In Exile: Serve the Lord No Matter What

Almost six hundred years before the time of Jesus, his people, the Israelites, were in crisis. Their capital, Jerusalem, and the surrounding region, Judea, were destroyed and occupied by the invading force of Babylon. Many had been injured, killed, made homeless, and the rest forced into exile from their homeland. Could the people of God survive?

Into this crisis a prophet named Jeremiah spoke-up on behalf of God. Jeremiah offered words of encouragement to the exiles. With the movement away from faith and religious affiliation in our time, plus the suffering of those who lack employment, education, housing, healthcare, and enough to eat, along with our own personal challenges, we may be feeling like exiles too.

This series concludes after paying attention to Jeremiah’s encouragement to trust God, seek the welfare of others, keep praying, trust God’s promise of restoration, and focus on faith instead of fear. I hope you might jot these words of encouragement down and refer to them regularly as a helpful reminder and a boost to your faith.

The final lesson comes from Jeremiah 30:9, a straight forward statement about what matters most: Serve the Lord your God. We are here on purpose, to serve God by serving others. We were created to be helpers. Studies and personal experience have revealed the positive impact for our well-being when we lend a helping hand. This is not why we help but it is a benefit of helping. So, serve God with the gift you’ve been given. Gifts come in all shapes and sizes. Each gift is important and makes a positive difference. Remember, you are not the Messiah just one of his representatives; no need to take on the weight of the world. When more and more of us do our part, it is amazing what God can do to make big changes. Just maybe with a concerted effort as a community of disciples in this new year we will see some signs of the restoration God is planning?!

Yours in Christ,

Marc