A FOUNTAIN OF TEARS
Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 9-10
Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion).
The desolation of one of the ancient streets of Laodicea (in present day Turkey). Today’s reading tells us of Jerusalem becoming “A heap of ruins” (Jeremiah 9:11a).
GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.
Key Verse: Jeremiah 9:1
Oh, that my head were waters,
And my eyes a fountain of tears,
That I might weep day and night
For the slain of the daughter of my people!
Jeremiah experienced the broken heart of God and he wept! “Jesus wept” (John 11:35), and He also wept over Jerusalem! Jesus said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!” (Luke 13:34). The sorrow of Jeremiah is over, but the sorrow of Jesus, because He is alive and He sees all, continues to this very day. Jesus’ compassion continues in His mercy and willingness to forgive us our sins. If we have caused Him to weep over us currently, turn back to Him now. One of the most often repeated verses in the Bible is, “His mercy endures forever” (the entire 136th Psalm).
According to my son-in-law, Rev. Nizar Shaheen, who reads the Old Testament in the original languages, Jeremiah 10:11 is not in Hebrew but in the universal language of the time, Aramaic. Jeremiah wanted all nations to know that their gods would perish! It was believed that these gods controlled the heavens and the earth, but Jeremiah proclaimed that the Lord God of Israel, the sole Creator of the universe, has sovereign control of it all (read again Jeremiah 10:11-13).
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Lord God of Jeremiah, I recognize that You, and You alone, are the great Creator, and that You, and You alone, took upon Yourself my sin and wrong when You suffered on the Cross. I weep over my sin and over the sin of the world. May I, like Jeremiah, proclaim Your Truth and Your Mercy to the world around me in a way that people can understand. I pray in the Name of the Saviour Who wept over the needs of all people, the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen!!!
100 PERSONAL WORDS:
I stood in amazement on the street in front of the Ethiopian Orthodox Cathedral in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital city, as I heard a young priest preaching at the top of his voice that the terrible famine which had devastated the country was the result of the people turning away from God. He did this despite the risk in a country with an atheistic, communist government that had seized power and executed all male members of the family of the late Emperor Haile Selassie. This young man was fearless! He also proclaimed that if the people would turn back to God, He would have mercy on them. Crossroads raised, with matching funds from the Canadian Government, over 7 million dollars for the Ethiopian famine relief. I have no doubt that we were a part of the answer to the weeping prayers of the Ethiopian people. In fact, it was the tears of a former Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Joe Clark, who was seen to weep on the national Canadian news as he visited Ethiopia on his way home from the funeral of Indira Ghandi of India. There was an immediate initiative to act and give to help save lives.
“The Wailing Wall” is pictured below. Here, Jews and some non-Jews pray and sometimes weep and wail because of the destruction of Jerusalem. The word “wailing” is repeated three times in today’s reading. Several times during my life, in times of great crisis, I have experienced “wailing,” but not when anyone could hear me. After the death of loved ones in the Middle East, one can often hear the sound of wailing. The people are not ashamed of expressing their extreme grief. These people say that we who live in the west do not know how to grieve properly in order to express our pain. We do tend to keep it all inside and psychologists tell us that failure to express our deep grief is emotionally harmful.
Yours for genuine sorrow for our sins and for those things that break God’s heart!
David
Our former Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, at the “Wailing Wall” in Jerusalem.
Wonderful scripture, corresponding photo, message and prayer from David. Lord God, Your love and mercy endure forever. Wherefore art we but without You, Lord? We thank You, we praise You, our Heavenly King. You are the joy of our salvation, the power of our forgiveness. We long for You Jesus, and You alone! Amen! Bless you, fellow saints in the Lord! May His love and peace blanket you.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Psalm 136:1 ESV
Mercy Endures – Hillsong with lyrics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vmKrMNjJCM
Amen
Amen Beverlee
What a special pic of former Prime Minister, Stephen Harper! Mr. Harper is such a wise man, in my opinion.
Always such deep sadness to think of Jesus weeping.
There’s a wonderful man, Doug Batchelor, who teaches people about our bible. He has his life story on this video and it is so interesting and humorous at times. About half an hour but well worth the time:
https://youtu.be/Y0q6Um9O0vM
God bless all fellow believers this and each day.
I agree,Lynda.I used to watch Doug Batchelor ‘all the time’ on Galaxy 19 (Satellite,FTA).He speaks ‘to you’,with no theatrics,very genuinely.If I could have found an SDA church in my area then,I would have attended but the Lord sent a Baptist neighbour to invite me to their church.About the 3rd Sunday there,I experienced an unearthly warmth and knew that’s where He wanted me.I’m now a deacon in that tiny rural church.Since then I have attended an annual vegetarian supper at their church and have made acquaintances with some and occasionally one or two will attend a nondenominational mens’ fellowship I attend.We never discuss doctrine.God bless
I should have read before posting:
(I would have attended the SDA church….but I am a deacon in the Baptist church.)
