Welcome to Take Ten at Ten with Pastor Tony! Today's message centers on Jeremiah 20:9 ESV: "If I say, 'I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name, there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.'"
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The Gospel Burns Within Us
Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, brought a warning from God of impending judgment on the people of Judah. They didn't want to listen and refused to change. Pashhur the priest beat Jeremiah and put him in the stocks. Once released, Jeremiah cried out to the Lord, "... I have become a laughingstock all the day; everyone mocks me" (Jeremiah 20:7 ESV).
And then Jeremiah makes an important shift in thought.
This is a defining verse for my life because I can't hold in God's word. It burns like a fire within me, and I must share the great gift I have in Christ. The power of God's Word has transformed me, so I must speak. If people hear but don't listen, that shouldn't deter me.
I can only find satisfaction from living by the Word and sharing the Word. I can't hold it in; I can't keep it to myself for my own good. Like Jeremiah, I must trust God with all my conversations because the gospel is the solution for the problems we face in life, whether it's racial justice and healing or discouragement due to the fallout from COVID-19. The gospel takes dead people and makes them alive. Laws can't change hearts; God does.
His Word will bring healing to our community, state and world. Keep praying, Keep serving, Keep being the church.
