Devotion 1 of 2: Jer 9
This chapter speaks about the judgment of God upon Judah because of their disobedience. One sin that is often pointed out is in v.5-6, “Everyone will deceive his neighbor, and will not speak the truth; they have taught their tongue to speak lies... Your dwelling place is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know Me,” says the Lord.”
This sin applies very much to the endtime. If a government or a nation uses lies and deceit in its policies, the government will become corrupt, and the nation will weaken and die. It’s like a marriage. If the husband is lying, deceiving and cheating, his marriage will fall apart.
One of the lies of Judah was that it would not be destroyed by Babylon. But God said the opposite in v.11, “I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins, a den of jackals. I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant.”
Then God asks an important question in v.12, “Who is the wise man who may understand this? And who is he to whom the mouth of the Lord has spoken, that he may declare it?” Let us be the wise person who understands God’s endtime plan. And let’s be the bold person who will declare it to warn others!
デボーション1/2：Jer 9
この章は、ユダの不従順に対する神の裁きについて語っています。よく指摘される罪の一つは、5-6節の「彼らはおのおの、だまし合って、真実を語らない。偽りを語ることを舌に教え、悪事を働き、依然として悔い改めない。彼らはしいたげを重ね、欺きに欺きを重ねて、わたしを知ろうともしなかった。―主の御告げ―」です。
この罪は終末に非常に当てはまります。政府や国家が政策に偽りや欺瞞を用いるなら、その政府は腐敗し、国家は弱体化し、滅びます。それは結婚のようなものです。夫が偽り、欺き、ごまかしをすれば、その結婚は崩壊します。
ユダの偽りの一つは、バビロンによって滅ぼされないというものでした。しかし、神は11節でその反対を言われました。「わたしはエルサレムを石くれの山とし、ジャッカルの住みかとする。ユダの町々を荒れ果てさせ、住む者もなくする。」
そして、12節で神は重要な質問をします。「知恵があって、これを悟ることのできるものはだれか。主の御口が語られたことを告げ知らせることのできる者はだれか。」私たちは神の終末の計画を理解する知恵ある人になりましょう。そして、それを告げ知らせ、他の人に警告する大胆な人になりましょう。
この箇所の日本語訳はまだありません。英語の原文を表示しています。
Devotion 2 of 2: Acts 9
This chapter talks about the conversion of Paul, who was transformed from the greatest persecutor to the greatest apostle of Christianity.
Why was he such a great apostle and mightily used by God? One reason is because whatever he did, he did with all his heart and strength! When he believed Christians were evil, a heretical sect that was a danger to Judaism, the true religion of Jehovah God, he tried to hunt, imprison and kill as many Christians as possible (v.1-2)!
But once he met Jesus through the heavenly light that knocked him down to the ground, he changed 180 degrees, and immediately began to preach that Jesus is the Messiah (v.3-6, 17-22)!
God meant for Paul to be an example of a Christian. “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” (1 Cor 11:1). Let’s learn to follow Christ with all our heart as Paul did! This is how we become Last Day Revival Christians!
— Pastor Elmer Inafuku