Today we begin a rather lengthy time going through the book of Jeremiah. While this book is a bit tedious to read, it is one of the most important prophetic books of the Bible. The book was written during the reign of five different kings of Judah ranging from 627-586 BC – Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah. The main purpose of the book was to urge God’s people to turn from their sin and back to God. The book is a mixture of history, poetry, and biography. As we read this book, we can almost feel how much Jeremiah agonizes over the message he must deliver. This is a reminder of how hard it is for us to deliver this type of message. However, when we are called by God to do it, we must.

Today we are reading the entire book of Titus. This is a letter written by Paul to Titus partially as an encouragement, but mostly for instruction on his responsibilities as the supervisor of the churches on the island of Crete. Titus was probably a convert to Christ through Paul’s ministry. Paul shows great confidence in Titus in the key verse of the book, Titus 1:5 The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. This is mostly a book of instruction that all of us can learn from.

Today we finished up our reading through 2 Chronicles. After continued disobedience by the Israelites, God finally allowed the Israelites to be placed in captivity by the Babylonians. Everything they had and held sacred was taken from them. This is a lesson to us all. God does not inflict harm on us out of spite. But there comes a time when God allows the consequences of our sin to take over. We must be mindful of the consequences of our sin and turn away and look to God before it catches up to us. It is never easy, but it is what we must do.