The Living Word: A Daily Devotional with Jeff & Dale from The Jenkins Institute
The Living Word is a daily devotional featuring Scripture and encouragement from Jeff and Dale of The Jenkins Institute. Each episode offers a thoughtful reading to coincide with the daily devotional guides from our annual devotional books. They are designed to help listeners begin or end their day grounded in God’s Word.
The Living Word: A Daily Devotional with Jeff & Dale from The Jenkins Institute
Week 22: Tuesday, Desire for Something Different
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The French author Montesquieu once quipped, “The best is the mortal
enemy of the good.” We often miss the blessing of the good because we are
searching for something better. People who constantly change jobs, homes,
or vehicles are expressing a deep-seated desire for something different,
hoping to find “the best.” Maybe God is calling us to embrace the good.
Though the vine (Judah) had been planted by the first eagle
(Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon),
Welcome to Hearing God's Stories, a daily devotional on the parables presented by the Jenkins Institute.
SPEAKER_01Week 22, Tuesday. Desire for something different. Today's scripture is Ezekiel chapter 17, verses 7 through 10 and 15, by Justin Rogers, and I'm Kyle Rye. The French author Monesqueu once quipped, The best is the mortal enemy of the good. We often miss the blessing of the good because we are searching for something better. People who constantly change jobs, homes, or vehicles are expressing a deep-seated desire for something different, hoping to find the best. Maybe God is calling us to embrace the good. Though the vine, Judah, had been planted by the first eagle, Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon, the vine now turns toward another eagle, Egypt. The vine had no reason to make the change. It was flourishing in a well watered environment, but it desired something different. Like the young man who forsakes a relationship with the good girl in the hopes of attracting the it girl, Judah turned away from Babylon to pursue a relationship with Egypt. Indeed, Egypt flirted with Judah and deceived the nation into believing in the possibility of a relationship, but when Egypt was most needed for protection, they left. Jeremiah thirty seven verses six through ten. God warns against trusting Egypt, for example, Jeremiah two and verse eighteen. But the people of Judah were enchanted. Their stubborn refusal to recognize God's servant Nebuchadnezzar is the primary political reason for their destruction. Jeremiah 25 and verse 9, chapter 27 and verse 6, chapter 43 and verse 10. Of course, they were also being punished for their sin against God. Ezekiel 39, verses 25 through 29. Ten years after Nebuchadnezzar appointed Zedekiah to the throne of Judah, he would return to lay siege to Jerusalem. Zedekiah and his family fled the besieged city, leaving its inhabitants to starve. Eventually Nebuchadnezzar's troops hunted down his family, slaughtered his children in his presence, gouged out his eyes, and took him to Babylon. Second Kings twenty five verses one through seven. Though God's people were blessed by Babylon, they longed for Egypt. Gratitude is the key that unlocks the door to lasting contentment. When we are grateful for what God gives us, we have no desire to search for something better. We learn to accept whatever He provides, and we are forced to find the good in it. Today I will be grateful and see the best in every circumstance.
SPEAKER_00You've been listening to Hearing God's Stories, the Parables of the Bible. Thank you for joining us for the Living Word. For more encouragement and ministry resources, visit the Jenkins Institute.com and may God's richest blessings be yours. It's our prayer for you.