Exiled

In Jeremiah 29: 5-7, the prophet wrote the words of the Lord to those He had exiled in Babylon:  "Build homes, and plan to stay.  Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce.  Marry and have children.  Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren.  Multiply!  Do not dwindle away!  And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile.  Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare."

Even in exile, punished for failure to repent of their sin, God's children were never out of His thoughts, never separated from Him.  They were merely set aside for a time and that with a promise.  When this season passes, He will restore them.  At the end of seventy years, God himself will come and do for them all the good things He promised and He will bring them home again, because He knows the plans he has for them - good plans, plans for a future and a hope.

If we consider that we, too, are exiled in flesh while we long for Heaven (just as Paul writes to the Philippians - to live is Christ and to die is gain), then should we not also build our homes and plan to stay?  Plant our gardens and eat their food?  Raise our children and grandchildren in the knowledge and ways of our God and pray for our cities and our nation?  In fact, we are called to it!

Proverbs 14:1 tells us very plainly that a wise woman builds her home.  Today, rather than tearing down your house with your own hands; find a way to make it a happy place - one you're going to be living in for a while.

Do this:  whisper a word in prayer to God for your family and then bless each one under your roof with a kind word spoken to him or her as if from God.  Every exile needs encouragement along the way.  Begin at home.

A Note to Followers

A note for readers of my other blog:  Unlike Life as a Great Romance which purports to help you live a romantic life and provides suggestions for activities to encourage the feelings of romance, Live Quietly is focused distinctly on cultivating a quiet life as described in I Thessalonians 4:11-12.  My intended audience is Christians and my goal is to offer you each day, however briefly, a bit of the sweetness of simplicity, gentleness, and stillness which so often gets overpowered by the call to be busy.  Please take a moment to read Why Live Quietly? in the sidebar and plan to visit http://livequiet.blogspot.com every day.