Christian Devotional – October 19, 2022

The Weeping Prophet, Day 15

The opinions of others. Read Jeremiah chapter 15.

Through this chapter we see yet again God’s description of judgment on his people. However, we get some interesting insight into Jeremiah in this chapter. Jeremiah has been sharing God’s word. He has been telling the people everything that God told him, and he loved God’s word and cherished it more than anything else. We see that in verse 16.

However, Jeremiah was struggling. The people hated him. This verse that is highlighted here, we see that people hated him even more than they would have hated someone that owed them money. Jeremiah was a disgrace to the people. But he was not a disgrace to God. God explained that he would love and protect and cherish Jeremiah for the obedience that he had to his word. The rest of the country and the people would all experience judgment, but Jeremiah would be saved. God would protect and defend Jeremiah against all those who are speaking wrongly about him.

God loves and cherishes those who love and cherish him. God will defend those who defend him. If we are being obedient to Christ and following him, others are not going to like us. We are going to experience difficulties and anger on the part of the people we are around. It can be sad and depressing at times. It’s really hard to not be liked by the people we are around. Yet, God calls us to be obedient to him and Jeremiah, as our example, shows that we can do it even in the midst of the difficulties and negative opinions of others.

Are we following God? Are we experiencing the negative attitudes of others around us? We are to find our hope in Christ and remain faithful and obedient to everything he has for us.