I’m able to watch Mr. Batchelor on our VISION station with Shaw, I believe. When I realized he was with the SDA I was rather hesitant but then kept listening to his teachings, and like you say, he isn’t pretentious or putting on a show, and realized he’s following our bible teachings religiously. Probably because what he’s been through in his lifetime, it has made him such a genuine person. Blessings on you Bill and thanks for sharing:-).
Paul said “If they are not against us,then they are for us.”
Thank you Lynda. What a powerful testimony! Once in awhile I do watch “Amazinmg Facts” on TV; his messages are quit insightful.
Father God, You alone are holy, completely without sin. Please forgive us for our sin, and help us to lay aside all the evil things that so easily entangle us. Bless and keep all Your people today. Thank You, Lord. In Jesus’s name, amen
Amen!
Amen
Amen
Sin allows us to know right from wrong when we stray over that line.It is what we choose to do when we have sinned that makes the difference.Repentance will put us on track again and forgiveness allows us to resume our walk forward and into the light and that light can still shine from us.We may get used to that light and not be aware that it shines on others so keep heart and keep shinning.
Above,I mentioned Doug Batchelor,of Amazing Facts TV.Years ago,on my way home alone from visiting my mother,twice I picked up an AM station for a short duration and I liked the style of this preacher but I never heard the station ID nor the name of the preacher.Years later when I set up my FTA satellite dish again I started listening to Doug Batchelor because he was not an ‘entertainer’.One day I was in my kitchen and I heard the unmistakable voice of the radio preacher I heard years earlier.It was the late Joe Cruz,founder of Amazing Facts TV.I think I almost cried.”Coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous.”
None of our denominations is the only correct one.Jesus will straighten it all out when He returns so we must walk in the light we have (Perhaps he planned the denominational lines to create ‘healthy debate’ but not argument?)
Interesting observation, Bill. “Healthy debate,” not argument. It is important we debate the differences, especially if they do not fall in line with the sanctity of the Bible. Indeed, it is important we do not argue and have respect for each other. We all learn here as fellow saints.
I just read a good article that gave crucial points of contention related to Seventh Day Adventist, though I know nothing about Doug Batchelor, I am very cautious of Seventh Day Adventist. Here is a good article on their church (and highlighted points) I hope you will read the article:
2. Seventh-day Adventism (SDA) sprung up in 1840s; a Baptist preacher named William Miller predicted and preached that, based on his reading of Daniel 8:14, Christ would return sometime between March 21, 1843, and March 21, 1844. The failure of this prediction—known as the Great Disappointment—led many Millerites to become disillusioned. But Hiram Edson claimed to have seen a vision of Jesus standing at the altar of heaven and concluded that Miller had been right about the time but wrong about the place. As Matt Slick explains, “In other words, Jesus’s return was not to earth but a move into the heavenly sanctuary as is referenced in Hebrews 8:1-2.” The development of this doctrine, known as “Sanctuary/investigative judgment” influenced Joseph Bates and James and Ellen White, the founding pioneers of the SDA church.
5. Most of the 28 Fundamental Beliefs are similar to doctrines professed by evangelical Protestant denominations. The three main SDA doctrines considered heterodox by evangelicals are Sabbatarianism (a required observance of the Sabbath, which they believe falls on Saturday), the gift of prophecy as “manifested in the ministry of Ellen G. White,” and the Sanctuary Doctrine.
6. The Sanctuary Doctrine is the most distinctive Adventist doctrine. Orthodox Christians commonly hold that Jesus, as our high priest, intercedes for us at God’s right hand (Heb 4:14-16; 6:20; 7:25). But SDAs also believe that Christ entered the “sanctuary in heaven” and after a “prophetic period of 2,300 days” (ending in 1844) he entered the second and last phase of his atoning ministry, a work of “blotting out” sin. As Kenneth R. Samples explains,
From his ascension until 1844, Jesus had been applying the forgiveness he purchased on the cross in the first compartment of the sanctuary, but in 1844, he entered the second compartment and began to investigate the lives of those who had received forgiveness to see if they were worthy of eternal life. Only those who passed this judgment could be assured of being translated at his coming. This doctrine gave rise to what later became known as the sinless perfection teaching (perfect commandment-keeping in order to find acceptance in the judgment). Following the investigative judgment, Christ would come out of the heavenly sanctuary and return to earth bringing to every man his reward, and ushering in the great and terrible day of the Lord. It is 1844, and the events described above, which mark the beginning of SDA.
7. The other unique belief of SDA is in the “prophetic” ministry of Ellen G. White (1827-1915). During her lifetime White produced more than 5,000 periodical articles and 40 books totaling some 25 million words. (SDAs claim, probably correctly, that White is the “most translated woman in literature.”)
