What's up with those old underwear? How worn, frayed and discolored do your underwear get before you discard them? I know, you bought them, paid good money for them and people don't see them anyway . . . right? Really . . . you should just face the facts . . . when it's time, it's time; just throw them out and start over. Are all the details of your life going as you suppose they should. You have your expectations for how your personal life, career, family life and church life should pan out. You want a certain salary, position and challenges at work. You want a certain style of preaching, music and certain programs at church. Many of you work pretty hard at orchestrating these things to suit our preferences. Many times, to the distraction of what matters most . . . or matters at all. An old pair of underwear teaches us about what matters and how God might get us back on track with what really matters.
You might be surprised to catch a preacher writing about old underwear . . . I'm not the first. The Lord instructed Jeremiah regarding old underwear and thus the whole of his people (Jer 13:1-11). The Lord had Jeremiah to get himself a new pair of underwear, make them his own and put them in some rocks down by the river. When he went back to get them, they were ruined, ready to be discarded.
The Lord said that that's what he was about to do with Judah's pride and disobedience. The nation was distracted from serving God as they had been instructed. They had neglected the things which were of first importance and had added things that were never imagined by God.
You might be surprised to catch a preacher writing about old underwear . . . I'm not the first. The Lord instructed Jeremiah regarding old underwear and thus the whole of his people (Jer 13:1-11). The Lord had Jeremiah to get himself a new pair of underwear, make them his own and put them in some rocks down by the river. When he went back to get them, they were ruined, ready to be discarded.
"So I went to the Euphrates and dug up the underwear and got it from the place where I had hidden it, but it was ruined--of no use whatsoever" (Jeremiah 13:7, HCSB).
The Lord said that that's what he was about to do with Judah's pride and disobedience. The nation was distracted from serving God as they had been instructed. They had neglected the things which were of first importance and had added things that were never imagined by God.
Do things in your personal life, career, family or church add up to "not what God commanded or in addition to what he imagined for you?" Maybe your personal life has become characterized by consumerism and the frantic lifestyle it takes to maintain it. Maybe your church is not what you think it should be. Take a close look at the New Testament to check the details of your preferences. Are they first imagined by God? Like an old pair of underwear, God is apt to throw that stuff out to bring you back into focus.
Underwear are generally a snug fitting garment, right? Like underwear clings tightly to the person (though some of you might cling to old underwear), so he hopes to have his people cling to him.
"Just as underwear clings to one's waist, so I fastened the whole house of Israel and Judah to Me . . . " (Jeremiah 13:11 HCSB).
Do things seem out of order in your life, family, career or church? Maybe you need to take a break from forcing your order onto things and just cling tightly to Him. It'll restore your perspective on what his order is.
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