10/12/2026
BETWEEN THE SUNDAYS WEEKDAY DEVOTIONAL
MONDAY 10/12/26 | Faithfulness Against the Grain
Jeremiah 38:3-6
“‘Thus says the LORD, “This city will certainly be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon and he will capture it.”’ Then the officials said to the king, ‘Now let this man be put to death, inasmuch as he is discouraging the men of war who are left in this city and all the people, by speaking such words to them; for this man is not seeking the well-being of this people but rather their harm.’ So King Zedekiah said, ‘Behold, he is in your hands; for the king can do nothing against you.’ Then they took Jeremiah and cast him into the cistern of Malchijah the king’s son, which was in the court of the guardhouse; and they let Jeremiah down with ropes. Now in the cistern there was no water but only mud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud.”
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The prophet Jeremiah was not imprisoned because he had done something wrong. He was imprisoned because he had faithfully proclaimed the Word of God to people who did not want to hear it. Judah was facing destruction, but rather than listening to the Lord’s warnings, its leaders determined to silence the messenger.
We often find ourselves frustrated by the condition of the world around us. We see wickedness celebrated, truth rejected, and biblical convictions treated as foolishness. Yet Jeremiah reminds us that our responsibility is not to make the truth popular, but to remain faithful to the God who has spoken it.
However, there is something else we must remember. Faithfulness to the truth does not give us permission to be unkind toward those who reject it. Jeremiah’s message was severe, but his heart was burdened for the people who refused to listen. We must learn to stand firmly upon God’s Word without allowing our hearts to become hardened toward the very people who need to hear it.
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A Word from Your Pastor:
As your pastor, I want us to be a church that never compromises biblical truth, but I also want us to be a congregation whose love for people is unmistakable. It is possible to win an argument while losing an opportunity to minister. This week, when you encounter someone whose beliefs or behavior contradict Scripture, remember that our calling is not simply to prove them wrong, but to faithfully point them toward Jesus Christ.