Those ideas are just too hard to swallow and not part of any teaching I have ever experienced as a Christian and born-again Christian, which make me leery.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/9-things-you-should-know-about-seventh-day-adventism/
Agreeing with you totally Bill and that’s exactly what Doug said about any of our denominations. Bless you.
Amen Lynda and agreeing with you.
Interesting Beverlee and thank you for the information. We had a neighbor who was SDA and they were very kind to us and let us live in their vacated house when our house burned. We never discussed doctrine but we knew there was a difference because they went to church on Saturday. I watch Doug Bachelor sometimes as I find he is an interesting speaker however joining their church would be a different matter. How anyone can deny the Trinity is a situation I have been dealing with for a while now. Any thoughts on that doctrine?
It is the Church of Latter Day Saints who do not believe in the Holy Spirit Ger. But, there apparently was a time when the FDA Church thought the Holy Spirit was just part of the Trinity because the Catholic Church created it. They actually believed their leader Ellen White, introduced the Holy Spirit into their idea of the FDA trinity. Now, their church believes in the trinity but it is quite confusing. Some of the points below are from the article, noted, and include something about Doug Bachelor, which is interesting.
The Trinity and the Adventist Church, The Bible Truth on the Godhead Explained:
In 1931 the word trinity appeared in the Adventist statement of beliefs for the first time but it was not official. It was not for another 50 years before the trinity doctrine was officially accepted as being part of the doctrinal beliefs. It is interesting to see what was written in the Review about this issue shortly after its acceptance at the Dallas Convention in 1980.
“While no single Scripture passage states the doctrine of the Trinity, it is assumed as a fact… only by faith can we accept the existence of the Trinity.” — (Adventist Review, Vol. 158, No. 31, p. 4)
Is there any other doctrine that Seventh-day Adventists hold as truth that they have to take by faith? Is there any other doctrine that they have no definite Scripture that they can point to in proving their belief? No! Shouldn’t it make Adventists question whether these things are true? People like Doug Batchelor have always stated that we must have a “Thus saith the Lord!” for what we believe and yet not so in this case. If God was truly a trinity and this was as important as it is made out, then why is there no Scripture that specifically states this? Let’s begin by taking a closer look at how this all happened.
It is surprising how many Seventh day Adventists who have no knowledge of how the Church came to believe in the trinity and think that this doctrine was one of the Fundamental beliefs of our founding pioneers and of Ellen White herself. But not so. Some claim that the Adventist Church found progressive truth but in fact it was progressive error brought about primarily by one deceived man. This man searched Ellen White’s writings and managed to find a handful of quotes that could be misinterpreted as Trinitarian, but only if you chose to read them as such and only if you did not take the time to read what else she wrote that would reveal that she could in fact never have been a Trinitarian.
The pioneers of the SDA Church, R.F. Cottrell, Sr., and Jr., D.T. Bordeau, D.M. Canright, J.N. Andrews, Loughborough, John Matteson, A.C. Bordeau, A.T. Jones, W.W. Prescott, E.G. White, James White and Uriah Smith, were all in agreement that it was that “old Trinitarian absurdity” perpetrated from Rome. Adventist P.S. Cottrell wrote in the July 6, 1869, issue of Review and Herald, “To hold to the doctrine of the Trinity is not so much an evidence of evil intention as of intoxication from that wine of which all nations have drunk. The fact that it was one of the leading doctrines, if not the very chief, upon which the bishop of Rome was exalted to the popedom, does not say much in its favor … This should cause men to investigate it for themselves, as when the spirits of devils working miracles undertake the advocacy of the immortality of the soul.”
The Catholic Church says, “The mystery of the trinity is the central doctrine of the Catholic faith. Upon it are based all the other teachings of the church.” — (Handbook for Today’s Catholic, p. 11)
So this doctrine is essential for unification of all Churches under Rome. As Roman Catholic Graham Greene wrote, “Our opponents sometimes claim that no belief should be held dogmatically which is not explicitly stated in scripture . . . But the Protestant Churches have themselves accepted such dogmas, as the Trinity, for which there is no such precise authority in the Gospels,” — (Assumption of Mary, Life magazine, October 30, 1950, p. 51)
So the Catholic Church says that all their other teachings are based upon the doctrine of the trinity. This means that all the doctrines held by the Papal Church that Adventists consider erroneous all have their basis in the doctrine of the trinity.
Furthermore, Sunday is a day dedicated to the Trinity.
http://www.trinitytruth.org/isthetrinityinthebible.html
Because of his rebellious nature, man likes to go his own way; and not the way of the Lord; a strait path without complication
Praise the Lord who reigns forever and ever!
Amen, Irene!
Thanks Beverlee for all your information.
You’re welcome, Ger. God bless you.
Beverlee, it’s not the Church of the Latter Day saints that I am thinking of. Thanks again for your research.