Agape Devotions

READ : Jeremiah 32-33. Verses chosen for meditation: Jeremiah 32:8 and 32:27. 8  Then Hanamel my cousin came to me in  the court of the guard, in accordance with the word of the  Lord , and said to me, ‘Buy my field that is at  Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, for the right of possession and redemption is yours; buy it for yourself.’ Then I knew that this was the word of the  Lord . Jer 32: 8 . 27  “Behold, I am the  Lord , the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me? Jer 32:27.   REFLECT Investment in property has been a hot topic in Singapore. Since every property investment carries a certain amount of risk, so when is the “right time” to invest therefore becomes very critical. In the working world, at least its timing to invest would be evaluated to determine the risk assessment profile. Reading chapter 32:6-12, one would find it strange that Jeremiah was called by God (while he was imprisoned) to purchase a...

Read Read Jeremiah 30 - 31 Verses chosen for meditation: Jeremiah 30: 3, 11, 17, 18, 19; 31: 3, 11, 12, 18, 33 ESV For behold, days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will restore the fortunes of my people, Israel and Judah, says the Lord, and I will bring them back to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall take possession of it.” For I am with you to save you, declares the Lord; I will make a full end of all the nations among whom I scattered you, but of you I will not make a full end. I will discipline you in just measure, and I will by no means leave you unpunished. For I will restore health to you, and your wounds I will heal, declares the Lord, because they have called you an outcast: ‘It is Zion, for whom no one cares!’ “Thus says the Lord: Behold, I will restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob and have compassion on his dwellings; the city shall be rebuilt on its mound, and the palace shall stand where it used to be. Out of them shall come songs of thanksgiv...

  TEXT FOR REFLECTION 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” JEREMIAH 29:7 REFLECTION There were so many reasons for the Jewish exiles to hate their Babylonian masters. The exiles had been taken to Babylon, a godless and cruel place, against their will. As prisoners of war, they probably had no status nor privileges, and were often treated unjustly. I can imagine them being brought to the least productive lands or places where no one else would want to live in. They would likely be resented or exploited by the locals. It is unlikely that there was anything to be grateful for over there. Yet instead of asking them to revolt against the enemy, or to curse the land, or to seek ways to undermine the government, or at the very least, to just wait for liberation, God had told the exiles to bless and pray for the city. It must have been a very difficult message to rec...

Read: Jeremiah 27-28 No devotionals today (Sunday)

Read: Jeremiah 26 Verses chosen for reflection 12 Then Jeremiah spoke to all the officials and all the people, saying, “The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and this city all the words you have heard. 13 Now therefore mend your ways and your deeds, and obey the voice of the Lord your God, and the Lord will relent of the disaster that he has pronounced against you. 14 But as for me, behold, I am in your hands. Do with me as seems good and right to you. 15 Only know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood upon yourselves and upon this city and its inhabitants, for in truth the Lord sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears.” Reflect Jeremiah said to the people that he has been sent by God to prophesy against Judah. The prophecy was that unless Judah repents, they would be conquered and held in captivity by the Babylonians.  Jeremiah then tried to back up his claim that he was really sent by God, but boldly asking them to do what th...

READ : Jeremiah 25 REFLECT : The buffet was still open, so you went back for a second plate...and dessert...and more desserts. By the time you realized what you had done, it was too late. You regretted your decision and wished you exerted some self-control. But regardless of your remorse, your stomach restlessly churned for the rest of the night. You had to face the consequences of your decisions. Jeremiah was a prophet who spent his life urging the people of Israel to listen to God and do what He said. Time after time, Jeremiah warned the people of the consequences that would follow if they disobeyed God. But the people paid no attention to Jeremiah and continued living their own way (Jer.25:4). The people disobeyed God’s instruction to turn away from the idols they worshipped. Those idols led them into more wrong actions and disregard for God. If they would have stopped and changed their behaviour, God was willing to forgive them and move forward, but they refused. As a result of the...

READ : Jeremiah 23-24   Verses chosen for meditation: Jeremiah 24:3-7 3  And the Lord said to me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” I said, “Figs, the good figs very good, and the bad figs very bad, so bad that they cannot be eaten.” 4  Then the word of the Lord came to me:  5  “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Like these good figs, so I will regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I have sent away from this place to the land of the Chaldeans.  6  I will set my eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up, and not tear them down; I will plant them, and not pluck them up.  7  I will give them a heart to know that I am the Lord, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart. REFLECT Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem, and ten thousand citizens of Judah went into exile ...

Read  Jeremiah 21 and 22 Verses choses for devotion - Jeremiah 21:1-6 21  This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Malchiah and Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, saying,  2  “Inquire of the Lord for us, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is making war against us. Perhaps the Lord will deal with us according to all his wonderful deeds and will make him withdraw from us.” 3  Then Jeremiah said to them: “Thus you shall say to Zedekiah,  4  ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands and with which you are fighting against the king of Babylon and against the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the walls. And I will bring them together into the midst of this city.  5  I myself will fight against you with outstretched hand and strong arm,...

Read: Jeremiah 20 Verses chosen for meditation: Jeremiah 20: 7, 9, 11, 13 ESV: O Lord, you have deceived me, and I was deceived; you are stronger than I, and you have prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all the day; everyone mocks me. If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,” there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot. But the Lord is with me as a dread warrior; therefore my persecutors will stumble; they will not overcome me. They will be greatly shamed, for they will not succeed. Their eternal dishonor will never be forgotten. Sing to the Lord; praise the Lord! For he has delivered the life of the needy from the hand of evildoers. Reflect Discouragement is a part of life. This chapter is the last of the laments of the weeping prophet, Jeremiah. Here in this chapter, we see him persecuted, beaten and confined by none other than a fellow priest, an official in - charge of the temple. ...

  TEXT FOR REFLECTION But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. 5 Then the word of the Lord came to me. 6 He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel. 7 If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, 8 and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. 9 And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, 10 and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it. JEREMIAH 18:4-10 REFLECT God gave Jeremiah a stark object lesson. Taking him to a potter's workshop, God showed Jeremiah how a potter having made a defective pot, reshaped the pot to something that he wanted. God...

Read: Jeremiah 16-17 No devotional (Sunday)

Read: Jeremiah 14-15 Verses chosen for reflection: Jeremiah 15:15-18 O Lord, you know;     remember me and visit me,     and take vengeance for me on my persecutors. In your forbearance take me not away;     know that for your sake I bear reproach. 16 Your words were found, and I ate them,     and your words became to me a joy     and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name,     O Lord, God of hosts. 17 I did not sit in the company of revelers,     nor did I rejoice; I sat alone, because your hand was upon me,     for you had filled me with indignation. 18 Why is my pain unceasing,     my wound incurable,     refusing to be healed? Will you be to me like a deceitful brook,     like waters that fail? Reflect The emotional pain within Jeremiah is not ordinary. He was undergoing the pain of knowing that his homeland, friends and relatives would be destroyed or enslave...