Hold On to What Is Precious

Have you seen the show “Dirty Jobs” on the Discovery Channel? It’s where host, Mike Rowe, takes on some of the dirtiest jobs for a day. He might be diving for golf balls in alligator-infested waters or cleaning up an oil spill in Alaska.

Here’s the show that I’d like to see created: “Tough Jobs.” There is a whole list of tough jobs that I personally want no part of. Still, I’d love to see how others would handle: Like the tough job of being a doctor who has to go into a patient to tell them about their terminal cancer. Or how about the tough job of being a teacher to a class of special needs kids, who don’t even want to be in class, let alone learn something.

Those are real-life tough jobs. If such a show were ever created, one episode would have to feature the tough job of a man named Jeremiah.

Jeremiah was a prophet of the Lord at a time when no one wanted to listen to what the Lord was saying. The prophet Jeremiah had the tough job of telling God’s people, Israel, that ignoring the Lord and paying attention to this world’s worthless things was at an end.

Jeremiah had to speak tough words from the Lord, like this: “A fire has been kindled in God’s anger, (and Israel, for your wandering from Him), His anger will burn upon you” (Jeremiah 15:14).

Those are tough words to speak, and tough words to hear. No one wants to hear that there are consequences for doing your own sinful thing and wandering from God. But that was the truth about God’s people. They had wandered into worthless things: substituting other gods for the Lord, focusing only on themselves, ignoring their neighbor, and living a life apart from the Lord. Jeremiah had repeatedly called to them, “Turn back to God,” but the people wanted to keep doing their own thing.

Not surprisingly, in this tough job, Jeremiah himself had some weak moments in which he turned to worthless things. We meet one of those moments today in this text. Jeremiah prays (Jeremiah 15:18):

O LORD, you know... that for your sake I bear reproach… Why is my pain unceasing, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Will you be to me like a deceitful brook, like waters that fail?

In other words, “You know the abuse I’m taking! Why, why this pain and no healing in sight? You’re nothing, GOD, but a mirage, a lovely oasis in the distance—and then nothing!

Whoa! Jeremiah just said that the Lord has let him down! Jeremiah focused his eyes on worthless things like his pain, his reputation. He has lost sight of the precious things like the Lord, who will bring Jeremiah through this tough time.

Haven’t you had those moments where we let our life’s focus wander into worthless things instead of what is truly precious?

For Jeremiah, worthless things meant his search for a painless, pleasant life. Why is that a worthless thing? Because God never promised that life would be that way this side of heaven. St. Paul, after he had been dragged out of town, stoned and left for dead, remarked, “it is through many tribulations we must enter the Kingdom of God.” God’s promise isn’t a stress-free life but strength for life.

What are the worthless things that your life has wandered into? All the stuff that this world says we need to have to live the “good life”? All the stuff that this world says that we need to provide for our children, to be “good parents”? All the stuff that this world says we need to do to be a “good person”?

According to Jesus, that’s a worthless pursuit - to be so focused on the world’s stuff instead of the world’s Savior. Jesus said, “What does it profit a person...” so you gain the whole world, all the stuff, “...yet forfeit your soul”? You still die, and nothing you acquired goes with you. Worthless!

So, how are you and I using our lives? What are we investing in? Worthless things like power, pleasure, possessions?

Even as followers of Jesus, it’s so easy for us to get caught up chasing after worthless things. We still live in a world where worthless things are king. But here comes the Lord, today, to Jeremiah, to you, to me, with a powerful word. He says: Let go of what is worthless. Hold on to what is precious.

Look what God says, “If you return (Jeremiah), I will restore you - and before Me, you will stand... And (Jeremiah) if you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless, you shall be as my mouth” (15:19).

That’s really what all of life is about—distinguishing the precious from the worthless. Jesus leaves no doubt what the precious is: God’s faithful love for us.

Even after Jeremiah calls God “unreliable,” the Lord didn’t move from Jeremiah. In fact, Jeremiah’s prayer shows us again how passionately and faithfully the Lord loves us. He loves us, regardless of how we are. He loves us despite our failure to return love to Him.

You want to see what is precious? Even surrounded by people who hate Him, people who have lied about Him, people who have hurt Him, people who are putting Him to death, Jesus’ love is faithful! Jesus prays, “Father, forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing.”

Here’s what is precious: “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8) to bring us eternal life and a right relationship with the Father.

Here’s something precious: “not that we loved God, but that He loved us first” (1 John 4:10).

Look what God says: “(Jeremiah) If you return to Me...” Not, “Jeremiah, go out and find Me.” Not, “Jeremiah, you better make it up to Me.” But, “Jeremiah, I’m still right where I was before all of your wanderings... Jeremiah, I haven’t gone anywhere... Jeremiah, I’m still the same Lord who knew you even before you were ever born... Jeremiah, I’m still the same God who called you and put My Words in your mouth... Jeremiah, I’m still Your Savior... Jeremiah, maybe you’ve tried to shake Me off, but I love you, and I will never shake you out of My Heart.”

A God who loves like that—that’s precious. Hold on to what is precious!

Maybe, you have been wandering in the worthless, recently. At one time, you were in church, even baptized. But in recent days, you’ve been away from the Lord and away from His Church. Perhaps you’ve drifted into some real worthless stuff of this life. And right now, find yourself in a broken relationship, or simply all alone, wishing there was someone to turn to.

The Lord who called you to be His, when you were baptized. The Father, who sent His Son, Jesus, for you, to the cross, says to you and me today, “I haven’t gone anywhere... I still love you... The new life that Christ won at the cross is still for you...”

Even though life on this earth will still be tough (and sometimes following Christ will be just plain hard), just as the Lord said to Jeremiah, He promises you and me, “I will give you strength... I will make you... a fortified wall of bronze; And though they fight against you, they will not prevail over you.”

The Lord says to you and to me today, “I will be your God... I will protect you... I will provide for you... I will take care of you... There is hope because you are Mine.” And there is nothing more precious than that, to hold on to. Amen.