A spokesman for the devil or a spokesman for the Lord? Daily Devotional - July 19, 2010

Daily Bible Reading - Judges 2, Acts 6, Jeremiah 15, Mark 1

Jeremiah was a prophet--a spokesman for the Lord, but his job was not easy or glamorous. For forty years he spoke to the nation of Judah and no one listened. In Chapter 15 we see a conversation between Jeremiah and the Lord. Jeremiah is discouraged and feeling sorry for himself for the affliction he faces.

17 I never sat in the company of revelers,
never made merry with them;
I sat alone because your hand was on me
and you had filled me with indignation.
18 Why is my pain unending
and my wound grievous and incurable?
Will you be to me like a deceptive brook,
like a spring that fails?

Jeremiah reminds God that bad things are happening to him, a good person (the question that each one of us faces at one time or another “why do bad things happen to good people?”) Then he takes it a step further and curses God telling him that he is like a deceptive brook (another translation calls him a mirage or an unreliable stream).

God didn’t get angry with Jeremiah for feeling this way, but he reminds him of his purpose:

19 Therefore this is what the LORD says:
"If you repent, I will restore you
that you may serve me;
if you utter worthy, not worthless, words,
you will be my spokesman.
Let this people turn to you,
but you must not turn to them.

God told Jeremiah to repent for the words he spoke and turn back to him. He tells him to utter worthy words, not worthless ones. If he chooses to do this he will be a spokesman for the Lord. He also reminds Jeremiah that he is the one who is to influence the wicked people, not the other way around.

When we chose to let discouragement win, we become a spokesman for the devil. When we chose worthy words and not worthless ones, we can be a spokesman for the Lord. Proverbs 18:21 says “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”

I have seen people so discouraged by their circumstances that they become a spokesman for the devil: they speak words of death, hopelessness and discouragement. God doesn’t command us never to question, get frustrated or have a bad day - but he does hold us accountable for the words that we speak. We must be very careful to determine the mouthpiece we will be today. Will you be a spokesman for the devil or a spokesman for the Lord?

Enjoy the journey,
Mel Miller