God Knows What You Are

Obey me and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in all the ways I command you, that it may go well with you. Jeremiah 7: 23

Have a read of Jeremiah 7: 1 – 29. You are looking at three things here. Through His servant, Jeremiah, you are receiving a glimpse of God’s Passion, Pronouncement and Punishment. God knows that those whom He has chosen to be His children are not saints, or angels. They are all sinners.

His Passion is for the sinner. He knew from the onset, that those He called unto Himself to be His children, people like you and me, had severe problems from birth. May I assure you that God knows that each of us is an offspring of sin. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3: 23. Yet He chose them. But He gave His ways of ensuring that with all their innate issues and problems, it would, go well with you, because of obedience to Him.

His Pronouncement is for the sinner. Recently, a friend told me that she had a baby. She had adopted a six week or nine week old baby boy. I’m not quite sure of the weeks. She told me that the child had a problem because he was born to a mother who is a crack addict. The child was born in a hospital and left there. That was the child she took. It struck me forcibly, I mean it literally knocked me flat off my feet, when the Lord spoke so frankly to me. Through my friend, I was made to see more of the Grace of Jesus for me.

My friend knows the condition and history of this goner of a child, and yet she has chosen to accept that child. She knows the problems of having such a one in her care, yet she takes him in. She tells me of the constant crying of the child, because of the severe withdrawal pains he has to suffer daily, being born to a crack mother. The truth is that as she spoke and told me many things, I could only see hope for that child.

Am I any different? Are you any different? When Jesus saw me, I was a sin-baby. I was born of sin, in sin and to sin. Jesus bought me over, took me away from my parents called sin, and took me with Him to live with Him. He never took me and gave me to another to care for me. Jesus knew and knows that as a sin- baby, I will respond, react and act in ways that are innate and natural, responses that I cannot help or control. Yet, in Love, Jesus took me in and kept me. He knows that my suffering will be great, for it has to be. But He also knows that with the perfect treatment, good care, loving understanding and direct, detailed works in me, I will do better.

Jesus knows what you are and chose you as His son and daughter, to take His Name and live openly and publicly with Him. Why? This is so because He knows that He can give you a better life in Him and with Him. But you need to receive God’s commands and obey God’s Way, not your own way. What’s the problem then?

Look at my friend’s baby. That baby will be fine until he begins to help himself. While a baby, because he is unable to help himself, make decisions for himself, or go along by himself, he is fully obedient. All his crying, fretting and such, are not the problem. That she has to put up with mood swings, and such behaviour, is not the problem. At this stage I say, he does nothing to try to help himself. But as he grows older, and is able to see life around that will appeal to his ‘crack-nature’, he will have to obey my friend, walk in her ways, and follow her commands, in order to enjoy all that she has already given to him and will give to him.

The same is true of you and me. When you were unable to help yourself, Jesus did it all. It is because of the care, provision and salvation given to you by Jesus that you have become a people able to choose. The Lord has given you His commands. He has told you to obey Him and not go after other gods, and other ways, regardless of how pleasing they look. But the Lord has a problem with you. What’s the problem? The problem is not that you suffer with the withdrawal symptoms of sin. The problem is not that you feel the innate pangs of jealousy, hatred, anger, depression, and such like. The problem is not even that you sometimes feel guilt, hate yourself, and would run and hide. Those can never be the problem for Jesus, for He expects them to occur, just as my friend expects certain reactions and responses from that baby, for it is in the ‘blood stream’, your ‘life stream’.

His Punishment is for the sinner who refuses to repent.

The one problem Jesus has is your choosing to be disobedient to Him, as Father and God, choosing to go your own ways and denying His Ways. The problem is that when God tells you His mind, His word, through His servants, not yours, you refuse to listen and repent. Then, as a loving Father, you will know the displeasure of God.

Just as my friend knows that the child she accepted into her life, her home, her family, is a crack–offspring, so too Jesus knows that you, the son and daughter He has accepted into His life, is an offspring of sin.

Just as my friend did not come into this adoption, ignorant of what she was getting into, the problems to be faced and such like, so too Jesus did not adopt you, ignorant of what a sinner gives or needs.

Just as my friend would have made special arrangements to have this child into her household; just as she did not have him come into an unprepared place, no crib, no food, and suchlike, so too Jesus, before you came, made perfect arrangements and preparations for you a sinner, in His household.

Just as the crack-offspring was not being returned into a crack-home, but into a crack-free home, so too Jesus never took you, a sin-offspring, from a place of sin and brought you into another place of sin. He brought you into His righteousness.

Just as the crack-offspring did not choose my friend to be his mother, so too you, a ‘sin-offspring’ never chose God to be your Father.

Just as my friend has given the crack-offspring a new name, and will instil new values in him as much as she is able, so too Jesus gives you, a sin-offspring, a new name and puts His values in you. And because He is Lord, He is able to put a New Nature in you, so that you are born again in Him. The truth is that you will still be a sin-offspring, with your sinful nature, but Jesus makes you a righteous offspring, with a righteous nature. He gives you a second birth, Spiritual birth, born from above, so that you are born again, born of the Father.

All therefore, who are born again, all who have died to their old nature and live by the Spirit, have become the testimony of a God who confirms His Word in believers. You are then called to be witnesses of Jesus in countless ways. Every believer therefore, all who have received his or her new life and have committed that life to the enabling Holy Spirit, will be living examples of God’s promise. Never believe that you are of little or no use, because you do not do the grand works you see other servants of Jesus doing.

View the faithfulness of our Lord, to keep His promise to His servants who obey Him. Jesus has just healed a demon possessed man and given him new life. The man wants to commit his new life to Jesus and literally begs Jesus to be one of His itinerant preachers, to be able to travel along with Jesus and His disciples. This is not the service Jesus wants from that man. Jesus tells him this. Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you. And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him. Luke 8: 39 .Can’t you see that this believer is prophesying – preaching, proclaiming, publishing – the Miracle works of God? If this is Jesus’ command, and it is, be it known that the Lord worked with this believer and confirmed His words by the signs which accompanied it. The same will be done to you, in whatever service the Lord has called you to.

Lord, Holy Jesus, I want no other Father but You. I want no other Saviour but You. Now, my sinful nature does not have to define or control me, for as long as I obey, I will remain in You. And I thank You Jesus for true repentance, total daily dying of self, that all may be well with You and me Lord. Give me Your righteousness please. Amen!