“But this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases
His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
“-{Lam 3:21-23} 🙂
This phrase caught my attention this morning,
“But This I call to mind…”
It is so easy for us to forget and we often need a gentle reminder of Him and His truth to encourage us. One reason HE HAS given us the Scripture is to “… encourage us that we might have Hope” – { Read Rom 15:4-5}… as we recall to our MIND what He says in this verse it ends up with us having… HOPE! “…THEREFORE I have … Hope…”
- Thinking on Truth,…”But I Call this to MIND…”
- Thinking on Him… “The Lord…”
- Thinking on His Love….” Steadfast love… never ceases…” The Lord NEVER CEASES LOVING YOU… NEVER!
- Produces Hope….”THEREFORE… I … HAVE…HOPE.”
Jeremiah was in a cave watching the devastation and ruins of Jerusalem. The word “Lamentations” refers to “Sorrow.” And the sorrow, pain, destruction of what the people had been through was horrific. Nebuchadnezzar for approx 30 months had the people shut in, they could not leave to get supplies and they were cut off from supplies. Finally the walls were breached, and the horrific acts of violence that followed.
- And with this as a background we read these words from the man who had witnessed this, “But this I call to mind…” And he THINKS about the truth, the character of God!
- Four words to instill confidence in himself and others namely Hope from the LORD, founded on the Love of the LORD, and coming forth from Faithfulness of the LORD and his Portion– his security, satisfaction, significance, life was the LORD!
- And it begins with THINKING RIGHT ABOUT THE LORD!
What you Choose to Think, Dwell and fill your mind with today, will influence you, DESPAIR or HOPE! Setting your mind on things above will elevate your morale and heart!
Need “Hope? It begins with your thought life. ” “But….This I Call to Mind…”
When disheartening, anxious thoughts come to your mind, TEMPTING YOU TO THINK AND THINK ON THEM AND LIKE And like a car wheel stuck spinning in the mud going no where nut sinking the wheel deeper and deeper, making tracts, sinking deeper down into the surface… So thinking on things excluding the LORD from the equation will lead to sinking down emotionally often yielding to despair, fears, anxiety, depression… and it all seems so hopeless. And it is… That’s the point!
The purpose of Our mind is to love the Lord our God with all our heart… and ALL our MIND…” -{Luke 10:27}.
SO WE ASK ourselves, “Is this thought helping me to Love Him because it is true of Him? Is dwelling on fearful, anxious, despairing, depressing thoughts true and worthy of Him? Will they produce “Hope?” No? Then like the writer recall what will elevate your heart and produce “hope,” by going on the offensive, beginning with, “But This I will RECALL to MIND….”
The attack IS on your THOUGHT Life, to seek to destabilize your faith in the LORD and divert your thoughts from Loving Him, by seeking to occupy your mind with things and exclude HIM FROM YOUR DAILY TESTS, TRIUMPHS… TO ULTIMATELY displace Him AND DISHONOR Him BY DOING SO!
It is battle, a royal battle some times for your thought life, to destabilize you emotionally and influence your decision making and divert you from seeking to love God and the KINGDOM OF GOD as you live representing Him and His business upon your stay upon this earth… The attack is real, fierce at times, other times it is subtle… a “thought” comes to mind, and we do not examine it as Philippians 4:8 shows us to ” Whatever is TRUE …LET YOUR MIND DWELL THERE…” Is the THOUGHT true of God, His Character, Promises, who He says I am “In Christ,”… His “precious and magnificent promises -{Read 2 Peter 1:3-4}. And empowered by God to do what pleases Him who “works in you for His good pleasure.”-{Read Phil 2:12-13} God initiates, empowers, provided and we are responsible to RENEW our thinking {Rom 12:2}.
So BE ON GUARD. GUARD YOUR THOUGHT LIFE!{Read Prov 4:21-23}-
We often think Bible reading or memorization is a “thing to do,” rather than a Person to know!
Maybe this “thing to do,” could be our view of Vacation Bible school for the children. Seeking to turn it into a competition to see who can memorize the most and then check off your list, and miss the point…of Knowing, Loving and obeying God! We think it’s a good thing for the kids to do but show our true value of it, by choosing not to do it ourselves, as we are not convinced we need to be entrenched in His Word, to know Him, know what it mean’s to love Him from His Perspective!
Reading, memorizing and mediating upon His Word does not earn us favor with God but it can help us to know Him better, His ways, as revealed in his Word.
But as Jesus said”Man shall not live by bread alone but by EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS FROM THE MOUTH OF GOD…” and this HE Said while undergoing satanic temptation. When tempted He responded “It is written…it is written… it is written.” -{Read Matt 4}. His Word is the Sword of The Spirit. {Read Eph 6:17}. This is what the Spirit of God uses to live out the Christian life. When handled accurately enables the follower of Christ defensively to protect and offensively to tear down “strongholds,” and walk in “freedom…In Christ-{Red 2 Cor 10:4-5; Gal 5:1.}. God uses His Word to inform, transform, protect, guide, encourage, reveal His will and Himself to us and enable us to use it accurately in the “fight of faith,” we daily encounter.
When a thought comes that is not TRUE of Him… But how will we know? His Word,which is “truth”-{John 17:17}.
Choose to…REFUSE to dwell on the lies, instead REPLACE them with TRUTH… Lamentations 3:21-23 for example…. and REPEAT… and His SPIRIT will RENEW your mind to continually think on things above where Christ is seated {Read Col 3:1-2}… and He can recall this to you… to encourage yourself in the midst of difficulties, devastation, and also…OTHERS!
Think Right about The Lord… produced Hope, which was founded on the Love of God, trusting in the Faithfulness of God, who was his PORTION,” his life, security, significance, satisfaction and very life!.-{Read Lam 3:21-24}. It begins with THINKING RIGHT ABOUT GOD! It begins with is making a choice,… “But This I call to MIND…” What we choose to allow and focus our Mind to dwell on will determine either futile or Godly “Hope…” “Futile hope” is based on a chance, no certainty, just like a gambler hoping his bet comes good,but its hope is based on a chance. But Hope in God is based on certainty! The Certainty of who He is as revealed in His Word!
NOTE; “I” am responsible.”I” am a recipient!
In the passage note twice,”I.”He takes personal responsibility on what he calls to mind, the LORD’S steadfast love,
“The writer’s hope is based on “the Lord’s great love.” The key Hebrew word here is ḥeseḏ. ‘Great love’ doesn’t do justice to the richness of its meaning. This is a very deep and committed love, a love that stays loyal, one that accepts responsibilities. It’s a covenant love with obligations of caring and commitment for another person.” {Northern seminary}…. mercy, faithfulness {the word “faithfulness” comes from a root meaning “be permanent, secure, and reliable.”}…”
and as a result he personally experiences and has “Hope!” Such is the power of the Living Word, to impart “Hope!”
Memorize, mediate upon Him and this PASSAGE and allow His Spirit to encourage you…
“But this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases…”
BE ENCOURAGED… CHOOSE WHO AND WHAT YOU WILL THINK ON… 🙂