On that first Easter morning, the world was forever altered by three simple words: He is risen. Not “He will rise.” Not “He might rise.” But He is risen. These are not just words of celebration—they are words that redefine reality. The resurrection is not an addition to our faith; it is the foundation. Without it, we may have inspiration. With it, we have salvation.
When the women approached the tomb in Matthew 28:1–10, they came expecting death. They carried spices, not songs. Their hearts were heavy with grief, not filled with hope. Yet the angel’s words shattered their expectations: “Do not be afraid… He is not here; for He has risen.” What they thought was the end became a brand-new beginning. That is the power of the resurrection—it turns despair into hope. Easter reminds us that our worst day is never the final word.
The empty tomb is more than a symbol—it is a declaration of victory. On Friday, death seemed to have the final say. But on Sunday, Jesus spoke a greater word. The resurrection proclaims that sin has been paid for, death has been defeated, and the grave has been conquered. In our Wesleyan understanding, this victory is not only about eternal life—it is about new life right now. Because Christ lives, we are not just forgiven; we are being transformed.
But Easter is not only something to believe—it is something to experience. The angel told the women, “Come and see… then go and tell.” Come, See, Go, Tell-These four words make up the four sermons we will experience on what it means to “Be the Church” that we will unpack in the month following Easter. The women came trembling, but they left rejoicing. Along the way, they encountered the risen Jesus personally—and everything changed. That is still true today. When we meet the risen Christ, we do not leave the same way we came.
So we ask ourselves: What in your life feels dead right now? Where have you lost hope? What have you assumed is over? Easter speaks directly into those places with a powerful truth: God is not finished.
Because Jesus lives, we have a living hope. Hope is no longer wishful thinking—it is anchored reality. Faith is not blind—it is grounded in truth. Life is not meaningless—it is filled with redeemed purpose. Because He lives, your past can be forgiven, your present can be transformed, and your future can be secured.
The story of Easter does not end at the empty tomb—it continues with an invitation. The same Jesus who walked out of the grave is still calling today. Calling us out of sin, out of shame, out of fear, and into new life. I invite you to invite others to experience the Resurrection with us this Sunday on Easter!

This Easter, don’t just celebrate the resurrection—respond to it. Come and see. Then go and tell.

Because He is risen.
He is risen indeed!

Here are a few things coming up in our ministry . . .

We will not have Prayer Breakfast, Wednesday activities and pickup, or Fusion this week due to Holy Week. We pray that you and your family can take the time this week to come together and remember all that was done for each of us on the cross. We are thankful for each family whose student comes to Columbus First Youth.

We have 27 individuals going on our mission trip. 17 of those are students. If you or your business would like to contribute any amount towards a students trip, that would be appreciated. This button will take you to our website and the mission give page. Please put in the memo line the person whose trip you would like to contribute to. If you have questions, please email emily@columbusfirst.org.

Our annual Easter Egg hunt for our children is on April 4 at 10 am in the gym. Our children's ministry would love if your student could help with this fun event. Please scan the QR code to sign up to volunteer.

In John 19:30, Jesus speaks one of the most powerful words ever uttered from the cross: “It is finished.” At first glance, those words might sound like defeat-the final breath of a suffering man. But in truth, they are a declaration of victory.
The phrase Jesus uses carries the meaning of “paid in full.” It was written across receipts in the ancient world when a debt had been completely satisfied. It is used on receipts to this day. It is the peace and joy that comes from paying a large debt off after considerable time. It is how a homeowner feels when they make the last payment on a 30-year mortgage and burn the note. However, this debt was eternal and not just for a long time on earth. This means that when Jesus spoke those words, He was not saying, “I am finished.” He was proclaiming, “The work is finished.”
Everything the Father had sent Him to do-every step toward redemption, every act of obedience, every ounce of suffering-had reached its completion. The cross was not the tragic end of Jesus’ story; it was the fulfillment of His mission.
What was finished? The burden of sin that humanity could never carry on its own. The separation between God and His people. The power of sin and death that once held us captive. Through His sacrifice, Jesus did what we could never do for ourselves. He paid the price completely.
And because His work is finished, we are invited to live differently.
Too often, we live as though something is still left undone-as though we must earn God’s love, prove our worth, or carry the weight of our past. We strive, we worry, we hold onto guilt and shame. But the cross reminds us that there is nothing left to prove. Jesus has already done it.
This does not mean our journey of faith is over. In fact, it is just beginning. The work of salvation is finished, but the work of transformation continues. We are being shaped, renewed, and made holy-not to earn God’s love, but because we already have it.
During this Lenten season, we are invited to respond to these words in a tangible way. What burdens are you still carrying? What guilt, regret, fear, or striving are you holding onto as if the work is not yet complete?
Take time to name those things. Write them down if you need to. And then, in prayer, lay them at the foot of the cross. Trust that what Jesus finished is truly finished.
The cross does not say, “Try harder.”
It declares, “It is finished.”
May we learn to live not for victory, but from it-resting in the grace that has already been given, and walking in the freedom Christ has already won.

Tuesday, 3/24/26: Prayer Breakfast at 7:20 am at Chick-Fil-A (We will take Heritage students to school following breakfast)

Wednesday, 3/25/26:
2 pm pickup at New Hope Middle School
3:10 pm pickup at Heritage Elementary
3:20 pm pickup at Heritage High School
4 pm Open gym at church
6 pm Small Groups Begin
7 pm Dismissal 

Sunday, 3/29/26: Sunday Services and Activities
8:45 am Contemporary Service in the Artz Fellowship Hall
10 am Sunday School in the gym
10:55 am: Traditional Service in the Sanctuary
5:30 pm: Palms to the Cross Practice 

We are going to have our merch shop open for another night THIS Wednesday from 5-5:45 in the Artz Fellowship Hall lobby during dinner.

We have 27 individuals going on our mission trip. 17 of those are students. If you or your business would like to contribute any amount towards a student's trip, that would be appreciated. This button will take you to our website and the mission give page. Please put in the memo line the person whose trip you would like to contribute to. If you have questions, click the button below to reach out to Emily.

Palms to the Cross Cast: Lockhart Garner,  Sophie Milam, Cole Shelton, Jackson Frye, William Golden, Isaiah Clark, Gavin Elliot, Bryson Bogue, Sam Starks, Gipson Hicks, Brandon Turner, Oliver Woodard, Todd Sharp, Cooper Long, Zach Harden, James Golden, Grice Garner, Ryan Wesley Rigdon, William Shivers, Barett Phillips, Barrett Spears, Kaitlyn Collins, Katie Frost, Lilla Allgood, Laura Lea Sharp, Elizabeth Golden, Emma Phillips, Aubrey Gray, Caroline Hurt, Hunter Hill, Kennedy Regimbal, Jackson Frye, Lily Beth Rush, Roxy Perkerson

The cast will practice at 3 pm, Sunday, March 29.

Our annual Easter Egg hunt for our children is on April 4 at 10 am in the gym. Our children's ministry would love it if your student could help with this fun event. Please click below to see how you can volunteer!

During the season of Lent, Christians around the world pause to reflect on the final words spoken by Jesus from the cross. Each phrase reveals something profound about the heart of God and the meaning of Christ’s sacrifice. One of the shortest statements Jesus makes is found in John 19:28: “I thirst.” At first glance, these words may seem simple, but they reveal something deeply powerful about our Savior.

These words remind us that Jesus was not only fully divine—He was also fully human. Crucifixion was an unimaginably brutal form of execution. Victims experienced severe dehydration from blood loss, exposure, and the strain of struggling for breath. When Jesus said, “I thirst,” He was expressing the real physical suffering He endured. The Son of God did not remain distant from human pain; He entered it fully. The cross shows us that God understands suffering from the inside.

For many people, one of the most comforting truths of the Christian faith is that we do not pray to a distant or detached Savior. Unlike other distant world religions, He put on flesh to walk among us and to experience our pains. Scripture tells us in Hebrews that Jesus is a High Priest who sympathizes with our weaknesses. When we experience exhaustion, grief, loneliness, or physical pain, we can remember that Christ knows what it feels like to suffer. The cross assures us that God stepped into the deepest realities of the human condition.

John also tells us that Jesus spoke these words “to fulfill Scripture.” Even in the midst of unimaginable pain, Jesus was completing the mission He came to accomplish. The suffering Messiah described in the Psalms was being revealed before their eyes. The cross was not a tragic accident; it was the unfolding of God’s redemptive plan to rescue the world.

Yet the words “I thirst” also point us to a deeper spiritual truth. Throughout the Gospel of John, Jesus speaks about another kind of thirst—the longing of the human soul for God. To the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus said that whoever drinks the water He gives will never thirst again. On the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, He proclaimed, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.” There is a powerful irony at the cross: the One who offers living water died thirsty. Jesus endured thirst so that the deepest thirst of our souls could be satisfied.

This week, as part of our Lenten journey, consider fasting from one meal. During that time, reflect on your own spiritual hunger. Let that physical reminder point you toward the One who alone can satisfy the longings of the human heart. Christ thirsted on the cross so that we might discover the living water of God’s grace.



-  Rev. Dr. Vaughn Stafford

Tuesday, 3/17/26: Prayer Breakfast at 7:20 am at Chick-Fil-A (We will take Heritage students to school following breakfast)

Wednesday, 3/18/26:
2 pm pickup at New Hope Middle School
3:10 pm pickup at Heritage Elementary
3:20 pm pickup at Heritage High School
4 pm Open gym at church
6 pm Small Groups Begin
7 pm Dismissal 

Sunday, 3/22/26: Sunday Services and Activities
8:45 am Contemporary Service in the Artz Fellowship Hall
10 am Sunday School in the gym
10:55 am: Traditional Service in the Sanctuary
5:30 pm: Palms to the Cross Practice 

We have 27 individuals going on our mission trip. 17 of those are students. If you or your business would like to contribute any amount towards a student's trip, that would be appreciated. This button will take you to our website and the mission give page. Please put in the memo line the person whose trip you would like to contribute to. If you have questions, click the button below to reach out to Emily.

Our annual Easter Egg hunt for our children is on April 4 at 10 am in the gym. Our children's ministry would love it if your student could help with this fun event. Please click below to see how you can volunteer!

As we continue our journey through Lent, we arrive at one of the most haunting and honest moments in the story of the cross. In Matthew 27:45–46, Jesus cries out from the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” These words, drawn from Psalm 22, give voice to a depth of suffering that many of us recognize but often struggle to express.

At first glance, this cry can be unsettling. How could the Son of God feel forsaken? Yet these words reveal something deeply comforting about our Savior. Jesus did not remain distant from the pain of the human experience. He stepped fully into it. On the cross, Jesus entered the darkness of suffering, loneliness, and abandonment that so many people face in this broken world.

The Bible does not pretend that life is always easy or that faith eliminates hardship. In fact, Scripture gives us an entire language for bringing our pain honestly before God. The Psalms are filled with prayers of lament—raw cries of confusion, grief, and longing. Psalm 22 begins with the same words Jesus spoke from the cross, reminding us that lament is not a failure of faith. Instead, it is faith that refuses to let go of God even when life feels overwhelming.

Notice that even in His anguish, Jesus still says, “My God.” Though He feels abandoned, the relationship remains. His cry is not one of disbelief but of honest trust. He is holding on to the Father even in the darkest moment.

There is another important truth hidden in this cry. When Jesus quotes Psalm 22, He is pointing to a psalm that not only begins in suffering but ends in hope. What appears to be defeat on the cross is actually the unfolding of God’s redemptive plan. The suffering Messiah described in Psalm 22 is the Savior who brings salvation to the world.

