Doyle Smith Daily

Jeremiah 44:11-12 (God's Word) Originally published 04/11/2013 God went to great effort to establish his people in Canaan. There were miracles of crossing the Red Sea, water from rocks, wars they won though they were vastly outnumbered. God gave them the ability to drive out the people who lived there, and it was their home for 400 years. They had great success with kings like David and Solomon. Over the years they took God for granted and did whatever they wanted to do that made them happy. God sent many prophets to warn them, but they refused to take God's demands seriously. They thought, “We are his people, and he won't and can't destroy us.” But when the people continued to refuse to live holy lives, this is what God said: “This is what the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel says:  I am going to bring disaster on you and destroy all of Judah. I will take away from Judah those who are left, those who are determined to go to live in Egypt. They will die in Egypt... The...

  Jeremiah 43:2 (God's Word) Originally published 04/10/2013 The Babylonians had captured Jerusalem and taken many people to Babylon. Those left thought their best chance to live was to go to Egypt. They asked Jeremiah to ask God to tell them what to do. They said, ‘We will obey the LORD our God to whom we are sending you, whether it's good or bad. Yes, we will obey the LORD our God so that everything will go well with us’ Jeremiah 42:6. Jeremiah told them that God's plan was for them to stay in Judah and not go to Egypt, or they would die there. They responded: “You're lying! The LORD our God didn't send you to tell us that we must not go to live in Egypt” Jeremiah 43:2 (God's Word). Lord, give me the trust in you to do what you tell me, even if it does not seem best to me.

Jeremiah 40:14 (God's Word) Originally published 04/09/2013 The Babylonians appointed Gedaliah to govern Israel. Johanan and the army commanders came to Gedaliah: ‘‘They asked him 'Do you know that King Baalis of the Ammonites has sent Ishmael, Nethaniah's son, to kill you? However, Gedaliah, son of Ahikam, didn't believe them" Jeremiah 40:14 (God's Word). Lord, help me to take the warnings that you give in the Bible and by your Spirit as matters of life and death.

Jeremiah 38:20-23 (God's Word) Originally published 04/08/2013 Sometimes it is hard to do what you know is right because of what people will think. But when you don't do what is right, it is always worse. The city of Jerusalem was surrounded, and Zedekiah asked Jeremiah what to do. Jeremiah replied, “Obey the LORD by doing what I'm telling you. Then everything will go well with you, and you will live. But if you refuse to surrender, this is what the LORD has shown me.... All your wives and children will be brought to the Babylonians. You will not escape from them. You will be captured by the king of Babylon and the city will be burned down” Jeremiah 38:20-23 (God's Word). Zedekiah was afraid of what people would think, and he refused to surrender, and he and his family were killed. Lord, help me to have more faith in what you say than in what I feel or think.

Jeremiah 37:17 (God's Word) Originally published 04/06/2013 Following Christ means that sometimes you have to do things that are hard and even dangerous. Jeremiah was in prison because he told the King exactly what God had told him. God was going to give the victory in their war with Israel to the Babylonians. "Then King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah, and the king asked him privately in the palace, 'Is there any message from the LORD?' Jeremiah answered, 'Yes!! There is a message from the LORD. You will be handed over to the king of Babylon" Jeremiah 37:17 (God's Word). Lord, I want to have so much trust in you that I would do whatever I know you want me to do or say, regardless of the possible consequences.

Jeremiah 36:24-26 (God's Word) Originally published 04/05/2013 It is God's method to tell us what he plans to do, so he told Jeremiah to tell the king that his nation was going to be destroyed. The king had his servant, Jehudi, read God's message to him. “As Jehudi read three or four columns, the king would cut them off with a scribe's knife and throw them into the fire in the fireplace. He did this until the whole scroll was burned up. The king and all his attendants didn't show any fear or tear their clothes in fear when they heard everything being read”  Jeremiah 36:24-26 (God's Word). Lord, I want to show you great respect and listen to all that you want to tell me in the Bible.

Jeremiah 33:1-5 (God's Word) Originally published 04/04/2013 The God of love will not tolerate refusal to obey him. He told his people to submit to the Babylonians, but they refused. "The LORD said, 'I made the earth, formed it, and set it in place. My name is the LORD. This is what the LORD says: ‘Call to me, and I will answer you. I will tell you great and mysterious things that you do not know. The houses in this city and the palaces of the kings of Judah have been torn down to be used against the dirt ramps and weapons of the Babylonians.’ This is what the LORD of Israel says about this: ‘The People of Israel fought the Babylonians. Now their houses are filled with the bodies of their own people I killed in my anger and my fury. I will hide my face from this city because of its wickedness’” Jeremiah 33:1-5 (God's Word). Lord, keep reminding me that I have promised to obey you in every part of my life and not to take your love for granted.

