JEREMIAH 15:16 – 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.
THEME OF THE DAY: SIGNS OF ADOPTION. Many of God’s children struggle with assurance of salvation. Doubts plague them as to whether they are truly Christians. Likely, every Christian has done battle in this area.
Creating doubt in God’s children has been a tactic of the devil from the beginning. How did he begin dealing with Eve that led to sin entering the human experience – doubt – Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1). And why change his tactics since they have been so effective throughout time?
God takes no delight in His children living with a lack of assurance. He doesn’t want us to question our adoption. To help us overcome doubt, He gives many signs affirming we are His. Spend time reading the first letter of John. It is written to cure doubt and bring the joy of assurance of salvation to the fearful believer. Within its pages are tests to take, if these things are true in our lives, they build assurance. One test is “Do I love God’s people and being with them?” Another one, “Am I walking more and more in obedience to God’s Word?” and a final one, “The things of the world are losing their grip on my heart and life.” But it is not just John’s letter that helps us toward assurance of salvation.
In today’s scripture Jeremiah reveals to us another test for gaining assurance – the attitudes of true Christians toward the Word of God. The prophet identifies two things in his own experience – the word of God has become a joy and delight to him. This is always an accurate measuring stick for assurance and evaluating one’s spiritual condition; how we view the scriptures.
When it comes to people and the scriptures, the man or woman outside of Jesus Christ has no appetite for the Bible. Nor can they understand the Bible. The Apostle Paul describes this type of person toward the things of God’s Spirit which include the scripture since He wrote it, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14). So, ask yourself the question – “What is my attitude toward God’s Word?” If you answer like Jeremiah, that the Word of God is a delight and joy to my heart and soul, that is a sure sign of spiritual life.
God gives us many signs in His Word to bring us assurance of salvation and thus joy to our hearts. Of all of them, our delight and joy in His Word is high on the list. May we be able to cry out with the depth and sincerity of the Psalmist about the Word of God when he cried, “Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day” (Psalm 119:97).
PRAYER: “Father, I praise You for instilling in me desire and delight in Your Word.”
QUOTE: “How we regard the Bible is a strong indicator of our spiritual condition.”
In the affection of Christ Jesus,
Pastor Jim