The Jeremiah Challenge

Have you ever had a friend that couldn't keep a secret. It was a major challenge for them to hold it. They had to tell someone!

One Christmas when our kids were very young, I had to buy my wife three different presents. Why? Because they kept revealing to her what I had previously wrapped. As hard as they tried to hold back, they just couldn't do it. It was funny to watch, as they wiggled and squirmed. The truth had to come out! (And the reality was, I liked having the excuse to go out and find another gift).

It was from that experience though, that I came up with the idea of "The Jeremiah Challenge."

Jeremiah's Story - The Challenge Begins

I wrote an article sometime ago relating what happened to the prophet Jeremiah and his decision to no longer talk about God. His reason had to do with an overwhelming sense of dejection that compelled him to not share God's message with others. He was tired.

Sometimes we too get tired of people not responding, and we also give up. We get rejected and don't want to go through that again. Or sometimes apathy and boredom set in. There are as many reasons as there are people.

What if? What if you didn't share the gospel? 

But what if? What if you decided, "I'm not going to share for awhile? I'm going to sit on this good news. I don't care if it's the answer to the world's problems. I won't tell a soul."

Read Jeremiah's account and see what happened. The Bible tells us that he was not going to mention the Lord, or his name again. And look what happened. Jeremiah couldn't hold back! 

But His word was in my heart like a burning fire Shut up in my bones;
I was weary of holding it back, and I could not.

Jeremiah 20:9

 

For some of you, just the thought of doing this is enough. That's where I am. But, for others, like Jeremiah, you may need to feel the burn. This is the Jeremiah Challenge at work.

Try to keep your mouth shut. Hold the Truth within. Don’t even consider ministering to others… Try it! Let it burn within until you can’t hold it in anymore. The pressure will build… the gauge will start climbing… the safety valve will blow… and hopefully, the gospel message in truth and love that is boiling within will pour out... and lives will be changed as a result.

Jeremiah's Challenge Reveals What He Feels

We can learn much from Jeremiah. No other prophet bared his heart and soul the way he did. But because he wore his emotions on his sleeve, we can also learn much from seeing just how he felt. And many of us can identify.

When you read the rest of the book though, you see that his message became rock solid. He shared not what was on his heart, but what was on God's heart.

May we learn from Jeremiah that our Lord loves and wants to reach people more than we do. But, may we also learn that he has also chosen to use us to share His message of hope. That's why this is so important. It comes down to what we do.

If you are struggling, for whatever reason. Maybe you need to just stop for a moment, take into account Jeremiah's story, and then see how this might play out in your life! If you would like to talk more about it, contact me. I'd love to hear from you.

Discussion Question: Does intentionally not sharing the gospel challenge you to think about sharing it?