For us, this means that the moments when God seems silent or distant are not necessarily moments when He is absent. The cross reminds us that God is often doing His deepest work in places we least expect.

During this Lenten season, I invite you to practice honest prayer. Take time to bring your real struggles before God. Write them down. Speak them aloud. Trust that the God who heard the cry of His Son also hears the cries of His people.

Lent prepares our hearts for Easter by reminding us that suffering is not the end of the story. Because Jesus entered our darkness, we can trust that light and hope are always on the horizon.

Tuesday, 3/17/26: Prayer Breakfast at 7:20 am at Chick-Fil-A (We take Heritage students to school following breakfast)

Wednesday, 3/18/26:
2 pm pickup at New Hope Middle School
3:10 pm pickup at Heritage Elementary
3:20 pm pickup at Heritage High School
4 pm Open gym at church
6 pm Small Groups Begin
7 pm Dismissal

Sunday, 3/15/26: Sunday Services and Activities
8:45 am Contemporary Service in the Artz Fellowship Hall
10 am Sunday School in the gym
10:55 am: Traditional Service in the Sanctuary
5:30 pm: Fusion
        Fusion is our youth weekly worship service. Students eat at 5:30. At 6 pm, we go to the youth room for youth-led worship, message, and prayer. Dismiss at 7 pm.

We have 27 individuals going on our mission trip. 17 of those are students. If you or your business would like to contribute any amount towards a student's trip, that would be appreciated. This button will take you to our website and the mission give page. Please put in the memo line the person whose trip you would like to contribute to. If you have questions, click the button below to reach out to Emily.

As we continue our Lenten journey, we come to one of the most powerful and hope-filled moments in all of Scripture: Jesus’ words to the thief on the cross—“Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). In the shadow of suffering and death, we hear a word that changes everything: a word of salvation.

What makes this moment so remarkable is not just what Jesus says, but who He says it to. This man had no time left to turn his life around. No opportunity to make amends. No chance to prove himself. By every human measure, his story was over. And yet, in his final moments, he turns to Jesus with a simple, honest plea: “Remember me.”

This is the beauty of grace. Salvation is not something we earn over time—it is a gift we receive through faith. The thief brings nothing but his need, his guilt, and his trust in Jesus. And that is enough.

In this scene, we also see two very different responses to Jesus. One criminal mocks and demands to be rescued on his own terms. The other humbly acknowledges his sin, recognizes Jesus’ innocence, and entrusts himself to Christ’s mercy. The difference is not proximity to Jesus, but posture toward Him.

How often are we tempted to approach Jesus like the first man—wanting Him to fix our circumstances without surrendering our hearts? Lent invites us to take the posture of the second man: honest, humble, and open to grace.

Jesus’ response is filled with assurance: “Truly… today… you will be with me… in paradise.” These are not vague or distant promises. They are immediate, certain, and deeply personal. Our hope is not based on our performance, but on His promise.

This passage also shapes our hearts for others. If Jesus can save a man in his final moments, then no one is beyond His reach. That’s why one of our Lenten practices is to pray daily for someone far from God. Who has the Lord placed on your heart? A friend, a family member, a neighbor?

Let us be faithful in prayer, trusting that God is still writing stories of redemption—sometimes in the most unexpected moments.

As we walk toward the cross this season, may we remember: it is never too late to turn to Jesus. And it is never too late for someone we love.

Grace and peace,
Pastor Vaughn

On February 18th we will celebrate two Ash Wednesday Services in our historic traditional sanctuary. The first at Noon and the last at 6PM. Last year we moved our Ash Wednesday services to the sanctuary because we no longer fit in the chapel. We hope that you, your co-workers, classmates, family, and friends will join us for at least one of these powerful worship experiences. Our services will have children, youth, and adults in them as we truly experience God’s grace inter-generationally.

Ash Wednesday invites us into one of the most honest moments of the Christian year. It marks the beginning of Lent, a forty-day journey of reflection, repentance, and renewal that leads us toward the cross—and ultimately, the hope of resurrection. In a world that encourages us to rush past discomfort and avoid self-examination, Ash Wednesday gently asks us to slow down and face the truth about ourselves before God.

When ashes are placed on our foreheads, we hear ancient words: “Repent and believe the Gospel.” These words are not spoken to condemn us, but to ground us. They remind us that we are finite, fragile, and deeply dependent on God’s grace. We are not defined by our productivity, our success, or our failures. We are creatures formed by God and sustained by mercy.

The ashes themselves carry deep meaning. They are made from last year’s palms—symbols of praise and celebration—now reduced to dust. What once marked triumph now marks repentance. This powerful image reminds us that even our best moments, if not rooted in God, cannot sustain us. Yet the ashes are traced in the shape of a cross, declaring that our sin and mortality are met by Christ’s redeeming love.

Ash Wednesday calls us to repentance, not as an act of shame, but as an invitation to transformation. To repent is to turn—to reorient our lives toward God. It is an honest acknowledgment that something in us needs healing, reordering, or releasing. Lent gives us space to ask hard questions: What have I been holding onto that no longer gives life? Where have my habits, thoughts, or priorities drifted from God’s heart? In our services you will be invited to let go of those things that have separated you from God in a very special way.

This season is not about earning God’s favor or proving spiritual discipline. It is about making room for God to do renewing work within us. Practices like prayer, fasting, generosity, and self-examination are not ends in themselves; they are means of grace—pathways through which God shapes our hearts to look more like Christ.

As we begin Lent together, I invite you to approach Ash Wednesday not as a ritual to observe, but as a posture to carry. Come honestly. Come humbly. Come trusting that God meets us not when we have everything together, but when we admit our need.

May this holy season draw us closer to God, deepen our love for others, and prepare our hearts to fully receive the joy of Easter morning. Grace and peace to you as we begin this sacred journey together.

Many of us spend our days battling thoughts we never chose. They slip in quietly: I’m not enough. I’ll never change. I’m alone in this. These thoughts feel true because they are familiar, but Scripture reminds us that not every thought deserves a seat at the table of our minds.

Paul writes in Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Notice that transformation does not begin with changing our circumstances but with changing our thinking. Every destructive thought carries an unspoken lie about who God is, who we are, or what our future holds. The enemy doesn’t always attack with obvious temptation; sometimes he simply whispers distortion until it sounds like truth.

That is why renewal is not a one-time moment but a daily practice. We don’t wake up automatically thinking in godly ways. Our minds are shaped by what we dwell on, what we repeat, and what we believe. Spiritual growth happens as we allow God’s truth to interrupt old patterns and replace them with new ones. Over time, what once felt impossible begins to feel natural—not because we became stronger, but because truth became louder than lies.

God has given us a powerful weapon for this battle: His Word. Scripture is not merely comforting language for hard days; it is living truth that cuts through deception. When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, He did not argue with lies—He answered them with “It is written.” Truth exposes what is false and reshapes what has been broken. The Word of God does not just soothe our wounds; it retrains our thinking.

In Philippians 4:8, Paul teaches us how to fix our minds: “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure…think about such things.” This is not positive thinking; it is disciplined thinking. We cannot control every thought that enters our mind, but we can choose which thoughts we entertain. What we meditate on eventually becomes what we believe, and what we believe shapes how we live.

This week, I invite you to practice replacing lies with truth. Identify one recurring lie you struggle with and pair it with one Scripture that speaks directly against it. When negative self-talk begins, replace it with biblical affirmation. Begin and end your day by praying Philippians 4:8 over your mind, asking God to guard your thoughts and center your heart on what is true.

God’s desire is not merely to improve your behavior but to renew your mind. As we allow His truth to take root in our thinking, we will discover that transformation does not come from trying harder, but from believing differently. The lies lose their power when truth takes their place.

Every time we baptize a baby and commit to being the village that surrounds that child and family, I feel the joy of that opportunity and the weight of that responsibility. It is joyful because we all know a baby changes everything for a family and that baby Jesus, wrapped in swaddling clothes and laying in a manger, changed everything for the whole world. It is weighty because our church is committing to raise this child up in the faith and to be the people that will nurture and model God's prevenient grace in such a way that this child claims that which claims them later in life. Our church has been blessed to receive more than 250 new children, youth, and adult members over the past 27 months and we believe that this movement and momentum will only grow in the years ahead. Our staff and leadership often pray, “Lord, we don’t merely ask you to bless what we are doing, but to empower us to participate in what you are blessing.”

It is for this very reason that we are excited to invite children, youth, volunteers, families, parents, members, and guests to join us for a special series of listening sessions and a presentation about our church’s Children and Youth Ministries which will be hosted by our church and Ministry Architect Consultants. These gatherings are designed to share the vision for nurturing the next generation while hearing your ideas, feedback, and hopes for our young people. Whether you are a parent, grandparent, or simply someone who cares about guiding children and teens in faith, your voice matters.

During the sessions, we will provide an overview of our programs, upcoming events, and opportunities for involvement. There will also be time for questions and open conversation, so we can learn from your experiences and insights. We need you to be part of shaping a ministry that equips our children, youth, and their families to grow in faith, character, and community. Your input will help us build transformational and meaningful ministry systems for the generations to come.

There are two main times we are asking for your participation. First, please find the time and group on Friday or Saturday (January 30th or 31st) that best fits your role and schedule to be a part of a hosted listening session. Second, please join us for the presentation that our Ministry Architect consultants will be sharing with us at 4PM on Sunday, February 1st in the Artz Fellowship Hall.

 

Friday, January 30 9:00 AM - General Staff 10:15 AM - Children’s Minister 11:30 AM - Youth Minister 12:45 PM - Senior Pastor & Associate Pastor 4:00 PM - Parents of Children 5:15 PM - Church Leadership 6:30 PM - General Congregation Saturday, January 31 9:00 AM - Children’s Ministry Volunteers AND Youth Ministry Volunteers (two separate groups) 10:15 AM - Parents of Children AND Parents of Youth (two separate groups) 11:30 AM - Middle School AND High school Youth (two separate groups) Sunday 1:00 PM - Assessment Report Review with Senior Pastor & Associate Pastor 4:00 PM - Assessment Report Presentation

As the days grow shorter and the calendar is filled with parties, programs, and plans, it is easy for Christmas to arrive before our hearts are ready to receive it. The season invites us not only to prepare our homes with decorations and our schedules with celebrations, but to prepare our hearts to welcome Christ anew.

Advent reminds us that Christmas is not merely a date on the calendar; it is a holy encounter. Long before the manger in Bethlehem, God’s people learned to wait—to hope, to watch, and to trust that God would keep His promises. Preparing our hearts begins with slowing down enough to remember why we are waiting in the first place. In the quiet moments of prayer and reflection, we make room for God to speak again into our lives.

Preparing our hearts also means making space. Just as Mary made space in her life for God’s unexpected call, we are invited to examine what fills our days and our thoughts. Are we crowded with worry, resentment, or distraction? Advent gives us permission to lay those burdens down and create room for grace. When we confess, forgive, and let go, we make room for the peace Christ longs to bring.

Another way we prepare our hearts is by choosing hope. The world into which Jesus was born was marked by uncertainty, fear, and longing—not unlike our own. Yet into that darkness came the light of God’s love. As we light Advent candles and sing familiar carols, we proclaim that God is still at work, still faithful, and still present. Preparing our hearts means daring to believe that God can bring light into our darkest places.

Finally, we prepare our hearts by living the message of Christmas before it arrives. The coming of Christ calls us to love generously, serve humbly, and give joyfully. Each act of kindness, each word of encouragement, and each gift given in love becomes a reflection of the Christ who is coming. When we care for the lonely, welcome the stranger, and lift up the weary, we participate in the miracle of Christmas here and now.

