The Difficult Words of God

While God’s words may sometimes be difficult to hear, God speaks with deep honesty that is important for God’s followers to hear if they seek to grow. Jeremiah brings another warning of impending judgment. If the people will not turn to the Lord, God will break the nation and reshape it, just as a potter breaks down and reshapes clay on a wheel. The psalmist praises God for God’s intimate knowledge of each one of us. Even from the moment of conception, God knows us and has a plan for our lives. Philemon is often overlooked, but it packs a punch. A text that some have used in the past to justify slavery teaches a very different message. Paul warns Philemon not to enslave Onesimus again but to receive him back as a brother. Secular power structures have no place in God’s kingdom. In Luke, Jesus uses striking examples to teach us that the life of faith cannot be lived well with half-hearted commitment.

• Read Jeremiah 18:1-11. How does the image of the potter point to the Creator’s intentions of loving and shaping us?
• Read Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18. God knows you better than you know yourself, yet God has given you the ability to make your own decisions. How do you respond to God?
• Read Philemon 1:1-21. Holy pressure can encourage someone to do the right thing, but where is the balance between not enough and too much holy pressure? What examples of holy pressure do you see in the world today?
• Read Luke 14:25-33. What cost have you paid to follow Jesus? How has God uniquely moved in you to produce radical change?