Being Mindful of Your Tears - Jeremiah 12-14 and II Timothy 1
God sees each tear we cry, and He knows why we are crying. Some tears please God and some make Him sad. We need to understand the heart of God, so we will cry when He cries.
Jeremiah was known for his tears. He is called the weeping prophet. It seems that sometimes Jeremiah did not understand all that God was doing, so he had questions for God. However, most of the time, he knew what God was doing, and it grieved his heart. He saw the sin of the people of God, and he knew that God's severe punishment was coming swiftly. He tried to warn them, but they would not listen. Therefore, he wept for them in sadness over sin and the results of sin. I think God sheds that kind of tears, too. Jesus did when He was on earth. We all should weep over sin.
When Paul told Timothy that he was mindful of his tears in II Timothy 1, it is difficult to know exactly what he meant. It could be a reference to the tender heart of Timothy, who had a genuine faith in the Lord. However, it could be a reference to tears of fear, because Paul exhorts Timothy to remember his calling. Paul reminds him that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and of a sound mind. He could be exhorting Timothy to stop being timid and worried about things and to trust God for the strength and courage he needed. God does not want us to cry in fear. He takes away fear when we come to Him, and He gives us power and a sound mind. What a comfort He is to the fearful heart! However, I think Paul was mindful of Timothy's tears, because he had shed his own tears over the ministry God had given him. Paul told Timothy that "all those in Asia have turned away from me." Then, he mentions two brothers by name. I wonder how many times Paul had cried as he prayed for the believers in Asia and those who had turned from him? He was crying tears of love and concern, because God had put that great love in his heart. He was not discouraged, because he told Timothy about the faithful brother, Onesiphorus, too. We need to have such a heart of love that we would cry for our brothers who turn away from us and the Lord. Then, we need to go on in the joy of the Lord, because His joy is our strength. He does not mean for us to cry all the time. In fact, he has told us to "rejoice always." We always have the joy of the Lord in all we do and in all that happens.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Jeremiah 15-17 and II Timothy 2.
Jeremiah was known for his tears. He is called the weeping prophet. It seems that sometimes Jeremiah did not understand all that God was doing, so he had questions for God. However, most of the time, he knew what God was doing, and it grieved his heart. He saw the sin of the people of God, and he knew that God's severe punishment was coming swiftly. He tried to warn them, but they would not listen. Therefore, he wept for them in sadness over sin and the results of sin. I think God sheds that kind of tears, too. Jesus did when He was on earth. We all should weep over sin.
When Paul told Timothy that he was mindful of his tears in II Timothy 1, it is difficult to know exactly what he meant. It could be a reference to the tender heart of Timothy, who had a genuine faith in the Lord. However, it could be a reference to tears of fear, because Paul exhorts Timothy to remember his calling. Paul reminds him that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and of a sound mind. He could be exhorting Timothy to stop being timid and worried about things and to trust God for the strength and courage he needed. God does not want us to cry in fear. He takes away fear when we come to Him, and He gives us power and a sound mind. What a comfort He is to the fearful heart! However, I think Paul was mindful of Timothy's tears, because he had shed his own tears over the ministry God had given him. Paul told Timothy that "all those in Asia have turned away from me." Then, he mentions two brothers by name. I wonder how many times Paul had cried as he prayed for the believers in Asia and those who had turned from him? He was crying tears of love and concern, because God had put that great love in his heart. He was not discouraged, because he told Timothy about the faithful brother, Onesiphorus, too. We need to have such a heart of love that we would cry for our brothers who turn away from us and the Lord. Then, we need to go on in the joy of the Lord, because His joy is our strength. He does not mean for us to cry all the time. In fact, he has told us to "rejoice always." We always have the joy of the Lord in all we do and in all that happens.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Jeremiah 15-17 and II Timothy 2.