This Sunday we will look at how God called unexpected people (the wise men) from an unexpected place (the East) to travel an unexpected time (2 years) to bring their gifts to the Christ-child. Then on Christmas Eve we will celebrate the unimaginable gift of Jesus at both our 3PM and 5PM worship services. Our children will be singing at the 3PM service and the beauty, simplicity, and historicity of Christmas will be fully immersive with carols, communion, a short message, and candle light. We hope to see you on the 21st and on the 24th for these powerful times of worship and word.

As Christmas approaches, may we resist the temptation to rush past the holy wonder of the season. Let us pause, pray, and prepare. May our hearts become a manger—simple, open, and ready—so that when Christmas morning dawns, we are not only celebrating a birth long ago, but welcoming Christ into our lives once again.

Our family’s favorite Broadway musical is Wicked (I know that doesn’t sound right for a minister to say). Even so, we have seen it multiple times in multiple cities, and we plan to see it many times again. I was first drawn to it because it was billed as the prequel to an annual favorite TV movie from my childhood, The Wizard of Oz. I still remember popping popcorn and getting snacks together to watch it as a family on our old wooden console TV every year. The focus of the musical is the unlikely friendship between Elphaba (The Wicked) and Galinda (The Good). The first act ends with our family’s favorite song in the entire musical, Defying Gravity. Elphaba has discovered that her old ways of fearful living are not what she wants and can’t live within any more. The song picks up with these powerful words, “Something has changed within me, something is not the same, I’m through with playing by the rules of someone else’s game. Too late for second guessing, too late to go back to sleep. It’s time to trust my instincts, close my eyes and leap.” Then the song launches into the powerful chorus, “It’s time to try defying gravity.”

Over these last years together, God has been mightily changing hearts, families, priorities, and our community. God has grown us in number and depth. We have more people more deeply engaged in every age and stage of life and ministry than we have had or seen in many years (and for many of us, more so than at any point in our lives).

This Sunday, November 23rd, we will wrap up our three-week stewardship sermon series. In week one, we climbed the high dive ladder with Stewarding our Time to Grow in Christ in 2026. In week two, we walked out the diving board past the rails with Stewarding our Talents to Serve for Christ in 2026. This Sunday, we are inviting all of us to defy gravity and leap by Stewarding our Treasures to Give in 2026. This Sunday, we will bring our pledge cards for growing, serving, and giving forward in both worship services and will share a time of consecration of our commitments. My wife and I have been praying and will make the largest commitment we have ever made to a church.

There’s one more section in the lyrics from Wicked that grabs my heart. The bridge declares “Unlimited. Together, we’re unlimited. Together, we’ll be the greatest team there’s ever been. Dreams the way we planned ‘em, if we work in tandem. There’s no fight we cannot win. Just you and I defying gravity!”

That’s the way I feel about the movement of the people of God that the Lord has assembled, and is assembling, at Columbus First Methodist. I pray that this Sunday we defy gravity as we commit to leaping into this new year together.

3 And he said to me, “Son of man, eat whatever you find here. Eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me this scroll to eat. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly with this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it.” Then I ate it, and it was in my mouth as sweet as honey.

4 And he said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with my words to them. 5 For you are not sent to a people of foreign speech and a hard language, but to the house of Israel— 6 not to many peoples of foreign speech and a hard language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, if I sent you to such, they would listen to you. 7 But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me: because all the house of Israel have a hard forehead and a stubborn heart. 8 Behold, I have made your face as hard as their faces, and your forehead as hard as their foreheads. 9 Like emery harder than flint have I made your forehead. Fear them not, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.” 10 Moreover, he said to me, “Son of man, all my words that I shall speak to you receive in your heart, and hear with your ears. 11 And go to the exiles, to your people, and speak to them and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ whether they hear or refuse to hear.”

12 Then the Spirit[a] lifted me up, and I heard behind me the voice[b] of a great earthquake: “Blessed be the glory of the Lord from its place!” 13 It was the sound of the wings of the living creatures as they touched one another, and the sound of the wheels beside them, and the sound of a great earthquake. 14 The Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness in the heat of my spirit, the hand of the Lord being strong upon me. 15 And I came to the exiles at Tel-abib, who were dwelling by the Chebar canal, and I sat where they were dwelling.[c] And I sat there overwhelmed among them seven days.

A Watchman for Israel

16 And at the end of seven days, the word of the Lord came to me: 17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. 18 If I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for[d] his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. 19 But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul. 20 Again, if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits injustice, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die. Because you have not warned him, he shall die for his sin, and his righteous deeds that he has done shall not be remembered, but his blood I will require at your hand. 21 But if you warn the righteous person not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning, and you will have delivered your soul.”

22 And the hand of the Lord was upon me there. And he said to me, “Arise, go out into the valley,[e] and there I will speak with you.” 23 So I arose and went out into the valley, and behold, the glory of the Lord stood there, like the glory that I had seen by the Chebar canal, and I fell on my face. 24 But the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and he spoke with me and said to me, “Go, shut yourself within your house. 25 And you, O son of man, behold, cords will be placed upon you, and you shall be bound with them, so that you cannot go out among the people. 26 And I will make your tongue cling to the roof of your mouth, so that you shall be mute and unable to reprove them, for they are a rebellious house. 27 But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ He who will hear, let him hear; and he who will refuse to hear, let him refuse, for they are a rebellious house.

The Siege of Jerusalem Symbolized

4 “And you, son of man, take a brick and lay it before you, and engrave on it a city, even Jerusalem. 2 And put siegeworks against it, and build a siege wall against it, and cast up a mound against it. Set camps also against it, and plant battering rams against it all around. 3 And you, take an iron griddle, and place it as an iron wall between you and the city; and set your face toward it, and let it be in a state of siege, and press the siege against it. This is a sign for the house of Israel.

4 “Then lie on your left side, and place the punishment[f] of the house of Israel upon it. For the number of the days that you lie on it, you shall bear their punishment. 5 For I assign to you a number of days, 390 days, equal to the number of the years of their punishment. So long shall you bear the punishment of the house of Israel. 6 And when you have completed these, you shall lie down a second time, but on your right side, and bear the punishment of the house of Judah. Forty days I assign you, a day for each year. 7 And you shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem, with your arm bared, and you shall prophesy against the city. 8 And behold, I will place cords upon you, so that you cannot turn from one side to the other, till you have completed the days of your siege.

9 “And you, take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and emmer,[g] and put them into a single vessel and make your bread from them. During the number of days that you lie on your side, 390 days, you shall eat it. 10 And your food that you eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels[h] a day; from day to day[i] you shall eat it. 11 And water you shall drink by measure, the sixth part of a hin;[j] from day to day you shall drink. 12 And you shall eat it as a barley cake, baking it in their sight on human dung.” 13 And the Lord said, “Thus shall the people of Israel eat their bread unclean, among the nations where I will drive them.” 14 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I have never defiled myself.[k] From my youth up till now I have never eaten what died of itself or was torn by beasts, nor has tainted meat come into my mouth.” 15 Then he said to me, “See, I assign to you cow's dung instead of human dung, on which you may prepare your bread.” 16 Moreover, he said to me, “Son of man, behold, I will break the supply[l] of bread in Jerusalem. They shall eat bread by weight and with anxiety, and they shall drink water by measure and in dismay. 17 I will do this that they may lack bread and water, and look at one another in dismay, and rot away because of their punishment.

God feed’s Ezekiel a scroll to eat that taste like honey. And he delivered him to the Israelites and for 7 days observed them. He then issues 3 warnings for them to repent and one way to the father.

Ezekiel keeps getting referenced to the “Son of Man”, (sound familiar), and 3 warnings are given by him to the Hardened faces and foreheads, to get their hearts and minds right before God. Then he gives them the pathway to God by giving the righteous person not to sin and he shall live. Then Ezekiel is removed and made mute only to speak when God is ready for him to deliver any words ( guard our mouths), and issues another warning for us to Hear or not Hear for good but they still rebel.
These things all sound like us at times in our lives. And God still Loves us and desires us to come to him. We must become like Ezekiel and listen, and hear what God is putting on us to go speak Boldly to the unbelievers that Salvation and Redemption comes from God freely by asking Jesus to come into their hearts. Son of Man or is Ezekiel showing what is to come.

Dear God,
Thank you for giving our hardened hearts so many opportunities to get it right. Thank you for giving us the examples through Prophets, your word and especially your Son Jesus that we can have Salvation, Grace and Boldness to proclaim your message without fear. Help us to be ready to share and respond with your way to lead someone to you and get Them to the Finish Line.
In Jesus precious name I pray,
Amen

Ezekiel in Babylon
1 In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the exiles by the Chebar canal, the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.[a] 2 On the fifth day of the month (it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin), 3 the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the Chebar canal, and the hand of the Lord was upon him there.
The Glory of the Lord
4 As I looked, behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, and a great cloud, with brightness around it, and fire flashing forth continually, and in the midst of the fire, as it were gleaming metal.[b] 5 And from the midst of it came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had a human likeness, 6 but each had four faces, and each of them had four wings. 7 Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the sole of a calf's foot. And they sparkled like burnished bronze. 8 Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. And the four had their faces and their wings thus: 9 their wings touched one another. Each one of them went straight forward, without turning as they went. 10 As for the likeness of their faces, each had a human face. The four had the face of a lion on the right side, the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and the four had the face of an eagle. 11 Such were their faces. And their wings were spread out above. Each creature had two wings, each of which touched the wing of another, while two covered their bodies. 12 And each went straight forward. Wherever the spirit[c] would go, they went, without turning as they went. 13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches moving to and fro among the living creatures. And the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. 14 And the living creatures darted to and fro, like the appearance of a flash of lightning.
15 Now as I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the earth beside the living creatures, one for each of the four of them.[d] 16 As for the appearance of the wheels and their construction: their appearance was like the gleaming of beryl. And the four had the same likeness, their appearance and construction being as it were a wheel within a wheel. 17 When they went, they went in any of their four directions[e] without turning as they went. 18 And their rims were tall and awesome, and the rims of all four were full of eyes all around. 19 And when the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the living creatures rose from the earth, the wheels rose. 20 Wherever the spirit wanted to go, they went, and the wheels rose along with them, for the spirit of the living creatures[f] was in the wheels. 21 When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those rose from the earth, the wheels rose along with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.
22 Over the heads of the living creatures there was the likeness of an expanse, shining like awe-inspiring crystal, spread out above their heads. 23 And under the expanse their wings were stretched out straight, one toward another. And each creature had two wings covering its body. 24 And when they went, I heard the sound of their wings like the sound of many waters, like the sound of the Almighty, a sound of tumult like the sound of an army. When they stood still, they let down their wings. 25 And there came a voice from above the expanse over their heads. When they stood still, they let down their wings.
26 And above the expanse over their heads there was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like sapphire;[g] and seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness with a human appearance. 27 And upward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were gleaming metal, like the appearance of fire enclosed all around. And downward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness around him.[h] 28 Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around.
Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.
Ezekiel's Call
2 And he said to me, “Son of man,[i] stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.” 2 And as he spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and I heard him speaking to me. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day. 4 The descendants also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ 5 And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that a prophet has been among them. 6 And you, son of man, be not afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions.[j] Be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house. 7 And you shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house.
8 “But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Be not rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.” 9 And when I looked, behold, a hand was stretched out to me, and behold, a scroll of a book was in it. 10 And he spread it before me. And it had writing on the front and on the back, and there were written on it words of lamentation and mourning and woe.

