Being a Small Part

Jeremiah 31:7
For thus says the LORD,
         "Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob,
         And shout among the chief of the nations;
         Proclaim, give praise and say,
         'O LORD, save Your people,
         The remnant of Israel.' 

I must admit, the next book I read is the book of Jeremiah.  I am not sure why, but I feel compelled to read it.  I was thinking about the rain and that is actually helps refresh the earth.  So I was reading a few verses that had the word refresh in them.  Then I came to this verse. 

One of my favorite words that I never use is remnant.  God called the Israelites remnants.  They were the leftovers, the scraps, of the people that came out of Egypt and were given the chosen land of God.  A remnant is a part that is left over.  We mostly here this word when talking about material or carpet.  These people were what was left of the Israelites.  I am sure that most of them were still faithful to God and still trusted him.

In today's world, do we feel like remnants?  Sometimes I do.  I feel like that I am in a world that forgot God. Actually, I realize I am in a world that is trying to forget God.  On the news yesterday morning the kids and I saw a piece about how the twenty-somethings and teenagers are feeling more spiritual than their parents.  They are looking for God or a Higher Power and being reached to through the internet.  They are getting together in coffeehouses and in small groups and trying to figure out who they are.

One year, I had the privilege to go with the Junior High kids to a retreat at Butler Springs Christan Camp.  They were really cool about giving the kids some freedom.  They let the kids do their devotion time their own way, as long as it was quiet and respectful.  Allie had never done anything like this and was not real keen in what they wanted at first.  There were different spots set up for different kinds of worship.  There was a place to use your creativity and draw something, there was a spot where you could reflect on people you wanted to bring closer to God and light a candle for them, there was a place to read your Bible.  Once we got into it, Allie really enjoyed doing some of these things.  I think that it made it more personal for her.  I loved pieces of it too.  I loved writing a poem, or lighting a candle and think about things. 

As children of God, we are remnants to a world that wants to forget.  We are the ends of the cloth, the old-fashioned, hymn-singing, hypocritical people who think they are better than everyone else.  Well, I want you to know that it is not true.  It is okay to hold on to the old stuff.  But there is nothing wrong with trying new things.  It may bring out a piece of you that God hid in your soul, just waiting for you to find.  It may be something you want to share.  It may be something just to be between you and God.  Just do not worry about what this world thinks.  You are going to be judged by the world, no matter what you do, right or wrong.  God's judgment is the one we need to worry about.  Being a remnant for God is a great honor.  Be one with pride!