Worthy or Worthless?
Spontaneous Ponderings
If you want to receive Grounded in the Bible’s weekly Bible studies in your inbox each week, you can subscribe here! Join us as we "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
I’ve been reading through Jeremiah, and in light of the LGBTQ course I’m creating, Jeremiah 15:19 really jumped out at me:
Jeremiah 15:19: Therefore this is what the Lord says:
“If you repent, I will restore you
that you may serve me;
if you utter worthy, not worthless, words,
you will be my spokesman.
Let this people turn to you,
but you must not turn to them.”
Here are my thoughts on each line of the verse.
“If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me.”
God wants us to repent of our sins. If we do, he will forgive and restore us. I think back to the way that I repented of my lesbian relationship, walking away from that so that I could follow Christ better. When I repented, I was immediately restored to a closer relationship with God, and he has continued to restore and heal me over time.
Why does God want us to repent? Why does he restore us? So that we can serve him. We can serve him not only by serving in our church or by telling others about Christ in general but also by telling others our story and how he redeemed and restored us from the mess we’d made of our lives due to sin. God has used me in different ways at different times. I’ve served in various churches that I’ve been attending, but recently my greatest service has been writing Bible studies and courses for Grounded in the Bible. In particular, I’ve followed in obedience to him as I’ve been creating the LGBTQ course, even though it’s not something I would have chosen to do on my own.
“If you utter worthy, not worthless, words, you will be my spokesman.”
God will give us a message, but we have to be willing to speak his words, not ours. If we speak his words, he will use us powerfully.
Isaiah 55:10-11: 10 As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
God promises that if we speak his words, they will not return empty but will accomplish his purposes. As I write the lessons for the LGBTQ course as well as the weekly Bible studies, I’m trying to stay faithful to God’s words and send out his message, not my own. In that way, I can help God accomplish whatever purpose he has for my life and for this world.
“Let this people turn to you, but you must not turn to them.”
It’s easy to allow the ways of the world to get you off track. This verse warns against that. In order to be a faithful spokesman for God, we need to be careful not to fall into temptation to become like the world. We need to stand strong on what God’s word says so that people will be drawn in by his truth. If we get sucked into temptation, then we lose our credibility and our influence for God’s kingdom.
Lord, I pray that through everything I write for Grounded in the Bible and in my daily life that I would be faithful to your words and your truth and your purposes. I pray that I would be obedient in such a way that my words and my life are worthy, not worthless, so that you can use them to accomplish your purposes. Amen.