Reverse Strengthening.
Pastor Jong spoke last night on Jeremiah 1:1-15 about remembering God’s plan and purpose for us. Something God sort of made clear to me the beginning of this semester. You will learn how to serve and love. So yeah, got that part. What really stuck out to me was verse 17 of my Bible which is the New Revised Standard Version. It reads:
In different translations, such as NIV, the second part reads: Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them. I really like the NRSV translation but the NIV captures the first part better. What I would say: Get ready, stand up and tell them everything that I tell you to. If you’re scare of them, I’ll break you. I like the NRSV part where God says, or I will break you before them. This is God saying do what I say, or I’m going to break you. Something about God making a promise that he’ll break me if I don’t follow motivates me to do what he says. What do I fear more, man, That I would be terrified of them or God, that he’ll break me? I feel that this semester is all about grace. Grace upon grace. This is God’s call to action for me. After he tells Jeremiah that he’s been created for such a purpose as to be a prophet, and after he strengthens him through two visions, he tells him not to back down but to stand up and do his job or else. Tim, see I am strengthening you, I will be with you. I have an awesome plan for you this year. You are right where you ought to be. Now do your job or else. Some people need some positive reinformcement to be motivated. Others need the negative reinforcement. I feel like I’ve been receiving positive reinforcement for 3 weeks, now it’s time to do it. encouragedto.fight I want to be a marathon runner.