Profit For All People

Jeremiah says to God,

"O LORD, my strength and my stronghold, my refuge in the day of trouble, to you shall the nations come from the ends of the earth and say: "Our fathers have inherited nothing but lies, worthless things in which there is no profit. Can man make for himself gods? Such are not gods!" (16:19-20).

This is the confession of all who know the God of Jeremiah. Our race, our ancestors, our fathers have tried to make gods for themselves instead of worshiping the God who made them. However, profit is found in finding that which is WORTHy and putting away that which is WORTHless. And, the message of the prophet is a promise of hope to the nations; all who will may come to the true God and find profit in him.

A Prophet on Profit

Welcome to a blog inspired by one of God's old spokesmen, Jeremiah the prophet. He wrote two books in the Bible (Jeremiah and Lamentations) and a recent read of his writings struck me with his desire that people choose that which is profitable over that which is worthless. That struck a chord with me because my goal is to find all that will be to my gain and avoid all that will spoil it, and hope to practice "Profit Sharing" with the world as I go. So, let's get started...

Jeremiah 1:11-13, (God speaking) "But my people have changed their glory for that which does not profit. Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the LORD, for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water."

Much can be said; for now, suffice it to say that God wants his people to profit. When they turn from him to themselves, it is like choosing a sink with cracks in the bottom. It is worthless to accomplish its purpose. It can bring no profit.

Okay, what about treasure seeking? God's most recent spokesman, Jesus, said the following, "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you" (Matthew 6:33) and "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field" (Matthew 13:44). Jesus approves of hunting for treasure and my aim is to find it and share it.

May this blog be like scribe Jesus describes in Matthew 13:52, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old."