Jeremiah 32:6-7 (God's Word) Originally published 04/03/2013 Jeremiah was in jail, and God told him that the army surrounding the city would win the war, and the nation would be destroyed. But in the future sometime the nation would be restored. "Jeremiah said, 'The LORD spoke his word to me. He said, 'Jeremiah, your cousin Hanamel, son of Shallum, is going to come to you and say, 'Buy my field that is in Anathoth, . . .’  Jeremiah 32:6-7 (God's Word). Trusting God, Jeremiah bought the land in spite of the disaster he knew was coming. Lord, help me do what you say is right, even when in human terms it seems foolish.

Jeremiah 31:19 (God's Word) Originally published 04/02/2013 Sometimes God allows and even brings hard things into our lives as discipline to change our behavior. This is what he wants: “I have certainly heard Ephraim mourn and say, 'You disciplined me, and I was disciplined. I was like a young, untrained calf. Turn me, and I will be turned, because you are the LORD my God. After I was turned around, I changed the way I thought and acted. After I was taught a lesson, I hung my head in shame. I was so ashamed and humiliated, because of all the stupid things I have done ever since I was young’ Jeremiah 31:19 (God’s Word). Lord, help me every time some bad things happen to ask you how I can change my life.

Jeremiah 29:11 (God's Word) Originally published 04/01/2013 It was one of the worst times in Israel's history. Thousands of people were taken from their homes to exile in Babylon, some never to see their homeland again. It was judgment for their rebellion against God. God sent them this message, “I know the plans that I have for you, declares the LORD. They are plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope" Jeremiah 29:11 (God's Word). Lord, never let me see my future based on present circumstances, but on the promises that you have made for your people.

Jeremiah 27:5-7 (God's Word) Originally published 03/30/2013 God is at work not only in the lives of individuals, but also in international politics. God's people could not believe it, but one time he used an unbelieving pagan king to discipline his own people. God said to his people: "I used my great strength and my powerful arm to make the earth along with the people and the animals on it. I give it to anyone I please. Now I have handed all these countries over to my servant King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I have even made wild animals serve him. All nations will serve him ..." Jeremiah 27:5-7 (God's Word). Lord, when frightening things like what North Korea is doing happen, never let me forget that you rule the universe, and no one is out of your control.

Jeremiah 26:13 (God's Word) Originally published 03/29/2013 We all have some control over our future. “Now change your ways and what you are doing and listen to the LORD our God. Then the LORD will change his plan about the disaster that he intends to bring on you” Jeremiah 26:13 (God's Word). Lord, guide my thoughts and actions. Give me a spirit of submission to you.

Jeremiah 25:8-10 (God's Word) Originally published 03/28/2013 God told the people of Israel exactly how they must live. "This is what the LORD of Armies says: 'You did not listen to my words, . . .’ Then he said, ‘I will take from them the sounds of joy and happiness, the sounds of brides and grooms, the sound of mills and the light of lamps. This whole land will be ruined and become a wasteland’” Jeremiah 25:8-10 (God's Word). Lord, sometimes it is hard to recognize your voice in my mind, but I ask that you show me which thoughts are from you, and give me the determination to follow only your words.

Jeremiah 23:3-4 (God's Word ) Originally published 03/27/2013 To those who have given God authority over their lives, he says: "’I will bring them back to their pasture, and they will be fertile and increase in number. I will put my shepherds over them. Those shepherds will take care of them. My sheep will no longer be afraid or terrified, and not one of them will be missing,' declares the LORD" Jeremiah 23:3-4 (God's Word). Lord, remind me of your promise when I face disasters.

Jeremiah 21:8-10 (God's Word) Originally published 03/21/2013 God chose Israel as his people and spent centuries caring for them, but they chose to do what they wanted instead of what he told them to do. From the beginning he warned them he would not tolerate this behavior and finally the judgment came. “Say to these people, 'This is what the LORD says: I am going to give you a choice of life or death. Those who live in this city will die in the war, famine, or plague. Those of you who go out and surrender to the Babylonians will live. You will escape with your lives. I've decided to harm this city, not to do good to it, declares the LORD. It will be handed over to the king of Babylon, and he will burn it down’’’ Jeremiah 21:8-10 (God's Word). Lord, your judgment is beyond imagination. Give me a submissive attitude that I may never face your anger.

Jeremiah 20:7-8 (God's Word) Originally published 03/20/2013 God wants us to be honest with him when we talk to him. Jeremiah was upset because he had been put in prison for telling people what God told him to say. Jeremiah prayed: "O LORD, you have deceived me, and I was deceived. You overpowered me and won. I've been made fun of all day long. Everyone mocks me. Each time I speak, I have to cry out and shout, 'Violence and destruction!' The word of the LORD has made me the object of insults and contempt all day long" Jeremiah 20:7-8 (God's Word). Even though things did not go the way Jeremiah wanted, he never stopped obeying God. Lord, help me to be honest and faithful to you no matter how difficult things are for me.

