KEEP BUILDING

April 12, 2024

‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’ Jeremiah 29:11
 

1. YOU HAVE A FUTURE AND A HOPE. Jeremiah is called the weeping prophet. He lived during a time of turbulence when Israel had been deported out of their land and sent several hundred miles east into a place called Babylon, which was a culture devoid of God. False prophecies were going around then, claiming that the exile would not last long and all would be easy-breezy. Jeremiah had to counter by saying it would be tough and last 70 years, but he told the people not to let their productivity diminish. Even in their exile, they should build houses, get married, have babies, and watch their babies grow up and get married (Jeremiah 29:4-9). He urged them that even in the middle of that season, God had good plans for them, so stick with it – keep sowing towards their families and work diligently unto the Lord.
 
2. CAST YOUR CARES ON HIM BECAUSE GOD KNOWS WHAT TO DO. This scripture in Jeremiah that was applicable thousands of years ago to the Jewish people under Babylonian captivity is emphatically true today – that God is our God. He is a good shepherd. Singles, grandparents, young families with kids – trust God, “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7 NKJV). There are two different Greek words for care here. When we give our “cares” to God, the word is merimna, meaning worry and anxiety. He “cares” for us is the word mélō, which means He has compassion, regard for, interest, and affection. So God does not worry for us, but He does have compassion on us. He cares deeply for us and is faithful to a thousand generations, including ours (Deuteronomy 7:9). And He knows just what to do. 
 
Know therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His faithfulness to a thousand generations for those who love Him and keep His commandments. Deuteronomy 7:9
 
3. YOU HAVE A STORY. As we look at different people from the Bible, including Jeremiah and the people of Israel, we see how God was faithful to them in their season, but I want to tell you that you are developing your own story. You are sons and daughters of the end times – there has never been more of an end than we are in now. In the New Testament, Paul told Timothy: “In the last days perilous times will come,” and Paul names off some of the self-centeredness and the hostility of people that will happen (2 Timothy 3:1 NKJV). Yes, there are realities about wars, rumors of wars, famine, pestilence, and earthquakes (Matthew 24:6-8). But Jesus already said these things would happen, so we don’t have to be jolted by them. God has not given us a spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7). Instead, He has called us to be oriented toward faith. He has given us a future and a hope for our time. Don’t give up. Don’t give up on your loved ones. Don’t give up on your dreams. Keep building.

DAILY CONFESSION:
I know the Lord my God is faithful. He keeps His covenant and His faithfulness to a thousand generations for those who love Him and keep His commandments. I know I have been born for this time, and God has good plans for me – plans for prosperity and not for disaster – to give me a future and a hope. I cast all my cares, all my anxieties, all my worries, and all my concerns, once and for all, on Him, for He cares about me with the deepest affection and watches over me very carefully (Deuteronomy 7:9; Esther 4:14; Jeremiah 29:11; 1 Peter 5:7 AMP)

God Bless you,
Pastor Jeff Perry

Cast, verb
To throw with force; hurl
To let fall; drop

^{Copyright © 2024 St. Louis Family Church, All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.  Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. lockman.org. “Cast, V.” American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Harper Collins Publishers, 2022 https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=cast&submit.x=0&submit.y=0. Accessed 10 April 2024. You are receiving this email because you provided your contact information for our church database.}