Ezekiel is in Exile along with a very rebellious group of Israelites as a Priest raised to Prophet for God. He has a vision and the Heavens open and 4 Angels appear to him. He tries to describe them in common words to let the group envision the sight. He was given the task of getting the information out to a “very Rebellious House”. He was told not to be afraid of the people or their words but get God’s word out to them that he physically handed to him with writing on both sides of the scroll, Lamentation and mourning.

Even when we’re not sure about how sometimes we are supposed to approach people with the good news of Jesus and what he did for us, we should never be afraid of sharing the good news to people who may say or react in a “negative “ way. I can only imagine what it must’ve been like for Ezekiel to muster the strength to share something so out of the ordinary to a group of very unhappy and angry people about a vision he had seen. I think God was sharing to us that “He Knows and Sees all things” and that no matter our situation, he can get us through anything that we can get ourselves into and that he loves us no matter what but, we’re still going to have to repent and ask Jesus into our heart but we’re still going to have consequences.

Jesus,
Please help us with sharing you and your love and salvation to people even where we may be uncomfortable. That our actions will also be a witness of a change in us that we appear in your likeness even if we look a little strange to some. Thank you for loving us as we are even when we rebel against you sometimes. In your Precious Name we pray,
Amen

Great Is Your Faithfulness
3 I am the man who has seen affliction
    under the rod of his wrath;
2 he has driven and brought me
    into darkness without any light;
3 surely against me he turns his hand
    again and again the whole day long.
4 He has made my flesh and my skin waste away;
    he has broken my bones;
5 he has besieged and enveloped me
    with bitterness and tribulation;
6 he has made me dwell in darkness
    like the dead of long ago.
7 He has walled me about so that I cannot escape;
    he has made my chains heavy;
8 though I call and cry for help,
    he shuts out my prayer;
9 he has blocked my ways with blocks of stones;
    he has made my paths crooked.
10 He is a bear lying in wait for me,
    a lion in hiding;
11 he turned aside my steps and tore me to pieces;
    he has made me desolate;
12 he bent his bow and set me
    as a target for his arrow.
13 He drove into my kidneys
    the arrows of his quiver;
14 I have become the laughingstock of all my people,[a]
    the object of their taunts all day long.
15 He has filled me with bitterness;
    he has sated me with wormwood.
16 He has made my teeth grind on gravel,
    and made me cower in ashes;
17 my soul is bereft of peace;
    I have forgotten what happiness[b] is;
18 so I say, “My endurance has perished;
    so has my hope from the Lord.”
19 Remember my affliction and my wanderings,
    the wormwood and the gall!
20 My soul continually remembers it
    and is bowed down within me.
21 But this I call to mind,
    and therefore I have hope:
22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;[c]
    his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.
24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
    “therefore I will hope in him.”
25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
    to the soul who seeks him.
26 It is good that one should wait quietly
    for the salvation of the Lord.
27 It is good for a man that he bear
    the yoke in his youth.
28 Let him sit alone in silence
    when it is laid on him;
29 let him put his mouth in the dust—
    there may yet be hope;
30 let him give his cheek to the one who strikes,
    and let him be filled with insults.
31 For the Lord will not
    cast off forever,
32 for, though he cause grief, he will have compassion
    according to the abundance of his steadfast love;
33 for he does not afflict from his heart
    or grieve the children of men.
34 To crush underfoot
    all the prisoners of the earth,
35 to deny a man justice
    in the presence of the Most High,
36 to subvert a man in his lawsuit,
    the Lord does not approve.
37 Who has spoken and it came to pass,
    unless the Lord has commanded it?
38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
    that good and bad come?
39 Why should a living man complain,
    a man, about the punishment of his sins?
40 Let us test and examine our ways,
    and return to the Lord!
41 Let us lift up our hearts and hands
    to God in heaven:
42 “We have transgressed and rebelled,
    and you have not forgiven.
43 “You have wrapped yourself with anger and pursued us,
    killing without pity;
44 you have wrapped yourself with a cloud
    so that no prayer can pass through.
45 You have made us scum and garbage
    among the peoples.
46 “All our enemies
    open their mouths against us;
47 panic and pitfall have come upon us,
    devastation and destruction;
48 my eyes flow with rivers of tears
    because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.
49 “My eyes will flow without ceasing,
    without respite,
50 until the Lord from heaven
    looks down and sees;
51 my eyes cause me grief
    at the fate of all the daughters of my city.
52 “I have been hunted like a bird
    by those who were my enemies without cause;
53 they flung me alive into the pit[d]
    and cast stones on me;
54 water closed over my head;
    I said, ‘I am lost.’
55 “I called on your name, O Lord,
    from the depths of the pit;
56 you heard my plea, ‘Do not close
    your ear to my cry for help!’
57 You came near when I called on you;
    you said, ‘Do not fear!’
58 “You have taken up my cause, O Lord;
    you have redeemed my life.
59 You have seen the wrong done to me, O Lord;
    judge my cause.
60 You have seen all their vengeance,
    all their plots against me.
61 “You have heard their taunts, O Lord,
    all their plots against me.
62 The lips and thoughts of my assailants
    are against me all the day long.
63 Behold their sitting and their rising;
    I am the object of their taunts.
64 “You will repay them,[e] O Lord,
    according to the work of their hands.
65 You will give them[f] dullness of heart;
    your curse will be[g] on them.
66 You will pursue them[h] in anger and destroy them
    from under your heavens, O Lord.”[i]
The Holy Stones Lie Scattered
4 How the gold has grown dim,
    how the pure gold is changed!
The holy stones lie scattered
    at the head of every street.
2 The precious sons of Zion,
    worth their weight in fine gold,
how they are regarded as earthen pots,
    the work of a potter's hands!
3 Even jackals offer the breast;
    they nurse their young;
but the daughter of my people has become cruel,
    like the ostriches in the wilderness.
4 The tongue of the nursing infant sticks
    to the roof of its mouth for thirst;
the children beg for food,
    but no one gives to them.
5 Those who once feasted on delicacies
    perish in the streets;
those who were brought up in purple
    embrace ash heaps.
6 For the chastisement[j] of the daughter of my people has been greater
    than the punishment[k] of Sodom,
which was overthrown in a moment,
    and no hands were wrung for her.[l]
7 Her princes were purer than snow,
    whiter than milk;
their bodies were more ruddy than coral,
    the beauty of their form[m] was like sapphire.[n]
8 Now their face is blacker than soot;
    they are not recognized in the streets;
their skin has shriveled on their bones;
    it has become as dry as wood.
9 Happier were the victims of the sword
    than the victims of hunger,
who wasted away, pierced
    by lack of the fruits of the field.
10 The hands of compassionate women
    have boiled their own children;
they became their food
    during the destruction of the daughter of my people.
11 The Lord gave full vent to his wrath;
    he poured out his hot anger,
and he kindled a fire in Zion
    that consumed its foundations.
12 The kings of the earth did not believe,
    nor any of the inhabitants of the world,
that foe or enemy could enter
    the gates of Jerusalem.
13 This was for the sins of her prophets
    and the iniquities of her priests,
who shed in the midst of her
    the blood of the righteous.
14 They wandered, blind, through the streets;
    they were so defiled with blood
that no one was able to touch
    their garments.
15 “Away! Unclean!” people cried at them.
    “Away! Away! Do not touch!”
So they became fugitives and wanderers;
    people said among the nations,
    “They shall stay with us no longer.”
16 The Lord himself[o] has scattered them;
    he will regard them no more;
no honor was shown to the priests,
    no favor to the elders.
17 Our eyes failed, ever watching
    vainly for help;
in our watching we watched
    for a nation which could not save.
18 They dogged our steps
    so that we could not walk in our streets;
our end drew near; our days were numbered,
    for our end had come.
19 Our pursuers were swifter
    than the eagles in the heavens;
they chased us on the mountains;
    they lay in wait for us in the wilderness.
20 The breath of our nostrils, the Lord's anointed,
    was captured in their pits,
of whom we said, “Under his shadow
    we shall live among the nations.”
21 Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom,
    you who dwell in the land of Uz;
but to you also the cup shall pass;
    you shall become drunk and strip yourself bare.
22 The punishment of your iniquity, O daughter of Zion, is accomplished;
    he will keep you in exile no longer;[p]
but your iniquity, O daughter of Edom, he will punish;
    he will uncover your sins.
Restore Us to Yourself, O Lord
5 Remember, O Lord, what has befallen us;
    look, and see our disgrace!
2 Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers,
    our homes to foreigners.
3 We have become orphans, fatherless;
    our mothers are like widows.
4 We must pay for the water we drink;
    the wood we get must be bought.
5 Our pursuers are at our necks;
    we are weary; we are given no rest.
6 We have given the hand to Egypt, and to Assyria,
    to get bread enough.
7 Our fathers sinned, and are no more;
    and we bear their iniquities.
8 Slaves rule over us;
    there is none to deliver us from their hand.
9 We get our bread at the peril of our lives,
    because of the sword in the wilderness.
10 Our skin is hot as an oven
    with the burning heat of famine.
11 Women are raped in Zion,
    young women in the towns of Judah.
12 Princes are hung up by their hands;
    no respect is shown to the elders.
13 Young men are compelled to grind at the mill,
    and boys stagger under loads of wood.
14 The old men have left the city gate,
    the young men their music.
15 The joy of our hearts has ceased;
    our dancing has been turned to mourning.
16 The crown has fallen from our head;
    woe to us, for we have sinned!
17 For this our heart has become sick,
    for these things our eyes have grown dim,
18 for Mount Zion which lies desolate;
    jackals prowl over it.
19 But you, O Lord, reign forever;
    your throne endures to all generations.
20 Why do you forget us forever,
    why do you forsake us for so many days?
21 Restore us to yourself, O Lord, that we may be restored!
    Renew our days as of old—
22 unless you have utterly rejected us,
    and you remain exceedingly angry with us.

God is Faithful in the midst of all evil that seems so prevalent.

Why do we complain about any punishment for our sins? God is Just in punishing us as He uses it for our  growth and a step towards our repentance that carries us to redemption. We are so fortunate as we go forward in these chapters that we have never faced a famine that could result in cannibalism and sheer desperation.  The main point of what we are supposed to do is pray to God for his Love and Mercy and forgiveness and especially his grace for our redemption to please him.

Dear Lord,
Thank you for your Ultimate Mercy and Grace. Thank you for your support in the times we struggle. Thank you for giving us a pathway to you in Jesus. Thank you for your light that shines through even when it feels so dark. In Jesus’s Holy Name.
Amen.

