Up Means Down

Jeremiah 1:10

"See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant."

Jeremiah's prophetic call was from God. God would never call a man to that great work who thought too much of himself. Jeremiah did not feel he measured up to such a high vocation. I suppose that is why he told the Lord in verse 6 that he could not speak, for he was only a child.

But God does not want the man He does call to the ministry to think too little of himself. That is why he answered Jeremiah with a solemn retort, "Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I send thee, and whatsoever I command thee, thou shalt speak." He further told his man for that work not to be afraid of those to whom he would send him.

Finally, after this matter of the call God gave Jeremiah was settled, He then told him that he would be given His authority to root out, pull down, destroy, throw down, then build and plant.

There is a powerful message here concerning men's greatest need, and that is to brought down so that in time he might be lifted up. God's Word teaches this: that until we are brought low, we cannot be lifted up. This is a matter of humility. There are those of us these days who profess faith in Christ, that they are going to heaven when they die, but there is a spiritual arrogance which keeps them back from being all that the Lord desires for them to be. That is why the Bible admonishes us in James 4:10, "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up." In the preceding verse 6 we are warned, "God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble."

I can never rightly expect my life to truly count for God and His glory unless I am first willing to be brought down low, for it is only when I am down that can be raised up. And no person, no matter how good or fit he might think him or herself to be, will never see, nor enter heaven until he repents of his sins and surrenders his life to Jesus Christ. He said, "Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein."

Think on this.