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Jeremiah 31 (MSG)

^33-34"This is the brand-new covenant that I will make with Israel when the time comes. I will put my law within them—write it on their hearts!—and be their God. And they will be my people. They will no longer go around setting up schools to teach each other about God. They’ll know me firsthand, the dull and the bright, the smart and the slow. I’ll wipe the slate clean for each of them. I’ll forget they ever sinned!" God’s Decree.

Somewhere around 600BC Jeremiah wrote these words. 600 years before Christ would come. Earlier in the same chapter Jeremiah perfectly illustrates the joy that will come, not only with God restoring Israel, but the joy we’ll feel because of Christ’s arrival:

^2-6This is the way God put it:

   "They found grace out in the desert,
   these people who survived the killing.
Israel, out looking for a place to rest,
   met God out looking for them!"
God told them, "I’ve never quit loving you and never will.
   Expect love, love, and more love!
And so now I’ll start over with you and build you up again,
   dear virgin Israel.
You’ll resume your singing,
   grabbing tambourines and joining the dance.
You’ll go back to your old work of planting vineyards
   on the Samaritan hillsides,
And sit back and enjoy the fruit—
   oh, how you’ll enjoy those harvests!
The time’s coming when watchmen will call out
   from the hilltops of Ephraim:
‘On your feet! Let’s go to Zion,
   go to meet our God!’"

This kind of rejoicing shouldn’t just take place on Sunday. We should worship with every breath. Every breath we breathe is a gift, one we can never deserve but one we HAVE been given.

There are times when God feels far away and those times can be rough. He reminds us so beautifully, "I’ve never quit loving you and never will." Those words reminded me of the lyrics from a song:

I have been unfaithful
I have been unworthy
I have been unrighteous
And I have been unmerciful

I have been unreachable
I have been unteachable
I have been unwilling
And I have been undesirable

Sometimes, I have been unwise
Ive been undone by what Im unsure of
But because of you, and all that you went through
I know that I have never been unloved

I have been unbroken
I have been unmended
I have been uneasy
And Ive been unapproachable

Ive been unemotional
Ive been unexceptional
Ive been undecided
And I have been unqualified

Unaware, I have been unfair
Ive been unfit for blessings from above
But even I can see the sacrifice you made for me
To show that I have never been unloved

^13-14When Jesus got the news (that John was dead*), he slipped away by boat to an out-of-the-way place by himself. But unsuccessfully—someone saw him and the word got around. Soon a lot of people from the nearby villages walked around the lake to where he was. When he saw them coming, he was overcome with pity and healed their sick.

¹⁵Toward evening the disciples approached him. “We’re out in the country and it’s getting late. Dismiss the people so they can go to the villages and get some supper.”

¹⁶But Jesus said, “There is no need to dismiss them. You give them supper.”

¹⁷“All we have are five loaves of bread and two fish,” they said.

^18-21Jesus said, “Bring them here.” Then he had the people sit on the grass. He took the five loaves and two fish, lifted his face to heaven in prayer, blessed, broke, and gave the bread to the disciples. The disciples then gave the food to the congregation. They all ate their fill. They gathered twelve baskets of leftovers. About five thousand were fed. -Matthew 14

*my addition

You get news that one of your best friends has died. You try to slip away to do whatever; mourn, cry your eyes out, miss him, and people who need what you have follow you to this solitary spot. You’re just trying to start getting over the loss of your friend.

For me, the story would split here. I’d tell these selfish <bleep>ers to leave me alone, don’t they know my friend just died (by losing his head, no less)?

But not Jesus. He’s “overcome with pity” and heals the sick.

It doesn’t end there. Later that day, he blesses the fish and bread that feeds the 5000. I’d still be in lockdown mode, flinging cuss words at anyone who dared get within 100′ of me.

But not Jesus. He feeds them all. And there’s leftovers.

The path to healing is not self-help but self-sacrifice. Left to my own devices, I’d shirk the sick, ignore the poor, make fun of the downtrodden and elevate myself to a status I don’t deserve.

But not Jesus.

He deserved an elevated status. Instead, he took part in his own upside down Kingdom. He became last when he deserved to be first.

And yet, you and I continue to think we deserve first.

And the crazy part I may never wrap my head around?

So does Jesus.

Father, you continue to amaze and surprise. Show me my place at the back of the line, the bottom of the barrel, so that I may truly serve, fully relying on Christ to lift me up. Thank you for remembering me. Forgive me for forgetting you. Amen.

First, hit up the official Life Journal reading plan for today by clicking here (thanks New Hope). This site is based out of Hawaii so the reading plan doesn’t change each day until 6am Eastern time.

Read through today’s scripture, taking the time for your eyes and mind to catch verses that stand out to you.

If you’re new to Life Journaling and find the daily reading plan a bit overwhelming, just stick with the New Testament reading for that day. If that’s still too much, just read a paragraph or two (or at least until you find a verse that really sticks out to you).

Once done reading, pick the verse you want to journal on for today.

