Jeremiah 7 - 19: Rotten shorts & the shattered pot

Lots of judgment and emotion unleashed in these chapters!
- A strong caution against "performance religion." God defines this as religion "whose life is all outsdie but no insdie" (Jeremiah 9:25-26).
- Rotten shorts:  God created an interesting illustration with a pair of linen shorts. He ordered Jeremiah to get some linen shorts, wear them, then bury them under a rock. Much later, he told Jeremiah to go and get the shorts. Of course they were rotten from the exposure and no longer good for anything. God told Jeremiah that the people were rotten, just like the shorts (Jer 13).
- The burden of ministry:  Jeremiah got personally involved as he experienced God's feelings due to the closer relationship and job as a prophet. In Chap 13:15-17, Jeremiah weeps bitter tears over the people's stubborn arrogance. I've seen pastors do this over their people, too.
- No hiding:  God searches our hearts and examines our minds (Jer 17:9-10).
- Don't forget the Sabbath:  God reminds the people to keep the Sabbath holy and not go about our "self-important" business. It's important to God, so this principle should be important to us (Jer 17:24-26).
- The shattered pot:  God uses another visual illustration when he instructs Jeremiah to take a clay pot and shatter it in front of the people to show them the coming judgment, and how hard it will be to put the pot back together.

Elena's verse of the day:  "Lord All-Powerful, you always do what is right, and yo know every thought. So I trust you to help me..." (Jeremiah 11:20).

Psalm 7 - 35: Better than red, ripe strawberries

Like a cool and calm oasis in the middle of a dry and deadly desert, the Psalms are so refreshing and energizing. While the saga of King David's life in 2 Samuel and 1 Kings revealed many of his shortcomings (he was guilty of adultery, murder, and negligent parenting), the Psalms reveal a man who was unabashedly in love with God.
- Hope for the hopeless:  "I dare to believe that the luckless will get luck someday in you. You won't let them down: orphans won't be orphans forever" (Psalm 10:14).
- More:  "God takes the side of victims" (Psalm 14:5-6).
- Love song:  "My choice is you, God, first and only. And now I find I'm your choice" (Psalm 16:5-6).
- Rewrites allowed:  "God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes" (Psalm 18:24).
- The road:  "What a God! His road stretches straight and smooth. Every God-direction is road-tested. Everyone who runs toward him makes it" (Psalm 18:30). This is a great question for each day: Am I running toward God? Or away from him?
- Mouthwatering:  "God's Word is better than red, ripe strawberries" (Psalm 19:10). I had a few sweet Trader Joe's strawberries for breakfast. They were delicious. And so was God's Word.
- David's relationship to God he summed up like this:  "God-friendship" (Psalm 25:14).
- About to burst:  "I'm about to burst with song; I can't keep quiet about you. God, my God, I can't thank you enough" (Psalm 30:12).
- True religion:  "I hate all this silly religion, but you, God, I trust" (Psalm 31:6).


Elena's verse of the day:  "What the Lord has planned will stand forever. His thoughts never change" (Psalm 33:11).