It's easy to get caught up lately in the repetition of bad news. And on top of that all the plans that need to get changed or the decisions that need to rethought. What we need is inner renewal. A strength that energizes us to love others and love God and have hope! This is the promise God gives through Jeremiah and fulfilled in Jesus.

What do you do in a bad situation? With growing Covid cases and further restrictions it's a question that presses in on us. Jeremiah wrote to people living in exile to give them something to do, and to give them a future hope. May God do so for us as well.

In the midst of constant faithfulness, Jeremiah's message was rejected by the people. At times he was imprisoned, mistreated, and almost killed. We too will experience forms of rejection for our reverence for Christ. The examples of Jeremiah and Jesus gives us tools to preserve through rejection.

What's the first thing you do when you wake up? What weekly routines do you have? Routines and rituals can be a healthy rhythm, but they can also slip into become a replacement for better things. In Jeremiah's sermon he invites people to worship God's presence itself, not worshipping the Temple in replacement.

God gives Jeremiah a clear message to Judah how idol worship is wrecking their identity and their impact for God's Kingdom. Idols come in much more subtle ways for us, but still can shape how we view ourselves and how we reveal God's love today.

How do we live well and faithfully to God when life is chaotic or even opposing our Christian faith? Over the next two months we will gaze into the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah for wisdom into how he lived well in the midst of tumultuous times.

Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’- Matthew 25.37-40 NIV

Have you ever wondered how to reconnect with God after a dry spiritual time? In Psalm 22 David feels disconnected from God but surprisingly ends his prayer bursting with praise towards God. It's a prayer that foreshadows the crucifixion of Jesus.. From it we can glean how one can reconnect with God if in a spiritual dry season.

Life often does not work out how we want it to. When we are faced with difficult circumstances, so often our response is to blame God and ignore God, or to act like nothing is wrong. The Psalms show us that we can be authentic with God, and grow closer through our anger, doubts, and grief.

Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory in the heavens.

Psalm 8.1 NIV