremiah needed to be – to be trusting the Lord and stop focusing on what he (Jeremiah) did for the Lord.  Rather, to trust the Lord at all times.

 

// Principles:

It’s interesting to see that selfishness has a lot to do with why the Lord, perhaps, didn’t deliver Jeremiah as Jeremiah would’ve liked to see it before all his complaints to the Lord.  When we are too focused on “what we did for the Lord” and “Lord, we didn’t do as the world does…” we are actually taking our focus off of God’s perspective.  Remember, REPENTING = RESTORATION which leads to SERVICE.  WORTHLESS WORDS = SELFISH WORDS. 

Serving the Lord means repenting of our selfishness and allowing God to restore us to what we should be – selfless and having full of trust in God regardless of our situations. The Lord sees ‘em all, and we have nothing to worry about.

 

// Belle:

I’ve asked that similar question before, like what Jeremiah asked… but that question is selfish.  What I did in service for the Lord and how faithful I am with him is not a surprise to Him.  The Lord wants to change this selfish mindset to – speaking worthy words as on to “lift others up, not be dragged down to their level.”  When I start counting what I did or how faithful I am to the Lord, I am speaking worthless, selfish words that drags me down to a lower level of Christianity.  I must – REPENT from selfishness, BE RESTORED by the Lord alone (in my willful cooperation), then SERVE by speaking uplifting words (forgetting selfish ways).

 

// Lord, forgive me for “counting” what I have done or how faithful I am paralleling it to how “you should” bless me.  Forgive me… how embarrassing and how selfish of me to do so.  I pray that You will change my mindset; to repent from being self-minded to having You restore me to be ready for service.  I want to serve You and be used by You.  Please change my heart to what beats Yours.  I only want to serve, love, and live my life for Your glory.  In Jesus’ name, amen.