God of Dogs and Catfish

God of Dogs and Catfish

From Jeremiah 1-11
with readings from chapters 1 and 2 and 4

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My current Bible reading plan has me in Jeremiah 1-11.
Eleven emotional chapters, God’s heart for the people.

• Are you a dog person or cat person?
Most of US states have more dog owners than cat owners.
There are around 80 million dogs in US, and maybe 85 million cats.
Some general personality traits of dog owners: iphone, conservative, outgoing. Cat owners: android, introverts, reserved/cautious. (from a 2015 study of 222thousand pet owners.)

I don’t know if it means anything but I began to think of God as more like a dog than a cat. God, who desperately longs to be with you, delights to please you, is sad when you’re sad. We see this God in Jeremiah 1-11.

Also consider God the lover, God the spouse, who loudly grieves that his spouse cheats on him. God’s heartbreak at the peoples’ infidelity. That’s the context of these chapters.

• In the midst of God’s heartbreak, God calls a prophet.
God’s call is not based on qualifications, but God qualifies the called.
God’s call is for the rescuing of humankind. No borders.
God is more powerful than circumstances.

• Jeremiah is great love story of God and people,
God who is able to save and who won’t quit.

• 2004 story of catfish in Kansas (check out http://kerrfunk.blogspot.com/2006_02_01_archive.html).

In 2004 Bill Driver witnessed a 50# catfish choking to death on a basketball. He was able to rescue the fish.

It’s a gospel story with these points: we choke on something we shouldn’t be eating, and it will kill us. There is a power with the desire and the ability to save us.

• Jeremiah 4:3 break up your hard rocky soil,
your unplowed ground.
What is your unplowed ground but that lifestyle God asks you to live and that promises blessing? 

We were created to live in relationship with God in the world. 

We can do so through grace of Jesus.

• Keep focus on God. Word, pray, fast, confess, commit. Return.

• Hymn 140 Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Jeremiah 1:4-10   (CEB)

⁴ The Lord’s word came to me:

⁵ “Before I created you in the womb I knew you;
    before you were born I set you apart;
    I made you a prophet to the nations.”

⁶ “Ah, Lord God,” I said, “I don’t know how to speak
    because I’m only a child.”

⁷ The Lord responded,
    “Don’t say, ‘I’m only a child.’
        Where I send you, you must go;
        what I tell you, you must say.
⁸ Don’t be afraid of them,
    because I’m with you to rescue you,”
        declares the Lord.

⁹ Then the Lord stretched out his hand,
    touched my mouth, and said to me,
    “I’m putting my words in your mouth.
¹⁰ This very day I appoint you over nations and empires,
    to dig up and pull down,
    to destroy and demolish,
    to build and plant.”      ò

Jeremiah 4:1-4   (CEB)

4¹ If you return, Israel, return to me, declares the Lord.
    If you get rid of your disgusting idols from my presence
        and wander no more,
²     and if you swear by the living God
        in truth, justice, and righteousness,
    then the nations will enjoy God’s blessings;
        they will boast about him.

³ This is what the Lord says to the people of Judah and to the residents of Jerusalem:

Break up your hard rocky soil;
    don’t plant among the thorns.
⁴ Dedicate yourselves to the Lord;
    don’t be thick-skinned,
        people of Judah and residents of Jerusalem,
    or else my anger will spread like a wildfire.
        It will burn, with no one to put it out,
        because of your evil deeds.     ò