Jeremiah 18:5-9 Originally published 03/19/3013 God is watching us all the time and responding to what we say and do. “The LORD spoke his word to me. 'Nation of Israel, can't I do with you as this potter does with clay? Nation of Israel you are like the clay in the potter's hands. At one time I may threaten to tear up, break down, and destroy a nation or a kingdom. But suppose the nation that I threatened turns away from doing wrong. Then I will change my plans about the disaster I planned to do to it. At another time I may promise to build and plant a nation or a kingdom. But suppose that nation does what I consider evil and doesn't obey me. Then I will change my plans about the good that I promised to do to it’ Jeremiah 18:5-9 (God's Word).  Lord, remind me that you are with me, reacting to every choice that I make to guide me. I want to do what you tell me.

Jeremiah 17:9-10 (God's Word) Originally published 03/18/2013 "The human mind is the most deceitful of all things. It is incurable. No one can understand how deceitful it is. I, The LORD, search minds and test hearts. I will reward each person for what he has done. I will reward him for the results of his actions" Jeremiah 17:9-10 (God's Word). Lord, please show me when my thinking is wrong, and guide me to think like you do so that my behavior would please you.

Jeremiah 16:1-2 (God's Word) Originally published 03/16/2013 The prophets were so devoted to God that he could give them his messages. He could trust them to do whatever he asked. This is an example: "The LORD spoke his word to me. He said 'Don't marry! Don't have any sons or daughters in this place!’" Jeremiah 16:1-2 (God's Word). So, Jeremiah never married. Lord, give me the faith to do whatever you ask of me.

Jeremiah 11:21-22 (God's Word) Originally published 03/14/2013 Jeremiah was doing what God told him to do. "This is what the LORD says: The people of Anathoth want to kill you. They say, 'Don't prophesy in the name of the LORD, or we'll kill you.' This is what the LORD of Armies says: I'm going to punish them’ Jeremiah 11: 21-22 (God’s Word). Lord, it is a great comfort to know when I am living in obedience to you that you have my back.

 Galatians 2: 20 (God's Word) Originally published 03/13/2013 Becoming a follower of Christ is a life changing event. “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live I live by believing in God's Son, who loved me and took the punishment for my sins” Galatians 2:20 (God's Word). The human concerns that used to drive Paul's life are gone as if they died; now his life is totally controlled by what Jesus said he should do. Lord, guide me to think and act as you would in every situation I face today.

Jeremiah 9:1-2 (God Word) Originally published 03/12/2013 Some days things are heartbreaking, and we seem surrounded by evil. Jeremiah said. "I wish my head were filled with water and my eyes were a fountain of tears so that I could cry day and night for my dear people who have been killed. I wish I had a place to stay in the desert. I would abandon my people and go away from them. They are all adulterers, a mob of traitors" Jeremiah 9:1-2 (God's word). Lord, help me remember that you have led your people successfully through the most impossible of situations.

Jeremiah 8:9 (God's Word) Originally published 03/11/2013 We see all the time smart, rich, talented, and successful people destroy their lives. God explains why that happens. "Wise people are put to shame, confused, and trapped. They rejected the word of the LORD. They don't really have any wisdom" Jeremiah 8:9 (God's Word). We reject the word of God when we refuse to read or obey what it tells us. Lord, as I read your message daily, help me to put it into practice.

11 Corinthians 12:7-9 (God's Word) Originally Published 03/20/2013 Following Jesus does not always mean comfort. "Therefore, to keep me from becoming conceited, I am forced to deal with a recurring problem. That problem, Satan's messenger, torments me to keep me from being conceited. I begged the Lord three times to take it away from me. But he told me: 'My kindness is all you need. My power is strongest when you are weak'" II Corinthians 12:7-9 (God's Word). God is more interested in shaping our character than in our happiness or comfort. Lord, show me in the trouble that comes to me what you want to teach me and how you are trying to help me grow.

Jeremiah 7:5-7 (God's Word) Originally published 03/09/2013 The people of Israel thought that going to "church" was enough, but God said, "Suppose you really change the way you live and act and you really treat each other fairly. Suppose you do not oppress foreigners, orphans, and widows, or kill anyone in this place. And suppose you do not follow other gods that lead to your own destruction. Then I will let you live in this place, in the land that I gave permanently to your ancestors long ago” Jeremiah 7:5-7 (God's Word). Lord, help me to live a life that pleases you and treat people as you want me to treat them.

Jeremiah 6:13-14, 19 (God's Word) Originally published 03/08/2013 God is loving and kind, but he is also holy and just. He will only take so much. "’All of them, from the least important to the most important, are eager to make money dishonestly. All of them, from Prophets to priests, act deceitfully. They treat my people's wounds as though they were not serious, saying, 'Everything is alright!’ But it's not alright. Are they ashamed when they do disgusting things? No, they're not ashamed. They don't even know how to blush. So they will die with those who die. They will be brought down when I punish them' says the LORD.... Listen, earth! I'm going to bring disaster in these people. It is the result of their own plots, because they won't pay attention to my words. They reject my teachings’" Jeremiah 6:13-14,19 (God's Word). Lord, may your words be more important to me than even my life.