I Will Not Seek Greatness For Myself

FROM: AUGUST 28, @ SEPTEMBER 3, 2008

TOPIC: “I Will Not Seek Greatness For Myself” Jeremiah 45: 1-5 When we can see that our Christian life has as priority the will of God and that it implies many times of struggles, fights, and tribulations, then what we hear are complaints. Therefore, we should stop looking for our own benefit, otherwise, we will be seeking what does not belong to us. We must know that we serve someone that is greater than everything that surrounds us and can impress us. We must see what a real life with God is and stop seeking to satisfy our ego. Jeremiah was speaking to a nation that had been taken into captivity and was letting them know each day what was about to happen to them. By his side was a man who helped by writing everything down. This man, Baruch, was supposed to feel and live what the prophet was living, but it was not this way, for his only ambition was for power and greatness. There is no special capacity in us, only God can give us what He wants and when He wants. Baruch was a scribe; he was a grandson of the general from Jerusalem. It seems that he had a little more social influence in his town than Jeremiah did. Careful! Ambitions are very bad when they come before Christ. Philippians 2:21 We must not seek to have what will never belong to us. These ambitions may seem good, but God will give each one of us what is ours. We cannot do more or do less, but rather what each one of is supposed to do in particular. The best thing we can do is to continue and to persevere. Jehovah heard and saw what Baruch was doing; in the same way He sees each move that we make in our lives. Baruch only added more preoccupation, more burdens, and more work to Jeremiah. Instead of finding rest in Baruch, IT WAS THE OPPOSITE. Jehovah reads whatever is in our hearts. Sometimes we start in this path, but the time comes when we must define ourselves. Maybe Baruch was frustrated because his desire to be in a higher position was crushed. We forget that God is entitled to plant and remove, to build or knock down. Baruch was seeking for the greatness of Judah and Jerusalem. The only way that something is taken away is when we walk away from God; this is why we must love. When God wants to bless someone, He will. It is better for us to move aside and let God proceed. We are given the manna for each day. Other people’s manna does not belong to us. We must not try to do things where we are not supposed to do; we must not try to plant where God does not want to plant. In all the circumstances of our life Jehovah wants us to live for Him. The best thing to do is to have an encounter with Him and not with any position or ambition. Let us not speak what we do not know. We must seek to know and stop looking for what doesn’t correspond to us. The best thing to do is to comply with the commission that God has given us even if it seems very small. When we neglect to comply with this commission in our lives, then indeed problems will come. God created, planted and pulled out. Baruch probably thought he was going to be the prophet in those days. When our path is unknown to us we expect to show God’s glory when only the judgments of God are being manifested. Baruch wanted to do something when Jehovah had already left and Judah was under complete judgment. Humbleness must be in the life of a true saint, it should be in our mind when the devil comes to seduce us. There was only judgment; the glory of Jehovah wasn’t there, and the temple had already been destroyed. The best thing in life is to be guided by God. God had judgment and Baruch wanted to demonstrate that he was the servant of God. When the judgment of God is upon a nation, the only thing that can deliver the righteous is if they are humble. We must be a humble church for God. In the Day of Judgment those who are not humble will fall. There are many judgments’ upon the earth. And when there is judgment, it is inevitable. Judgments will come wherever we are, but keeping ourselves humble will keep us from being touched by it. We live more for what is vain. When we

are in danger, when we are despised, then we must be careful because we begin to defend ourselves, and we underestimate God’s power and we are no longer humble. Sometimes we think that God has been unfair with us, but independently of how much we have suffered we haven’t given our lives for anybody. It is God who has loved us. God gives us something to do and we think that it belongs to us. What God has given us is not because of our capacity, but because He wanted to give it to us. We must know and understand how this path is. In the moments of judgment and circumstances we must keep on believing in God. When we have to suffer we must go through it. Pain won’t kill anyone, but when we do not take care of our hearts, this can surely kill us. We can go through many situations, but we must conserve our lives with humbleness because this is what is going to deliver us. We exist today because Jehovah wanted it to be today. There are judgments that we must go through one after another, but we must maintain our lives in complete humbleness. We must be careful not to complain because God is hearing us. We must live through our circumstances because Good chose us for this. God wants to guide our lives and when He deals with us it is not easy, but it is very good for us. Jehovah has chosen us to go through all this with humbleness and not with rebellion. The complaint of the church is very dangerous. Whatever we go through we must face it with a desire to see God move in our circumstances. It is a privilege to be chosen by God. NO MATTER WHAT COMES OUR WAY, GOD WILL TAKE CARE OF US. Sometimes when we are shattered we say that we don’t deserve this. God gives the earth and men what is deserved. The best thing to do is to bow our heads and remain quiet. The excess of everything that life puts in front of us and what we expect from everything that surrounds us takes away our desire to obtain, of possessing. When bad things come our way, we don’t have patience to deal with it. Baruch was seeking for greatness when he was in complete captivity. He had to understand that the people of Israel were not right before God. By nature men are willful, they are always thinking of what is best for them, but they don’t like to pray. There are things that God does not want for us because they are not convenient for us. No one was going to touch Baruch because God was taking care of his life. No one can harm our lives. God will take care of us and deliver us. No matter what we go through, nothing can destroy us. Our lives cannot perish, and God takes care of those who are humble. The best thing we can do is to be humble, remain quiet, and know that God will deliver us from any danger and will give us our lives as a prize so that we will not end up overthrown. He will take care of our lives wherever we go. He takes care of those who are humble and meek. Amen.