Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
It sounds crazy, and it was: the nation was perishing, and the one man who knew how to save it was hated and despised, and the leaders were trying to silence him: It's the story of Jeremiah the prophet.
The people were the nation of Israel, at the time--God's true people whom He had chosen to be His "peculiar treasure," the head and not the tail of all the nations of the world.
Israel was the corporate "girl" whom the Man, the Son of God, had fallen in love with. Ezekiel 16 is a vivid chapter describing His love for "her" even in her helplessness at her birth, how He "saved" her in the wilderness, washed her, tended to her in her babyhood, watched her grow into the beautiful "girl" she became, how He arrayed her in fine clothes and how she became the most beautiful "woman" in all the world. "You were adorned with gold and silver, and clothed with linen, fine linen and brocade. ... You became a great beauty and rose to be a queen. Your beauty was famed throughout the world; it was perfect because of the spendour I bestowed on you. ...
"Relying on your beauty and exploiting your fame, you played the harlot and offered yourself freely to every passer-by. ... You committed fornication with your lustful neighbours, the Egyptians, and provoked Me to anger by your repeated harlotry" (vss. 13ff, REB).
It's the story of the nation of ancient Israel. It's also the story of each of us personally.
Each of us "has" nothing that the Lord has not given us in our personal poverty of vigor. Visit the nursing homes and see the elderly people in their wheelchairs; they were at one time handsome youth and beautiful girls.
If we didn't know how then, we can learn now, wherever we are in life: we can apply our hearts to understand Romans 12:3: the Lord gave His apostle Paul "grace" to remind each of us "not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith" (NKJV). Yes, you have faith!
The earlier in life we can appreciate this lesson the happier we will be; but it is never too late to learn the precious lesson--even in one's last moments a deep repentance can take place.
The only news the Lord has for each one of us at any time in our life is good news.
--Robert J. Wieland
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: April 17, 2008.
Copyright © 2013 by "Dial Daily Bread."
Be sure to check your e-mail for "Dial Daily Bread" again tomorrow.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Please forward these messages to your friends and encourage them to subscribe. The "Dial Daily Bread" Web site resides at: http://1888message.org/dailybread/
To subscribe send an e-mail message with "subscribe" in the body of the message to:dailybread@1888message.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Robert J. Wieland's inspirational "Dial Daily Bread" messages are availalbe via e-mail to anyone who wishes to receive a daily portion of uplifting Good News. "Dial Daily Bread" is FREE. Due to travel or other circumstances, there may be intervals when "Dial Daily Bread" will not be sent.