Lamentations 1-2
How Lonely Sits the City
1 How lonely sits the city
    that was full of people!
How like a widow has she become,
    she who was great among the nations!
She who was a princess among the provinces
    has become a slave.
2 She weeps bitterly in the night,
    with tears on her cheeks;
among all her lovers
    she has none to comfort her;
all her friends have dealt treacherously with her;
    they have become her enemies.
3 Judah has gone into exile because of affliction[a]
    and hard servitude;
she dwells now among the nations,
    but finds no resting place;
her pursuers have all overtaken her
    in the midst of her distress.[b]
4 The roads to Zion mourn,
    for none come to the festival;
all her gates are desolate;
    her priests groan;
her virgins have been afflicted,[c]
    and she herself suffers bitterly.
5 Her foes have become the head;
    her enemies prosper,
because the Lord has afflicted her
    for the multitude of her transgressions;
her children have gone away,
    captives before the foe.
6 From the daughter of Zion
    all her majesty has departed.
Her princes have become like deer
    that find no pasture;
they fled without strength
    before the pursuer.
7 Jerusalem remembers
    in the days of her affliction and wandering
all the precious things
    that were hers from days of old.
When her people fell into the hand of the foe,
    and there was none to help her,
her foes gloated over her;
    they mocked at her downfall.
8 Jerusalem sinned grievously;
    therefore she became filthy;
all who honored her despise her,
    for they have seen her nakedness;
she herself groans
    and turns her face away.
9 Her uncleanness was in her skirts;
    she took no thought of her future;[d]
therefore her fall is terrible;
    she has no comforter.
“O Lord, behold my affliction,
    for the enemy has triumphed!”
10 The enemy has stretched out his hands
    over all her precious things;
for she has seen the nations
    enter her sanctuary,
those whom you forbade
    to enter your congregation.
11 All her people groan
    as they search for bread;
they trade their treasures for food
    to revive their strength.
“Look, O Lord, and see,
    for I am despised.”
12 “Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?
    Look and see
if there is any sorrow like my sorrow,
    which was brought upon me,
which the Lord inflicted
    on the day of his fierce anger.
13 “From on high he sent fire;
    into my bones[e] he made it descend;
he spread a net for my feet;
    he turned me back;
he has left me stunned,
    faint all the day long.
14 “My transgressions were bound[f] into a yoke;
    by his hand they were fastened together;
they were set upon my neck;
    he caused my strength to fail;
the Lord gave me into the hands
    of those whom I cannot withstand.
15 “The Lord rejected
    all my mighty men in my midst;
he summoned an assembly against me
    to crush my young men;
the Lord has trodden as in a winepress
    the virgin daughter of Judah.
16 “For these things I weep;
    my eyes flow with tears;
for a comforter is far from me,
    one to revive my spirit;
my children are desolate,
    for the enemy has prevailed.”
17 Zion stretches out her hands,
    but there is none to comfort her;
the Lord has commanded against Jacob
    that his neighbors should be his foes;
Jerusalem has become
    a filthy thing among them.
18 “The Lord is in the right,
    for I have rebelled against his word;
but hear, all you peoples,
    and see my suffering;
my young women and my young men
    have gone into captivity.
19 “I called to my lovers,
    but they deceived me;
my priests and elders
    perished in the city,
while they sought food
    to revive their strength.
20 “Look, O Lord, for I am in distress;
    my stomach churns;
my heart is wrung within me,
    because I have been very rebellious.
In the street the sword bereaves;
    in the house it is like death.
21 “They heard[g] my groaning,
    yet there is no one to comfort me.
All my enemies have heard of my trouble;
    they are glad that you have done it.
You have brought[h] the day you announced;
    now let them be as I am.
22 “Let all their evildoing come before you,
    and deal with them
as you have dealt with me
    because of all my transgressions;
for my groans are many,
    and my heart is faint.”
The Lord Has Destroyed Without Pity
2 How the Lord in his anger
    has set the daughter of Zion under a cloud!
He has cast down from heaven to earth
    the splendor of Israel;
he has not remembered his footstool
    in the day of his anger.
2 The Lord has swallowed up without mercy
    all the habitations of Jacob;
in his wrath he has broken down
    the strongholds of the daughter of Judah;
he has brought down to the ground in dishonor
    the kingdom and its rulers.
3 He has cut down in fierce anger
    all the might of Israel;
he has withdrawn from them his right hand
    in the face of the enemy;
he has burned like a flaming fire in Jacob,
    consuming all around.
4 He has bent his bow like an enemy,
    with his right hand set like a foe;
and he has killed all who were delightful in our eyes;
    in the tent of the daughter of Zion,
he has poured out his fury like fire.
5 The Lord has become like an enemy;
    he has swallowed up Israel;
he has swallowed up all its palaces;
    he has laid in ruins its strongholds,
and he has multiplied in the daughter of Judah
    mourning and lamentation.
6 He has laid waste his booth like a garden,
    laid in ruins his meeting place;
the Lord has made Zion forget
    festival and Sabbath,
and in his fierce indignation has spurned king and priest.
7 The Lord has scorned his altar,
    disowned his sanctuary;
he has delivered into the hand of the enemy
    the walls of her palaces;
they raised a clamor in the house of the Lord
    as on the day of festival.
8 The Lord determined to lay in ruins
    the wall of the daughter of Zion;
he stretched out the measuring line;
    he did not restrain his hand from destroying;
he caused rampart and wall to lament;
    they languished together.
9 Her gates have sunk into the ground;
    he has ruined and broken her bars;
her king and princes are among the nations;
    the law is no more,
and her prophets find
    no vision from the Lord.
10 The elders of the daughter of Zion
    sit on the ground in silence;
they have thrown dust on their heads
    and put on sackcloth;
the young women of Jerusalem
    have bowed their heads to the ground.
11 My eyes are spent with weeping;
    my stomach churns;
my bile is poured out to the ground
    because of the destruction of the daughter of my people,
because infants and babies faint
    in the streets of the city.
12 They cry to their mothers,
    “Where is bread and wine?”
as they faint like a wounded man
    in the streets of the city,
as their life is poured out
    on their mothers' bosom.
13 What can I say for you, to what compare you,
    O daughter of Jerusalem?
What can I liken to you, that I may comfort you,
    O virgin daughter of Zion?
For your ruin is vast as the sea;
    who can heal you?
14 Your prophets have seen for you
    false and deceptive visions;
they have not exposed your iniquity
    to restore your fortunes,
but have seen for you oracles
    that are false and misleading.
15 All who pass along the way
    clap their hands at you;
they hiss and wag their heads
    at the daughter of Jerusalem:
“Is this the city that was called
    the perfection of beauty,
    the joy of all the earth?”
16 All your enemies
    rail against you;
they hiss, they gnash their teeth,
    they cry: “We have swallowed her!
Ah, this is the day we longed for;
    now we have it; we see it!”
17 The Lord has done what he purposed;
    he has carried out his word,
which he commanded long ago;
    he has thrown down without pity;
he has made the enemy rejoice over you
    and exalted the might of your foes.
18 Their heart cried to the Lord.
    O wall of the daughter of Zion,
let tears stream down like a torrent
    day and night!
Give yourself no rest,
    your eyes no respite!
19 “Arise, cry out in the night,
    at the beginning of the night watches!
Pour out your heart like water
    before the presence of the Lord!
Lift your hands to him
    for the lives of your children,
who faint for hunger
    at the head of every street.”
20 Look, O Lord, and see!
    With whom have you dealt thus?
Should women eat the fruit of their womb,
    the children of their tender care?
Should priest and prophet be killed
    in the sanctuary of the Lord?
21 In the dust of the streets
    lie the young and the old;
my young women and my young men
    have fallen by the sword;
you have killed them in the day of your anger,
    slaughtering without pity.
22 You summoned as if to a festival day
    my terrors on every side,
and on the day of the anger of the Lord
    no one escaped or survived;
those whom I held and raised
    my enemy destroyed.

It’s believed to have been written by Jeremiah as poetry lamenting (wailing or moaning) over Jerusalem’s destruction and Babylonian Exile. Chapter 1 describes how Jerusalem (also Zion) was destroyed. Judah was emptied and they are now being ruled by the enemy. Everything was lost. God was always telling them to remember Him but they don’t. When their memories of what they had and Peace they had, it was a little late. 
Chapter 2, the second poem references the relationship between the Israelites and God feels like God was the Enemy here but he wasn’t and isn’t and never will be an enemy. They know that his actions were justified in what he did. It’s always to bring them back to him. They were sacrificing their children to Idols and worshipping those idols and God punished them for Their actions. God and the Prophets go silent for a period of time and is devastating to them. In Vs 17, The Lord has done what he purposed ; he has carried out his word, which he commanded long ago. This was something that he needed them to remember that he (God) had warned of these times long back in the past. 

God is a God who can handle our feelings and emotions and frustrations and he values them and wants us to bring them all to him because he loves us and cares about us even when we screw things up so bad. He just wants us to need and love and praise and Thank him. But, we still sometimes have to suffer consequences for our actions. If we open up to God ( who already knows) our hearts and all the issues of our lives and let him hear us ask him for forgiveness, and grace , He will hear us and it gives us Joy in knowing we serve such a Mighty God.

Dear Lord,
Please help us to remember that we can come to you with anything and everything that you will still and always Love us. Help us to learn from our past to do things right or better today and in our future. 
In Jesus Name We Pray,
Amen.

The Utter Destruction of Babylon

51 Thus says the Lord:
“Behold, I will stir up the spirit of a destroyer
    against Babylon,
    against the inhabitants of Leb-kamai,[a]
2 and I will send to Babylon winnowers,
    and they shall winnow her,
and they shall empty her land,
    when they come against her from every side
    on the day of trouble.
3 Let not the archer bend his bow,
    and let him not stand up in his armor.
Spare not her young men;
    devote to destruction[b] all her army.
4 They shall fall down slain in the land of the Chaldeans,
    and wounded in her streets.
5 For Israel and Judah have not been forsaken
    by their God, the Lord of hosts,
but the land of the Chaldeans[c] is full of guilt
    against the Holy One of Israel.
6 “Flee from the midst of Babylon;
    let every one save his life!
Be not cut off in her punishment,
    for this is the time of the Lord's vengeance,
    the repayment he is rendering her.
7 Babylon was a golden cup in the Lord's hand,
    making all the earth drunken;
the nations drank of her wine;
    therefore the nations went mad.
8 Suddenly Babylon has fallen and been broken;
    wail for her!
Take balm for her pain;
    perhaps she may be healed.
9 We would have healed Babylon,
    but she was not healed.
Forsake her, and let us go
    each to his own country,
for her judgment has reached up to heaven
    and has been lifted up even to the skies.
10 The Lord has brought about our vindication;
    come, let us declare in Zion
    the work of the Lord our God.
11 “Sharpen the arrows!
    Take up the shields!
The Lord has stirred up the spirit of the kings of the Medes, because his purpose concerning Babylon is to destroy it, for that is the vengeance of the Lord, the vengeance for his temple.

12 “Set up a standard against the walls of Babylon;
    make the watch strong;
set up watchmen;
    prepare the ambushes;
for the Lord has both planned and done
    what he spoke concerning the inhabitants of Babylon.
13 O you who dwell by many waters,
    rich in treasures,
your end has come;
    the thread of your life is cut.
14 The Lord of hosts has sworn by himself:
Surely I will fill you with men, as many as locusts,
    and they shall raise the shout of victory over you.
15 “It is he who made the earth by his power,
    who established the world by his wisdom,
and by his understanding stretched out the heavens.
16 When he utters his voice there is a tumult of waters in the heavens,
    and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth.
He makes lightning for the rain,
    and he brings forth the wind from his storehouses.
17 Every man is stupid and without knowledge;
    every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols,
for his images are false,
    and there is no breath in them.
18 They are worthless, a work of delusion;
    at the time of their punishment they shall perish.
19 Not like these is he who is the portion of Jacob,
    for he is the one who formed all things,
and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance;
    the Lord of hosts is his name.
20 “You are my hammer and weapon of war:
with you I break nations in pieces;
    with you I destroy kingdoms;
21 with you I break in pieces the horse and his rider;
    with you I break in pieces the chariot and the charioteer;
22 with you I break in pieces man and woman;
    with you I break in pieces the old man and the youth;
with you I break in pieces the young man and the young woman;
23     with you I break in pieces the shepherd and his flock;
with you I break in pieces the farmer and his team;
    with you I break in pieces governors and commanders.
24 “I will repay Babylon and all the inhabitants of Chaldea before your very eyes for all the evil that they have done in Zion, declares the Lord.

