The Message

In the Bible, Jeremiah was the profit that was ordained by God from his mother's womb. Jeremiah did just what God ordained him to do, he related the messages. His messages were of hope to the ones who heeded his message or that of sadness and anger to those who wished to ignore it. It was difficult sometimes. People don't always want to hear what God has to say. Excuses that have plagued my ears have also plagued Jeremiah's ears and God's ears before that. But that does not negate the message or the fact that we still have to be told "What thus said the Lord."

Jeremiah 20:9-11 states "Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay. For I heard the defaming of many, fear on every side. Report, say they, and we will report it."

I can identify with Jeremiah's frustration in this scripture. He basically is saying that he is tired of telling the poeple what would happen should they continue not to listen to the Lord. Not because he was pretentious, but because he had to witness the results as the truth took place. An example would be a friend warning another friend of the consequences of skipping school; when the warning is not heeded a true friend would not relish. A true friend would almost feel as if they should have done more. The messenger actually has a constant struggle with the need to be protective while, at the same time, powerless to protect.

The messenger has to be willing but can be intimidated by those to whom the message needs to be heard. Their path is not always painless, convenient, or conventional. Seemingly as one side of the path could be to witness the unglamerousness of the downfall, the otherside is to identify with those that are growing and maturing in the Word of the Lord. In either event, we are part of what this world is for a reason. God does have a plan; God has The Plan for our lives and every part of this plan is for the good of His people.

Messengers have to realize that, technically, God is not someone with whom you'd disrespectfully argue. If you prefer to fight the battle on your own, God will respect that. You also have the ability to exercise your right to say, "No." God respects that as well. The most famous example of this is in the book of Jonah. Remember when God sent him to speak to the city of Nineveh and Jonah decided to go to Tarshish instead? Among other consequences, Jonah ultimately ended up in the belly of a huge fish. By saying "No" Jonah inherently chose a fate of vulnerability and exposure to the ailments that would have been withheld from him had he said "Yes" to God.

Saying "Yes" to God means that you have to:
-rearrange a few priorities.
-not pay attention to lifes non-essentials.
-keep focused on the mission.
-be ready to suppress a negative outlook and,
-stay in complete FAITH!

Jonah's choice was to take the road that caused him to fight a few battles that he may have avoided. The weapons Jonah chose were useless in combat and made him defenseless against the enemy. He was fighting this battle without anointing. Instead of getting stronger and wiser, Jonah was allowing the enemy to devalue his worth and destroy his life. Jonah was in so much turmoil that he neglected the spiritual battle that God really needed him to fight. What was worse, Jonah dragged other innocent victims down with him.

However God, with his infinite patience, was ready to wait until Jonah's priorities were back in line with God's will. Then God's mercy steps in. It took Jonah three days until he was able to demonstrate to God, Not my will but thine will be done.

Jonah experienced the same message of sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross. God taught Jonah that love of others should come before love of self. In the end God always teaches us to be carriers of His message of Love.