By The Grace of God

King James Daily Bible Study Devotional
Message Title: By The Grace of God
Date: Friday August 19, 2011
Chapters: Jeremiah 19-21, Proverb 19, Psalm 70
Click Here to Read Them or Go to: http://imfollowingjesus.com/bible-august-19
Details of Today's Chapters: By the type of breaking an earthen vessel, Jeremiah is to predict the destruction of Judah, Jeremiah’s first persecution, his complaint to God and encouragement in God, Jeremiah's message to King Zedekiah, and Babylonian captivity is foretold.

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“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain...But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me...Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain...But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” - I Corinthians 15:1,2,10,12,13,14,20-22.

It is by the grace of God that we believe in the Son of God, it is by the grace of God that a person's heart is opened and by faith, that person accepts the Gospel, the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and receives Christ into their soul. It is by the grace of God that we are who we are through the precious blood of Christ that runs through that soul. Many religions try to get people to doubt that there truly is eternal life through the Son,or that He was raised from the dead, but if Christ’s body lies in some nameless grave, there is no hope for the believer, the Gospel will have no purpose, and the death of Christ and God's Word itself would all be vain, worthless, and empty. We must realize that we need to live by every Word of God, every Word of God is the true, infallible (without error), and inherent (inseparable), Jesus Christ. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” - John 1:1,14.

When God set out to choose a nation that would represent Him His intentions were to show the rest of the world that there truly is a living God, that they were also created by the living God, and that a glorious and prosperous life can be obtained by believing in and following the only living God. His choice, Israel, twelve sons, twelve tribes. Of all the tribes, one stood out, that was the house of Judah, they were set apart from the rest, the godly tribe as you would call it. However, just like the strongest Christian call fall, so did the house of Judah, they went from being the most godliest tribe to the most wicked of all the tribes. God warned them time and time again to repent, but instead of turning from their wicked ways they embraced them even more, now, the time is coming, judgment will begin. God illustrates the fate of Judah through broken a clay bottle.

“Thus saith the LORD, Go and get a potter's earthen bottle, and take of the ancients of the people, and of the ancients of the priests;..And say, Hear ye the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem; Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, the which whosoever heareth, his ears shall tingle...Then shalt thou break the bottle in the sight of the men that go with thee, And shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Even so will I break this people and this city, as one breaketh a potter's vessel, that cannot be made whole again: and they shall bury them in Tophet, till there be no place to bury...Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring upon this city and upon all her towns all the evil that I have pronounced against it, because they have hardened their necks, that they might not hear my words.” - Jeremiah 19:1,3,10,11,15.


Clay, after it has been formed and hardened, can never be pieced again when it is broken and as the bottle was broken, so shall Judah and Jerusalem be broken by the Chaldeans. No human hand can repair it, but if they return to the Lord he will heal and protect them. Being saved might save a person from facing hell, but it does not save a person from God's chastening, He will chasten a person until they return to Him. “And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.” - Hebrews 12:5,6.

Now, sometimes, even when we living by every Word of God it seems as though we are being chastised, it is not a chastening per se, it is God trying our hearts, making sure we can handle the next trial that comes our way. Jeremiah faced persecution for the first time after preaching God's Word, it was not something he was accustomed to so it came as a bit of a shock. After complaining a bit Jeremiah realizes one thing, God is always with him.

“O LORD, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived: thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed: I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me. For since I spake, I cried out, I cried violence and spoil; because the word of the LORD was made a reproach unto me, and a derision, daily. 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. All my familiars watched for my halting, saying, Peradventure he will be enticed, and we shall prevail against him, and we shall take our revenge on him. But the LORD is with me as a mighty terrible one: therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail: they shall be greatly ashamed; for they shall not prosper: their everlasting confusion shall never be forgotten. But, O LORD of hosts, that triest the righteous, and seest the reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them: for unto thee have I opened my cause. Sing unto the LORD, praise ye the LORD: for he hath delivered the soul of the poor from the hand of evildoers.” - Jeremiah 20:7-13.

While God places judgment upon the wicked He never forsakes those who come to Him through His Son, oh, He will try us, but by the grace of God it's only to strengthen us spiritually, mentally, and our dependance upon Him. Everything we go through, and I hate to admit it, but even the sinful things God allows is all permitted to bring us closer to Him and our dependance of Him alone. “And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” - Romans 8:27,28.

The Word of God is essential in life if we want to learn anything about God or communicate with Him, while anyone can tell you what He is trying to say, you still need His Word to back it up or interpret what He is actually implying. Now, the amazing thing about God's Word is that you can never read it once and it mean the same, what I mean by that is, God reveals things little by little as we read His Word consistently and continuously. Of course, we will never know everything that God has to say, but as long as we keep reading and studying all of His Word we will be stronger and by the grace of God able to handle everything that God tries us with as well as be able to withstand the temptations of Satan. “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” - Ephesians 6:10-13.

Today's Prayer:
Dear God,
As I go about day to day life sometimes I get weary and lose sight of Your amazing grace. I am who I am because of Your grace, let me never forget all the sacrifices You made so that I not only get to enjoy eternal life in heaven, but life here on earth as well. I know everything I go through has a reason and purpose to it and one day You will reveal that to me. Until then, lead me and guide me as I read Your Word, learn the ways of Your Son, and walk in them. I love You Lord and ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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