25 “Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain,
declares the Lord,
    which destroys the whole earth;
I will stretch out my hand against you,
    and roll you down from the crags,
    and make you a burnt mountain.
26 No stone shall be taken from you for a corner
    and no stone for a foundation,
but you shall be a perpetual waste,
    declares the Lord.
27 “Set up a standard on the earth;
    blow the trumpet among the nations;
prepare the nations for war against her;
    summon against her the kingdoms,
    Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz;
appoint a marshal against her;
    bring up horses like bristling locusts.
28 Prepare the nations for war against her,
    the kings of the Medes, with their governors and deputies,
    and every land under their dominion.
29 The land trembles and writhes in pain,
    for the Lord's purposes against Babylon stand,
to make the land of Babylon a desolation,
    without inhabitant.
30 The warriors of Babylon have ceased fighting;
    they remain in their strongholds;
their strength has failed;
    they have become women;
her dwellings are on fire;
    her bars are broken.
31 One runner runs to meet another,
    and one messenger to meet another,
to tell the king of Babylon
    that his city is taken on every side;
32 the fords have been seized,
    the marshes are burned with fire,
    and the soldiers are in panic.
33 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:
The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor
    at the time when it is trodden;
yet a little while
    and the time of her harvest will come.”
34 “Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon has devoured me;
    he has crushed me;
he has made me an empty vessel;
    he has swallowed me like a monster;
he has filled his stomach with my delicacies;
    he has rinsed me out.[d]
35 The violence done to me and to my kinsmen be upon Babylon,”
    let the inhabitant of Zion say.
“My blood be upon the inhabitants of Chaldea,”
    let Jerusalem say.
36 Therefore thus says the Lord:
“Behold, I will plead your cause
    and take vengeance for you.
I will dry up her sea
    and make her fountain dry,
37 and Babylon shall become a heap of ruins,
    the haunt of jackals,
a horror and a hissing,
    without inhabitant.
38 “They shall roar together like lions;
    they shall growl like lions' cubs.
39 While they are inflamed I will prepare them a feast
    and make them drunk, that they may become merry,
then sleep a perpetual sleep
    and not wake, declares the Lord.
40 I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter,
    like rams and male goats.
41 “How Babylon[e] is taken,
    the praise of the whole earth seized!
How Babylon has become
    a horror among the nations!
42 The sea has come up on Babylon;
    she is covered with its tumultuous waves.
43 Her cities have become a horror,
    a land of drought and a desert,
a land in which no one dwells,
    and through which no son of man passes.
44 And I will punish Bel in Babylon,
    and take out of his mouth what he has swallowed.
The nations shall no longer flow to him;
    the wall of Babylon has fallen.
45 “Go out of the midst of her, my people!
    Let every one save his life
    from the fierce anger of the Lord!
46 Let not your heart faint, and be not fearful
    at the report heard in the land,
when a report comes in one year
    and afterward a report in another year,
and violence is in the land,
    and ruler is against ruler.
47 “Therefore, behold, the days are coming
    when I will punish the images of Babylon;
her whole land shall be put to shame,
    and all her slain shall fall in the midst of her.
48 Then the heavens and the earth,
    and all that is in them,
shall sing for joy over Babylon,
    for the destroyers shall come against them out of the north,
declares the Lord.
49 Babylon must fall for the slain of Israel,
    just as for Babylon have fallen the slain of all the earth.
50 “You who have escaped from the sword,
    go, do not stand still!
Remember the Lord from far away,
    and let Jerusalem come into your mind:
51 ‘We are put to shame, for we have heard reproach;
    dishonor has covered our face,
for foreigners have come
    into the holy places of the Lord's house.’
52 “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord,
    when I will execute judgment upon her images,
and through all her land
    the wounded shall groan.
53 Though Babylon should mount up to heaven,
    and though she should fortify her strong height,
yet destroyers would come from me against her,
    declares the Lord.
54 “A voice! A cry from Babylon!
    The noise of great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans!
55 For the Lord is laying Babylon waste
    and stilling her mighty voice.
Their waves roar like many waters;
    the noise of their voice is raised,
56 for a destroyer has come upon her,
    upon Babylon;
her warriors are taken;
    their bows are broken in pieces,
for the Lord is a God of recompense;
    he will surely repay.
57 I will make drunk her officials and her wise men,
    her governors, her commanders, and her warriors;
they shall sleep a perpetual sleep and not wake,
    declares the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts.
58 “Thus says the Lord of hosts:
The broad wall of Babylon
    shall be leveled to the ground,
and her high gates
    shall be burned with fire.
The peoples labor for nothing,
    and the nations weary themselves only for fire.”
59 The word that Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah the son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, when he went with Zedekiah king of Judah to Babylon, in the fourth year of his reign. Seraiah was the quartermaster. 60 Jeremiah wrote in a book all the disaster that should come upon Babylon, all these words that are written concerning Babylon. 61 And Jeremiah said to Seraiah: “When you come to Babylon, see that you read all these words, 62 and say, ‘O Lord, you have said concerning this place that you will cut it off, so that nothing shall dwell in it, neither man nor beast, and it shall be desolate forever.’ 63 When you finish reading this book, tie a stone to it and cast it into the midst of the Euphrates, 64 and say, ‘Thus shall Babylon sink, to rise no more, because of the disaster that I am bringing upon her, and they shall become exhausted.’”

Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.

The Fall of Jerusalem Recounted

52 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 2 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. 3 For because of the anger of the Lord it came to the point in Jerusalem and Judah that he cast them out from his presence.

And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. 4 And in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem, and laid siege to it. And they built siegeworks all around it. 5 So the city was besieged till the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 6 On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. 7 Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled and went out from the city by night by the way of a gate between the two walls, by the king's garden, and the Chaldeans were around the city. And they went in the direction of the Arabah. 8 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him. 9 Then they captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he passed sentence on him. 10 The king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and also slaughtered all the officials of Judah at Riblah. 11 He put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him in chains, and the king of Babylon took him to Babylon, and put him in prison till the day of his death.

The Temple Burned

12 In the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month—that was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon—Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, who served the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem. 13 And he burned the house of the Lord, and the king's house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down. 14 And all the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down all the walls around Jerusalem. 15 And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive some of the poorest of the people and the rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, together with the rest of the artisans. 16 But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and plowmen.

17 And the pillars of bronze that were in the house of the Lord, and the stands and the bronze sea that were in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans broke in pieces, and carried all the bronze to Babylon. 18 And they took away the pots and the shovels and the snuffers and the basins and the dishes for incense and all the vessels of bronze used in the temple service; 19 also the small bowls and the fire pans and the basins and the pots and the lampstands and the dishes for incense and the bowls for drink offerings. What was of gold the captain of the guard took away as gold, and what was of silver, as silver. 20 As for the two pillars, the one sea, the twelve bronze bulls that were under the sea,[f] and the stands, which Solomon the king had made for the house of the Lord, the bronze of all these things was beyond weight. 21 As for the pillars, the height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits,[g] its circumference was twelve cubits, and its thickness was four fingers, and it was hollow. 22 On it was a capital of bronze. The height of the one capital was five cubits. A network and pomegranates, all of bronze, were around the capital. And the second pillar had the same, with pomegranates. 23 There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides; all the pomegranates were a hundred upon the network all around.

The People Exiled to Babylon

24 And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest and the three keepers of the threshold; 25 and from the city he took an officer who had been in command of the men of war, and seven men of the king's council, who were found in the city; and the secretary of the commander of the army, who mustered the people of the land; and sixty men of the people of the land, who were found in the midst of the city. 26 And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 27 And the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was taken into exile out of its land.

28 This is the number of the people whom Nebuchadnezzar carried away captive: in the seventh year, 3,023 Judeans; 29 in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar he carried away captive from Jerusalem 832 persons; 30 in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Judeans 745 persons; all the persons were 4,600.

Jehoiachin Released from Prison

31 And in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth day of the month, Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, graciously freed[h] Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison. 32 And he spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat above the seats of the kings who were with him in Babylon. 33 So Jehoiachin put off his prison garments. And every day of his life he dined regularly at the king's table, 34 and for his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king, according to his daily needs, until the day of his death, as long as he lived.

Chapter 51 is a kind of long chapter basically fulfilling the prophecies of the Destruction of Babylon. Chapter 52 brings us to the fulfillment of the Fall and destruction of Jerusalem and the looting and Executions of The Solomon’s Temple items and many prominent figures escaping from famine as well. It brings the release of Jehoiachin.

These chapters have History and Prophecy and reveal timeless truths about God, Sins, Pride and Redemption and speak to us even today in our lives and most everything around us today.

Pride Blinds us from our dependence on God for our Strength, Monetary and perhaps our reputation. Businesses and countries that do not have God in their culture will fail and fall miserably.
We as Christian’s have a direct link to the way we act or live in our homes, in public and yes, in our workplace to. It is why we are here to share all God  gives us and takes our idols away just as easily.

Lord, these couple of chapters were a little difficult to read and grasp but are also very important in the scheme of our lives today. Please help us to understand that you are the true giver of all we need and break down our pride and love of idols that can’t speak or answer any of our issues of life. We Love you with all we are and have and Thank you for our Country, Columbus and our homes that you provide us and the freedom to Worship you everywhere.
Amen

The Fall of Jerusalem
39 In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 In the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, a breach was made in the city. 3 Then all the officials of the king of Babylon came and sat in the middle gate: Nergal-sar-ezer of Samgar, Nebu-sar-sekim the Rab-saris, Nergal-sar-ezer the Rab-mag, with all the rest of the officers of the king of Babylon. 4 When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled, going out of the city at night by way of the king's garden through the gate between the two walls; and they went toward the Arabah. 5 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. And when they had taken him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, at Riblah, in the land of Hamath; and he passed sentence on him. 6 The king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah at Riblah before his eyes, and the king of Babylon slaughtered all the nobles of Judah. 7 He put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him in chains to take him to Babylon. 8 The Chaldeans burned the king's house and the house of the people, and broke down the walls of Jerusalem. 9 Then Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, carried into exile to Babylon the rest of the people who were left in the city, those who had deserted to him, and the people who remained. 10 Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, left in the land of Judah some of the poor people who owned nothing, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time.
The Lord Delivers Jeremiah
11 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave command concerning Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, saying, 12 “Take him, look after him well, and do him no harm, but deal with him as he tells you.” 13 So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, Nebushazban the Rab-saris, Nergal-sar-ezer the Rab-mag, and all the chief officers of the king of Babylon 14 sent and took Jeremiah from the court of the guard. They entrusted him to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, that he should take him home. So he lived among the people.
15 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah while he was shut up in the court of the guard: 16 “Go, and say to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will fulfill my words against this city for harm and not for good, and they shall be accomplished before you on that day. 17 But I will deliver you on that day, declares the Lord, and you shall not be given into the hand of the men of whom you are afraid. 18 For I will surely save you, and you shall not fall by the sword, but you shall have your life as a prize of war, because you have put your trust in me, declares the Lord.’”
Jeremiah Remains in Judah
40 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord after Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had let him go from Ramah, when he took him bound in chains along with all the captives of Jerusalem and Judah who were being exiled to Babylon. 2 The captain of the guard took Jeremiah and said to him, “The Lord your God pronounced this disaster against this place. 3 The Lord has brought it about, and has done as he said. Because you sinned against the Lord and did not obey his voice, this thing has come upon you. 4 Now, behold, I release you today from the chains on your hands. If it seems good to you to come with me to Babylon, come, and I will look after you well, but if it seems wrong to you to come with me to Babylon, do not come. See, the whole land is before you; go wherever you think it good and right to go. 5 If you remain,[a] then return to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon appointed governor of the cities of Judah, and dwell with him among the people. Or go wherever you think it right to go.” So the captain of the guard gave him an allowance of food and a present, and let him go. 6 Then Jeremiah went to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, at Mizpah, and lived with him among the people who were left in the land.
7 When all the captains of the forces in the open country and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam governor in the land and had committed to him men, women, and children, those of the poorest of the land who had not been taken into exile to Babylon, 8 they went to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan the son of Kareah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, Jezaniah the son of the Maacathite, they and their men. 9 Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, swore to them and their men, saying, “Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you. 10 As for me, I will dwell at Mizpah, to represent you before the Chaldeans who will come to us. But as for you, gather wine and summer fruits and oil, and store them in your vessels, and dwell in your cities that you have taken.” 11 Likewise, when all the Judeans who were in Moab and among the Ammonites and in Edom and in other lands heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant in Judah and had appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, as governor over them, 12 then all the Judeans returned from all the places to which they had been driven and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah. And they gathered wine and summer fruits in great abundance.
13 Now Johanan the son of Kareah and all the leaders of the forces in the open country came to Gedaliah at Mizpah 14 and said to him, “Do you know that Baalis the king of the Ammonites has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to take your life?” But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam would not believe them. 15 Then Johanan the son of Kareah spoke secretly to Gedaliah at Mizpah, “Please let me go and strike down Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no one will know it. Why should he take your life, so that all the Judeans who are gathered about you would be scattered, and the remnant of Judah would perish?” 16 But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, “You shall not do this thing, for you are speaking falsely of Ishmael.”