Next, you’re going to need somewhere to keep your journal entries. Your best bet is to use Evernote. It’s free and available for both Mac and Windows. Evernote indexes your entries in real time so it’s fast and easy to search and find information from your previous entries. Copy the verse or verses you want to journal around today and paste them into Evernote.

The other option is to use YouVersion. They have a fully-contained Bible Reader, one-year Bible reading plan (that’s different than the one we use in eXchange) and online journal (that only you can read) along with lots of user-submitted content. It’s also free.

Now, taking the verse that stood out to you, use the SOAP method. Below is the official description for Life Journaling in a paper journal using the SOAP method but the directions easily translate to journaling on your computer. You may notice some of the instructions below duplicate some of what I’ve written above but it’s still good to get exposure to the process.

S for Scripture
Open your Bible to the reading found under today’s date of your Bible bookmark. Take time reading and allow God to speak to you. Highlight, underline or place a mark in the margin of your Bible, next to the scriptures that stand out. When you are done, reread the verses you marked, look for one that particularly spoke to you that day, and write it in your journal.
Helpful hint: If you are having difficulty understanding what you’ve read, you may find a study Bible useful.

O for Observation
What do you think God is saying to you in this scripture? Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and reveal Jesus to you. Paraphrase and write this scripture down in your own words, in your journal.

A for Application
Personalize what you have read, by asking yourself how it applies to your life right now. Perhaps it is instruction, encouragement, revelation of a new promise, or corrections for a particular area of your life. Write how this scripture can apply to you today.

P for Prayer
This can be as simple as asking God to help you use this scripture, or it may be a greater insight on what He may be revealing to you. Remember, prayer is a two way conversation, so be sure to listen to what God has to say! Now, write it out.

As you become more familiar with the process, don’t be afraid to move away from the SOAP method if you find alternatives work for you. I’m simply presenting a method to use if you don’t already have one.

That’s it! That’s all there is to it. I can’t express how valuable Life Journaling is to me and how much its improved my relationship with God. It’s also made me more aware of what he has in store for me as I’m hearing him speak to me through His Word every day I Life Journal.

Thanks to SuperFantastic for the image.

I worked for a dot com in the year 2000. Until it succumbed to the dot bomb in 2001.

One of the guy’s I worked with, a programmer, used to have this saying when he ran into a programming challenge that he couldn’t fix immediately. As he continued to work on the problem, in his thick Tennessee drawl he’d say, “Strugglin’.”

When it comes to my life goal of following Christ I often struggle.

I struggle making time to life journal. I struggle praying to Him as often as I should. I struggle making Him my all, instead of myself my all.

I struggle going to him with everything. Everything. I often say to myself, “that’s too small, He doesn’t care about that.”

And then, he throws things at me to remind me who He is:

Luke 14

1-3 One time when Jesus went for a Sabbath meal with one of the top leaders of the Pharisees, all the guests had their eyes on him, watching his every move. Right before him there was a man hugely swollen in his joints. So Jesus asked the religion scholars and Pharisees present, "Is it permitted to heal on the Sabbath? Yes or no?"

4-6They were silent. So he took the man, healed him, and sent him on his way. Then he said, "Is there anyone here who, if a child or animal fell down a well, wouldn’t rush to pull him out immediately, not asking whether or not it was the Sabbath?" They were stumped. There was nothing they could say to that.

If I fell down a well on a Sunday morning, He’d stop being worshiped to come pull me out.

That’s love.

“Recently, I’ve been struggling with ___________.”

I had some solid journaling time today and thought I’d share. Today’s scripture is from Luke 9. Also, I’d love to hear what God’s been speaking into your life lately.

1-5Jesus now called the Twelve and gave them authority and power to deal with all the demons and cure diseases. He commissioned them to preach the news of God’s kingdom and heal the sick. He said, "Don’t load yourselves up with equipment. Keep it simple; you are the equipment. And no luxury inns—get a modest place and be content there until you leave. If you’re not welcomed, leave town. Don’t make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and move on."

6Commissioned, they left. They traveled from town to town telling the latest news of God, the Message, and curing people everywhere they went.

7-9Herod, the ruler, heard of these goings on and didn’t know what to think. There were people saying John had come back from the dead, others that Elijah had appeared, still others that some prophet of long ago had shown up. Herod said, "But I killed John—took off his head. So who is this that I keep hearing about?" Curious, he looked for a chance to see him in action.

10-11The apostles returned and reported on what they had done. Jesus took them away, off by themselves, near the town called Bethsaida. But the crowds got wind of it and followed. Jesus graciously welcomed them and talked to them about the kingdom of God. Those who needed healing, he healed.

Jesus had other plans when he took the apostles off by themselves. And yet, people heard of his presence and flocked to Jesus. He didn’t turn them away. He welcomed them, talked to them about the Father, and healed those needed healing.

While we can’t heal like Jesus did, sometimes people seek us just to listen and sometimes that healing is in our listening to them, hearing their hurts, and sharing their hurts with them.

This often happens when we have other plans. God happens at the most unexpected times and we have to be ready to share, to relate our story and His story, and to share the healing name of Christ with others when they seek. Don’t turn them away. Don’t huff because they interrupted your plans. Rejoice in the opportunity to share the name of the one that saved you.