Jeremiah Inspires a Labor of Love

But if I say, “I will not mention his word
    or speak anymore in his name,”
his word is in my heart like a fire,
    a fire shut up in my bones.
I am weary of holding it in;
    indeed, I cannot. ~ Jeremiah 20:9

Jeremiah spoke to his people for forty years.  He didn't just say the words, he felt them.  What an amazing gift.  He loved his people.  He felt their pain.  He's known as the "weeping prophet" because he wanted a "fountain of tears" to weep for the fallen ones.  What I like most about Jeremiah is his optimism.  He understood God's grace.  He felt God's promise of a new covenant in his heart.

What happens when you know God in your heart?  Jeremiah shares how impossible it is to hold it in.  Imagine a woman in her final stages of pregnancy.  That kid is coming and nothing can stop him or her.  God's word is not meant to be locked up inside.  It's magma pushing through to the surface of a volcano.  When it erupts, everyone sees its power.

I urge you to go directly to the source.  Experience what Jeremiah experienced when he felt God's love inside his own heart.  Find the connection.  It's like drilling for oil.  You will discover your own labor of love.  Time itself will stop.  You will say to yourself, "I can do this for forty years."  And in your heart you will know one thing – it's impossible to not do it.  That's what I feel every morning when I wake up.  My labor of love may produce 12,775 additional stories provided my connection remains intact for the next thirty-five years.  That's only one drop of water in God's ocean of grace.  God's love is enough to give you a whole new attitude.  He will inspire your own labor of love.  Today is a great day to get started.  Happy Labor Day.