In chapter 39, King Zedekiah flees, but the Babylonians capture him before he gets too far. The Babylonians also complete their breach on Jerusalem throughout this first part. Zedekiah watches as Jeremiah has told him in the past chapter about his nobles and sons being executed. They then take him captive to Babylon, while the city is destroyed. Nebuzaradan - Babylonian captain- saves the poor people in the city, and gives them land to build on. Nebuchadnezzar orders that Jeremiah should be treated well, so he is released from custody. Jeremiah lives among the people and tells Ebed-melech that the Lord says he will be saved because he put his trust in God.

In chapter 40, Jeremiah is given the option to go to Babylon in protection or stay in the land. Jeremiah decided to stay in the land and live with those who also stayed. Gedaliah is the governor over this new land, and people start building their new lives here. By the end of the chapter, people inform Gedaliah that the king of the Ammonites is trying to kill him, but Gedaliah does not act on it.

Justice and the mercy of God is shown through these two chapters. God stuck to His word through and through by proving he would follow through with the warnings. This meant ignoring Him would lead to destruction, but also mercy was shown by saving Jeremiah, the poor being provided for, and remnants in the land. When we do as Zedekiah did, we have consequences, but when we trust in God, the story ends out much better with hope and restoration. Jeremiah’s faithfulness is also another amazing point in this story because He continuously rewards Jeremiah who stayed loyal.

Dear Lord,

In the fall of Jerusalem you were right there to support those who supported you. They were going through a hard time, and You never turned your back. Let us learn from their mistakes, and take the route Jeremiah takes throughout these chapters by staying faithful to You. I pray you are with us in all the decisions we make in the days to come and show us Your hand through it all. Let your justice and mercy shine in every season.

In Jesus’ name,
Amen

Jeremiah Warns Zedekiah
37 Zedekiah the son of Josiah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah, reigned instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim. 2 But neither he nor his servants nor the people of the land listened to the words of the Lord that he spoke through Jeremiah the prophet.
3 King Zedekiah sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, to Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “Please pray for us to the Lord our God.” 4 Now Jeremiah was still going in and out among the people, for he had not yet been put in prison. 5 The army of Pharaoh had come out of Egypt. And when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard news about them, they withdrew from Jerusalem.
6 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet: 7 “Thus says the Lord, God of Israel: Thus shall you say to the king of Judah who sent you to me to inquire of me, ‘Behold, Pharaoh's army that came to help you is about to return to Egypt, to its own land. 8 And the Chaldeans shall come back and fight against this city. They shall capture it and burn it with fire. 9 Thus says the Lord, Do not deceive yourselves, saying, “The Chaldeans will surely go away from us,” for they will not go away. 10 For even if you should defeat the whole army of Chaldeans who are fighting against you, and there remained of them only wounded men, every man in his tent, they would rise up and burn this city with fire.’”
Jeremiah Imprisoned
11 Now when the Chaldean army had withdrawn from Jerusalem at the approach of Pharaoh's army, 12 Jeremiah set out from Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin to receive his portion there among the people. 13 When he was at the Benjamin Gate, a sentry there named Irijah the son of Shelemiah, son of Hananiah, seized Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “You are deserting to the Chaldeans.” 14 And Jeremiah said, “It is a lie; I am not deserting to the Chaldeans.” But Irijah would not listen to him, and seized Jeremiah and brought him to the officials. 15 And the officials were enraged at Jeremiah, and they beat him and imprisoned him in the house of Jonathan the secretary, for it had been made a prison.
16 When Jeremiah had come to the dungeon cells and remained there many days, 17 King Zedekiah sent for him and received him. The king questioned him secretly in his house and said, “Is there any word from the Lord?” Jeremiah said, “There is.” Then he said, “You shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.” 18 Jeremiah also said to King Zedekiah, “What wrong have I done to you or your servants or this people, that you have put me in prison? 19 Where are your prophets who prophesied to you, saying, ‘The king of Babylon will not come against you and against this land’? 20 Now hear, please, O my lord the king: let my humble plea come before you and do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the secretary, lest I die there.” 21 So King Zedekiah gave orders, and they committed Jeremiah to the court of the guard. And a loaf of bread was given him daily from the bakers' street, until all the bread of the city was gone. So Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.
Jeremiah Cast into the Cistern
38 Now Shephatiah the son of Mattan, Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of Malchiah heard the words that Jeremiah was saying to all the people: 2 “Thus says the Lord: He who stays in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, but he who goes out to the Chaldeans shall live. He shall have his life as a prize of war, and live. 3 Thus says the Lord: This city shall surely be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon and be taken.” 4 Then the officials said to the king, “Let this man be put to death, for he is weakening the hands of the soldiers who are left in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking such words to them. For this man is not seeking the welfare of this people, but their harm.” 5 King Zedekiah said, “Behold, he is in your hands, for the king can do nothing against you.” 6 So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king's son, which was in the court of the guard, letting Jeremiah down by ropes. And there was no water in the cistern, but only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud.
Jeremiah Rescued from the Cistern
7 When Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, a eunuch who was in the king's house, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern—the king was sitting in the Benjamin Gate— 8 Ebed-melech went from the king's house and said to the king, 9 “My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they did to Jeremiah the prophet by casting him into the cistern, and he will die there of hunger, for there is no bread left in the city.” 10 Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, “Take thirty men with you from here, and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.” 11 So Ebed-melech took the men with him and went to the house of the king, to a wardrobe in the storehouse, and took from there old rags and worn-out clothes, which he let down to Jeremiah in the cistern by ropes. 12 Then Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, “Put the rags and clothes between your armpits and the ropes.” Jeremiah did so. 13 Then they drew Jeremiah up with ropes and lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.
Jeremiah Warns Zedekiah Again
14 King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and received him at the third entrance of the temple of the Lord. The king said to Jeremiah, “I will ask you a question; hide nothing from me.” 15 Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I tell you, will you not surely put me to death? And if I give you counsel, you will not listen to me.” 16 Then King Zedekiah swore secretly to Jeremiah, “As the Lord lives, who made our souls, I will not put you to death or deliver you into the hand of these men who seek your life.”
17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “Thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: If you will surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then your life shall be spared, and this city shall not be burned with fire, and you and your house shall live. 18 But if you do not surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then this city shall be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and you shall not escape from their hand.” 19 King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Judeans who have deserted to the Chaldeans, lest I be handed over to them and they deal cruelly with me.” 20 Jeremiah said, “You shall not be given to them. Obey now the voice of the Lord in what I say to you, and it shall be well with you, and your life shall be spared. 21 But if you refuse to surrender, this is the vision which the Lord has shown to me: 22 Behold, all the women left in the house of the king of Judah were being led out to the officials of the king of Babylon and were saying,
“‘Your trusted friends have deceived you
    and prevailed against you;
now that your feet are sunk in the mud,
    they turn away from you.’
23 All your wives and your sons shall be led out to the Chaldeans, and you yourself shall not escape from their hand, but shall be seized by the king of Babylon, and this city shall be burned with fire.”
24 Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Let no one know of these words, and you shall not die. 25 If the officials hear that I have spoken with you and come to you and say to you, ‘Tell us what you said to the king and what the king said to you; hide nothing from us and we will not put you to death,’ 26 then you shall say to them, ‘I made a humble plea to the king that he would not send me back to the house of Jonathan to die there.’” 27 Then all the officials came to Jeremiah and asked him, and he answered them as the king had instructed him. So they stopped speaking with him, for the conversation had not been overheard. 28 And Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard until the day that Jerusalem was taken.

In chapter 37, King Zedekiah becomes the king of Judah, but as he takes reign, no one listens to God’s word from Jeremiah. Zedekiah asks Jeremiah to pray for him and his people, but it wasn’t for the right reasons. He wants God’s help, but does not want to obey God’s commands. Jeremiah warns the people that Babylon (also known as Chaldeans) are going to destroy Jerusalem, but no one believes him. Later, Jeremiah tries to leave the city, he is falsely imprisoned and beaten. While in prison, he tries to tell King Zedekiah about Babylon attempting to capture Jerusalem. Even in imprisonment, Jeremiah stayed faithful.
In chapter 38, Jeremiah is still putting up the same fight about Babylon. He informs the people those who remain in Jerusalem will die, but those who surrender to Babylon will live. Soon officials convince King Zedekiah that Jeremiah isn’t doing any good for the people, and he should be killed. A Ethiopian man, Ebed-melech goes to the king to help save Jeremiah out of the cistern. Ebed-melech takes 30 men and lifted Jeremiah up. After being rescued, King Zedekiah meets with Jeremiah again, and Jeremiah tells him if he surrenders to Babylon, then Zedekiah and his city will be saved, but if he does the opposite, the city will be burned along with no escaping. Zedekiah does not do as Jeremiah suggested, and the king threatens him by saying tell no one what you have said to me or you will die. Jeremiah remained under guard until Jerusalem was captured, which showed his perseverance and obedience to God.

These two chapters show us the cost of disobedience along with the courage of faithfulness shown from Jeremiah. We can sometimes resemble with Zedekiah by hearing what God is telling us, but we struggle to follow it. Zedekiah was scared mainly what others would think of him, what he would lose, and the unknown. He chose faith over fear which resulted in regret and death. Jeremiah showed quite the opposite by following God’s path might not be the popular thing, but it will always be the right thing. He stayed faithful and did everything God and God’s word wanted him to do. So to sum it up, we should stand firm even when it might cost us something. Trust in God’s plan because it means more than the what ifs. Lastly, listen to God’s word when it is uncomfortable.

Dear Lord,
Thank you for this learning experience from Jeremiah, Zedekiah, and Ebed-melech’s story. I pray that we can grow to be more like Jeremiah as he turned to You, and followed You all the way through. When facing pressures or fears, remind us that You always have our backs. Thank you for being patient with me, even when we struggle. Help me live in obedience to You everyday.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.

