A Word of the Lord to the Christian

from Pam Clark

Jeremiah 29:4 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon;
5 Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them;
6 Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished.
7 And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.
8 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed.
9 For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the LORD.
10 For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
14 And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.
15 Because ye have said, The LORD hath raised us up prophets in Babylon;
16 Know that thus saith the LORD of the king that sitteth upon the throne of David, and of all the people that dwelleth in this city, and of your brethren that are not gone forth with you into captivity;
17 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will send upon them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like vile figs, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil.
18 And I will persecute them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be removed to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, and an astonishment, and an hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations whither I have driven them:
19 Because they have not hearkened to my words, saith the LORD, which I sent unto them by my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; but ye would not hear, saith the LORD.
20 Hear ye therefore the word of the LORD, all ye of the captivity, whom I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon:
21 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, of Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and of Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, which prophesy a lie unto you in my name; Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; and he shall slay them before your eyes;
22 And of them shall be taken up a curse by all the captivity of Judah which are in Babylon, saying, The LORD make thee like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire;
23 Because they have committed villany in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbours' wives, and have spoken lying words in my name, which I have not commanded them; even I know, and am a witness, saith the LORD.

I do not know when our "70 years" are up but I do know that we are in them. This morning, through a message, the Lord gave me this poem:

Journey Poem
Righteous Christians, Is the journey long?
Now is the time for you to find your song.
The road seems hard, it’s not what you’d do
But others, faithful Christian, depend on you.
Be not diminished, let your numbers be not a few
You are now in exile, but it’s not because of you
Build and plant, and build your faith
Though you’ll not stay forever in this place
For my eye of love is upon you
And I look over all you do
For in My heart, you’re precious seed
And I’ll look out for all your need.
For I know the plans I have for you
And that is to bless in all you do
So be not discouraged, Do not fear
Do not fret, My loved one, For I Am near.
© by Pam Clark - 10/12/1997
We are in a season of transition and we do not know yet all that the future holds. Those who live for God know that He is not going to "just overlook" the manifest deeds of the sinner, especially when they flaunt it in His Face, when many of them know better and do not repent.
We know that there will be a time of judgment and tribulation, but through it all, God is holding us near. In the midst of judgment there will be grace and it will be carried by those who know Him best. This is the word of the Lord.
"Righteous faith is evidenced by righteous living."
(Spoken by Bishop Woodie Wilson at First United Methodist Church, 10/5/97)
Last Updated: Sunday, October 12, 1997