The children of Israel of the Old Testament were living in exile in Babylon as a punishment from God for their rebellion against the Lord and for their unwillingness to heed his commands. And God promised them 70 years of exile before he would deliver them. But they had prophets in their midst who were deceiving the people into thinking that they would not have to be in exile the whole 70 years. They were not to listen to the prophets who were speaking lies to them, for they prophesied falsely in the name of God.
“For thus says the Lord, ‘When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:10-13 NASB1995)
A lot of people are quoting Jeremiah 29:11 out of context, and they are teaching that this is a promise from God for all of God’s people for all time, for all who profess the name of Jesus, for their prosperity (wealth). But that is out of context. Yet is there a message for us today that we can take from this passage of Scripture? Yes, there is. For, although God will discipline those he loves, and he will allow us to suffer and to go through hardships to test our faith, he does have good intended for us, but as he defines “good.”
What is for our welfare? It is something which is for our spiritual benefit, which can also be for our physical benefit, but it is what is for our good as God defines good, not as the world defines good. And it should be in agreement with the teachings of the New Testament Scriptures under the New Covenant God has with all of us who, by God-persuaded faith in him, have died with him to sin and who are now living to please God in walks of obedience to his commands, in the power of God, by his grace.
And even suffering and going through hardships and disciplines of God are for our good, for our welfare, to teach us to rely on God, and not on ourselves, and to humble us, to make us more like Jesus, to train us in righteousness and holiness, to make us compassionate people, and to grow us in our walks of surrender in obedience to our Lord and to his commands. Therefore, what is for our welfare can involve pain and suffering and difficulties and persecutions and rejections, and not just the feel good stuff.
[Matthew 5:10-12; Matthew 7:13-14; Matthew 10:16-39; Matthew 24:9-14; Luke 6:22-23; Luke 21:12-17; John 15:18-21; John 17:14; Romans 5:3-5; Philippians 3:7-11; 1 Peter 1:6-7; 1 Peter 4:12-17; 2 Timothy 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 3:1-5; James 1:2-4; 2 Corinthians 1:3-11; Hebrews 12:3-12; 1 John 3:13; Revelation 6:9-11; Revelation 7:9-17; Revelation 11:1-3; Revelation 12:17; Revelation 13:1-18; Revelation 14:1-13]
For the future and the hope that our Lord has for us is contingent upon our obedience to him in walks of surrender to the will of God. We must die with Christ to sin, be reborn of the Spirit of God, and now walk (in conduct) in newness of life in Christ, no longer as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. Sin must no longer be what we practice, what we live by; our lifestyle. But now righteousness, holiness, and godly living are to be what we practice, by the grace of God, in the power of God, by his Spirit.
But we have “prophets” (false teachers) in our midst who are lying to the people, telling them that all they have to do is to acknowledge Jesus Christ and who he is and what he did for us on that cross, although they don’t give the full picture of what Jesus did for us on that cross. Or they tell them that all they have to do is to give lip service to God and heaven is guaranteed them upon their deaths. And they tell them that God makes no requirements of them for death to sin and for walks of obedience to our Lord.
But the plans God has for us who profess the name of Jesus are that we must die to sin and walk in obedience to our Lord’s commands, in practice, in the power of God, because of Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins on that cross, and as evidence of believing faith which saves us from hell and which promises us heaven as our eternal destiny. For the plans God has for our good are not for what is evil, but for what is holy and righteous, and in order to give us a genuine hope of salvation from sin and eternal life with God.
[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]
Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer
Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897
Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897
Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.
Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.
O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.
O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.
Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.
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What is For Our Good?
An Original Work / October 13, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
