Take Heed to Yourself and to the Doctrine - Jeremiah 3-5 and I Timothy 4
Paul's admonitions to Timothy, who was the young pastor of the church in Ephesus, can teach us a lot about what is important for us. He told Timothy to focus on his relationship with the Lord and on doctrine. We all need to listen and to understand why Paul said this. Paul told Timothy that he should exercise himself toward godliness, because godliness profits us in this life and in the life to come. In other words, our relationship with the Lord has earthly benefits and eternal consequences. If we fail to stay close to the Lord, we have no power or direction for life. We can't live or lead others in our own strength. However, doctrine is very important, too. Behavior comes from beliefs. If our beliefs are wrong, we will end up going the wrong way and straying from God's will and God's blessing. Therefore, the only way to truly succeed in life is to take heed to our own relationship with the Lord and to right doctrine.
If we will think about that, we will realize that Jeremiah was saying the same thing to Judah in his messages. They had strayed from their relationship with the Lord. They had committed spiritual adultery with other gods, idols. This had happened at least partly, because they departed from the clear teachings of the Lord in the Law and the Ten Commandments. Partly, it happened because they were so rich, and they forgot to pursue God. They were going after the things of this world. The factor that complicated the whole situation was the fact that the leaders backslid from the Lord, too. The prophets gave false messages, and the priests tried to rule in their own power. Therefore, the whole country drifted far from God. If they had paid attention to their relationship with God and to doctrine, this would never have happened. Please, don't let your time with the Lord slide, and do not allow yourself to believe that doctrine is not important. God has given us absolute truth, and it is the anchor for our lives. It is the standard to judge our lives. Without it, we can get far from God and not realize what is going on before it is too late.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Jeremiah 6-8 and I Timothy 5.
If we will think about that, we will realize that Jeremiah was saying the same thing to Judah in his messages. They had strayed from their relationship with the Lord. They had committed spiritual adultery with other gods, idols. This had happened at least partly, because they departed from the clear teachings of the Lord in the Law and the Ten Commandments. Partly, it happened because they were so rich, and they forgot to pursue God. They were going after the things of this world. The factor that complicated the whole situation was the fact that the leaders backslid from the Lord, too. The prophets gave false messages, and the priests tried to rule in their own power. Therefore, the whole country drifted far from God. If they had paid attention to their relationship with God and to doctrine, this would never have happened. Please, don't let your time with the Lord slide, and do not allow yourself to believe that doctrine is not important. God has given us absolute truth, and it is the anchor for our lives. It is the standard to judge our lives. Without it, we can get far from God and not realize what is going on before it is too late.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Jeremiah 6-8 and I Timothy 5.