One of my mentor preacher friends began every Sunday sermon with the greeting, “Good morning, saints. Good morning, sinners.” It was his way of reminding us that all who have professed faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord become a part of the priesthood of all believers. It was also his way of reminding us that we all fall short of the glory of God before and after professing our faith in Him.
A little boy attended church with his grandfather one Sunday, and his grandpa's church had beautiful stained-glass windows. The Grandpa told his grandson that the windows contained pictures of Saint Matthew, Saint Mark, Saint Luke, Saint John, Saint Paul, and a whole lot of other saints.
When he got home, the boy told his mom and dad all about it. Dad, wanting to be funny and curious about what his son had learned, asked his son, "What is a saint?" The boy thought for a minute and then replied, "A saint is somebody the light shines through."
That's a pretty good definition of a saint, and it begs answers to several questions: Who are your saints? Who are the people in your life who let the light of God shine through them for you to see? Who is looking for the light of Christ to shine through your life?
November 2, 2025, is All Saints’ Sunday. It is the day set apart each year to remember the saints who have gone on before us. It is the day when we remember those whose light has illuminated our path, whose love has inspired our steps, and whose guidance has directed us toward living faith-filled and faithful lives.
This Sunday, we will lift the names of our beloved saints who have gone before us in both the 8:45 contemporary and 11 traditional worship services. You will be invited to share the names of your saints, sinners, and loved ones who have passed in the past year. We will celebrate the lives of those who have transitioned from the church militant (those who are imperfect and face earthly struggles) to the church triumphant (those who have been perfected in Christ). We will remind ourselves that we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses.
I will be preaching on three things that the “Great Cloud of Witnesses”, which Revelation 7:9-17 calls the “Great Multitude”, is doing right now and how their current reality inspires our living today. I hope to see you and your loved ones this Sunday as we remember the saints and become Christ’s remembrance for future saints.

You are probably very familiar with the beloved hymn writer John Newton, who famously
wrote “Amazing Grace” back in 1772. John would also write these words,

“I am not what I ought to be. I am not what I wish to be. I am not what I one day will be. But, by the grace of God, I am not what I once was.”

As I look at the conversion and the letters of the Apostle Paul written in our New
Testament, I can’t help but get the sense that Paul would give these words from John a hearty amen!

John Newton was very familiar with the sin of his past life, transporting slaves across the
Atlantic Ocean as part of the British slave-trade. When the Apostle Paul (also known as Saul) was blinded by the light on the road to Damascus and Jesus spoke to him, saying, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (Acts 9:4), he then became aware of his sin and the harm he had done when he persecuted Christians and oversaw the killing of the Stephen. That is why Paul can say, “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--of whom I am the worst.” (1 Timothy 1:15)

This month, we’ve been looking at comeback or turnaround stories of people throughout the Bible. This Sunday, we’ll be wrapping up this series, The Comeback Kids, with the Apostle Paul. We’ll look at how he went from the feared persecutor of Christians to the forgiven messenger of Jesus Christ.

As we wrap up this series, I’d like to invite you to do two things: 1) Think about your favorite turnaround or transformation story in scripture or of someone you know. Then praise God for the turnaround in that person’s life. 2) Identify someone you know that needs a transformation or turn around in their life. Bring the name of this person to our worship together on Sunday. Carry them in prayer as we worship and pray together. Consider coming to the altar to pray for them. You might consider placing their name on a card in your Bible and pray for them every time you open God’s Word, and don’t stop until you see God do something in their life.

It is an honor and joy to be a part of the ministry team here at Columbus First. My family
is so grateful for the love and support this church family has given us over this month as we
have joined you. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts, and we look forward to following Jesus alongside you and watching God do abundantly more than we could ask or imagine.

Chapter 13
1
A wise son heeds his father’s instruction,
    but a mocker does not respond to rebukes.
2
From the fruit of their lips people enjoy good things,
    but the unfaithful have an appetite for violence.
3
Those who guard their lips preserve their lives,
    but those who speak rashly will come to ruin.
4
A sluggard’s appetite is never filled,
    but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.
5
The righteous hate what is false,
    but the wicked make themselves a stench
    and bring shame on themselves.
6
Righteousness guards the person of integrity,
    but wickedness overthrows the sinner.
7
One person pretends to be rich, yet has nothing;
    another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.
8
A person’s riches may ransom their life,
    but the poor cannot respond to threatening rebukes.
9
The light of the righteous shines brightly,
    but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out.
10
Where there is strife, there is pride,
    but wisdom is found in those who take advice.
11
Dishonest money dwindles away,
    but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.
12
Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
    but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
13
Whoever scorns instruction will pay for it,
    but whoever respects a command is rewarded.
14
The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,
    turning a person from the snares of death.
15
Good judgment wins favor,

    but the way of the unfaithful leads to their destruction.[a]
16
All who are prudent act with[b] knowledge,
    but fools expose their folly.
17
A wicked messenger falls into trouble,
    but a trustworthy envoy brings healing.
18
Whoever disregards discipline comes to poverty and shame,
    but whoever heeds correction is honored.
19
A longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul,
    but fools detest turning from evil.
20
Walk with the wise and become wise,
    for a companion of fools suffers harm.
21
Trouble pursues the sinner,
    but the righteous are rewarded with good things.
22
A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children,
    but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous.
23
An unplowed field produces food for the poor,
    but injustice sweeps it away.
24
Whoever spares the rod hates their children,
    but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them.
25
The righteous eat to their hearts’ content,
    but the stomach of the wicked goes hungry.
Chapter 14
1
The wise woman builds her house,
    but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.
2
Whoever fears the Lord walks uprightly,
    but those who despise him are devious in their ways.
3
A fool’s mouth lashes out with pride,
    but the lips of the wise protect them.
4
Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty,
    but from the strength of an ox come abundant harvests.
5

An honest witness does not deceive,
    but a false witness pours out lies.
6
The mocker seeks wisdom and finds none,
    but knowledge comes easily to the discerning.
7
Stay away from a fool,
    for you will not find knowledge on their lips.
8
The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways,
    but the folly of fools is deception.
9
Fools mock at making amends for sin,
    but goodwill is found among the upright.
10
Each heart knows its own bitterness,
    and no one else can share its joy.
11
The house of the wicked will be destroyed,
    but the tent of the upright will flourish.
12
There is a way that appears to be right,
    but in the end it leads to death.
13
Even in laughter the heart may ache,
    and rejoicing may end in grief.
14
The faithless will be fully repaid for their ways,
    and the good rewarded for theirs.
15
The simple believe anything,
    but the prudent give thought to their steps.
16
The wise fear the Lord and shun evil,
    but a fool is hotheaded and yet feels secure.
17
A quick-tempered person does foolish things,
    and the one who devises evil schemes is hated.
18
The simple inherit folly,
    but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.
19
Evildoers will bow down in the presence of the good,
    and the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
20
The poor are shunned even by their neighbors,

    but the rich have many friends.
21
It is a sin to despise one’s neighbor,
    but blessed is the one who is kind to the needy.
22
Do not those who plot evil go astray?
    But those who plan what is good find[c] love and faithfulness.
23
All hard work brings a profit,
    but mere talk leads only to poverty.
24
The wealth of the wise is their crown,
    but the folly of fools yields folly.
25
A truthful witness saves lives,
    but a false witness is deceitful.
26
Whoever fears the Lord has a secure fortress,
    and for their children it will be a refuge.
27
The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
    turning a person from the snares of death.
28
A large population is a king’s glory,
    but without subjects a prince is ruined.
29
Whoever is patient has great understanding,
    but one who is quick-tempered displays folly.
30
A heart at peace gives life to the body,
    but envy rots the bones.
31
Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker,
    but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.
32
When calamity comes, the wicked are brought down,
    but even in death the righteous seek refuge in God.
33
Wisdom reposes in the heart of the discerning
    and even among fools she lets herself be known.[d]
34
Righteousness exalts a nation,
    but sin condemns any people.
35
A king delights in a wise servant,
    but a shameful servant arouses his fury.

Chapter 15
1
A gentle answer turns away wrath,
    but a harsh word stirs up anger.
2
The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge,
    but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.
3
The eyes of the Lord are everywhere,
    keeping watch on the wicked and the good.
4
The soothing tongue is a tree of life,
    but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.
5
A fool spurns a parent’s discipline,
    but whoever heeds correction shows prudence.
6
The house of the righteous contains great treasure,
    but the income of the wicked brings ruin.
7
The lips of the wise spread knowledge,
    but the hearts of fools are not upright.
8
The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked,
    but the prayer of the upright pleases him.
9
The Lord detests the way of the wicked,
    but he loves those who pursue righteousness.
10
Stern discipline awaits anyone who leaves the path;
    the one who hates correction will die.
11
Death and Destruction[e] lie open before the Lord—
    how much more do human hearts!
12
Mockers resent correction,
    so they avoid the wise.
13
A happy heart makes the face cheerful,
    but heartache crushes the spirit.
14
The discerning heart seeks knowledge,
    but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly.
15
All the days of the oppressed are wretched,

    but the cheerful heart has a continual feast.
16
Better a little with the fear of the Lord
    than great wealth with turmoil.
17
Better a small serving of vegetables with love
    than a fattened calf with hatred.
18
A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict,
    but the one who is patient calms a quarrel.
19
The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns,
    but the path of the upright is a highway.
20
A wise son brings joy to his father,
    but a foolish man despises his mother.
21
Folly brings joy to one who has no sense,
    but whoever has understanding keeps a straight course.
22
Plans fail for lack of counsel,
    but with many advisers they succeed.
23
A person finds joy in giving an apt reply—
    and how good is a timely word!
24
The path of life leads upward for the prudent
    to keep them from going down to the realm of the dead.
25
The Lord tears down the house of the proud,
    but he sets the widow’s boundary stones in place.
26
The Lord detests the thoughts of the wicked,
    but gracious words are pure in his sight.
27
The greedy bring ruin to their households,
    but the one who hates bribes will live.
28
The heart of the righteous weighs its answers,
    but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil.
29
The Lord is far from the wicked,
    but he hears the prayer of the righteous.
30
Light in a messenger’s eyes brings joy to the heart,
    and good news gives health to the bones.

31
Whoever heeds life-giving correction
    will be at home among the wise.
32
Those who disregard discipline despise themselves,
    but the one who heeds correction gains understanding.
33
Wisdom’s instruction is to fear the Lord,
    and humility comes before honor.

I observed that the writer of these three proverbs points out on numerous occasions that
our words or how we speak have a profound impact on us and others. There seem to be several warnings against acting in anger. And did you catch the honor and blessing that comes from helping the needy?

There were two specific Proverbs that caused me to do some serious check-in on my
actions.

14:9 - Fools mock at making amends for sin, but goodwill is found among the upright.
Am I taking ownership of my sin, my mistakes, and the harm I have caused to others? Whether that be by accident or on purpose. What do I need to take ownership of and apologize for? And who do I need to demonstrate goodwill toward with this action?

14:29 - Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered
displays folly. Am I being quick-tempered, or am I being patient? What do I need to talk to God about before I speak to someone with whom I feel angry? If I want to be a patient person, it looks like I might need to try to understand what the other person is saying or dealing with before I respond.

Lord God, You are the One who took my sin upon Yourself. Today, I recognize that it was
my sin. I take ownership of it, and I am indebted to You, oh Christ. Would you give me the ability this day to slow down, listen, and understand someone else this day so that I may not be quick-tempered, but rather patiently loving and caring for whomever You place in my path. In the name of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit, I pray. Amen.