Erasmus

Today's devotion talked about Erasmus, the guy who compiled and published the New Testament in its original Greek, thus providing the basis for the King James Version. He said that he did it because he wanted all people to be able to read and meditate on the Word of God. So often I forget that the Bible was once extremely difficult to find, let alone interpret. It is such a tremendous blessing that I can read God's Word whenever I like, and yet I find it difficult to set aside time each day to do so. This saddens me, because there is no greater treasure that the Lord has given us (except for the Holy Spirit and salvation itself). I should desire to tear into it every day and have trouble putting it down. I pray that the Lord will increase my appetite for the Bible.

More reading from Jeremiah today. God continued to affirm that Judah would be taken by the Babylonians, but He gave His people hope in these new chapters: He said that one day, the land taken by Babylon would return to God's people. It's just another example of God's infinite mercy and forgiveness. No matter how badly we mess up, He is always willing to give us a second chance. Naturally, there are repercussions for our bad choices, but once the punishment has been dolled out, God gives us another shot. As someone who's failed the tests that God has given him many times, I am certainly thankful for this.