Thoughts from Jeremiah

"My identity does not begin when I begin to understand myself. There is something previous to what I think about myself, and it is what God thinks of me. That means that everything I think and feel is by nature a response, and the one to whom I respond is God. I never speak the first word. I never make the first move."
Eugene Peterson

I'm reading a book about Jeremiah and this was my favorite quote of the night, so I thought I would share it.

Another section I liked:

Once there was a man who understood the danger of the prophet's(Jeremiah's) commission and the comfort of God's presence. He was an evangelist God used to bring renewal to the Columbian church during the 1980s and 1990s. Since he was an enemy of the drug cartels, his life was in constant danger, until he was finally gunned down by assassins. Yet shortly before he died, he said, "I know that I am absolutely immortal until I have finished the work that God intends for me to do". God's servants are indeed immortal until they have completed their service.
Philip Ryken

Here Ryken was referring to the struggle that Jeremiah faced that was similar to Moses', which was doubt and fear that he could accomplish the job that the Lord had chosen for him. The book goes on to tell of how the Lord placed his words in Jeremiah's mouth. I higly reccommend this commentary if you're interested in reading the Old Testament. It's called: Jeremiah and Lamentations, From Sorrow to Hope. It's excellent reading, I assure you.