Jeremiah 36-40
Around the world are believers who speak gospel truth even though they know that doing so could cost them their freedom — perhaps their lives. They speak prophetically, and the result could be their imprisonment like the prophet Jeremiah experienced: “They [the officials] were angry with Jeremiah and had him beaten and imprisoned in the house of Jonathan the secretary, which they had made into a prison” (Jer 37:15). Jeremiah simply told the truth of God’s message, and he was arrested; the false prophets who said that Jerusalem would not be attacked somehow avoided the king’s ire. No wonder Jeremiah asked the king, “What crime have I committed against you or your attendants or this people, that you have put me in prison?” (Jer 37:18).
That’s the way it works for some believers. Truth leads to trouble. Obedience brings opposition. Preaching produces persecution. Service ends in suffering. Today, it’s quite possible someone who stands on God’s Word will land like Jeremiah did — imprisoned for doing nothing wrong. The rest of us who are privileged to preach, teach, or worship without fear must not take that gift for granted. We are blessed indeed.
RESPONSE: Be faithful today, even if it’s costly.
