If I asked you today, “Who are your enemies?” perhaps many of you would say you don’t have any enemies. Maybe so, if you define an enemy as some anonymous person taking potshots at you with a loaded gun. But maybe we need to stretch our view of who an enemy might be. Could someone in your family be an enemy? A sister in-law or mother-in-law? A parent? Someone with whom you work? Someone you’re in competition with? How do we go about loving the enemies that are close to home? How do we overcome the urge to retaliate, to say no to our instinct for revenge against those who mistreat us? Why this message on Valentine’s Day? Perhaps this message is more applicable to love and marriage than we care to admit. It’s not natural to love our enemies, but it’s not impossible. To say that it is impossible makes God a liar. Having said this, however, we’re painfully aware of our shortcomings in this regard. Thank God for the mercy we find at the cross of Christ. Read Luke 6:27-36 and for good measure, listen to the audio file of today’s message.
Luke 5:1-11 records events surrounding Peter’s call to become a follower of Jesus. Peter and his fellow fishermen had come up empty after fishing all night. Already fatigued and frustrated, along came Jesus and asked Peter to drop his nets again. What did this carpenter know about fishing? His request was absurd. Yet, Peter did what Jesus requested and pulled in an astounding catch of fish – two boatloads filled to the point of sinking. This is where true discipleship begins – trusting Jesus enough to do whatever He asks of us, even when it cuts across the grain of our culture or simply makes no sense. If you’ve ever felt that Christianity makes no sense or you’re just fatigued and frustrated by what feels like going through the motions of religious requirements, then listen in to this week’s message about what it means to be a fulfilled follower of Christ.
Throughout the Bible, God often takes the most unlikely persons to do His work. Each time God equips them for their task. One of the wonders of God’s economy is how He accomplishes extraordinary things through ordinary people.
Jeremiah’s name means “The Lord throws,” either in the sense of “hurling” the prophet into a hostile world or of “throwing down” the nations in divine judgment for their sins. (Concordia Self -study Bible p. 1117). Either way, from his name we can tell that this young man, who was eventually nicknamed “The Weeping Prophet” wasn’t destined to be the most popular guy in town. But that’s not to say he lacked a sense of purpose and fulfillment in his life. I dare say, quite the contrary.
The passage from Jeremiah 1:4-10 speaks of Jeremiah’s call to be God’s mouthpiece to His people. This passage leads us to consider three crucial questions: 1) Who Am I? 2) Why Am I Here? and 3) Who Supplies My Power for Living? Jeremiah had to face these crucial questions as he contemplated God’s call on his life and so do we, since as Christians we’re all called to serve God as He sees fit.