Life isn’t a smooth highway. Along the way, we all face storms, valleys, and seasons of intense pressure. When those times come, many of us ask: Why, God? But what if those very trials, the “heat” of life, are tools God uses to mature us and produce fruit?

Jeremiah 17 shows us four key truths that help us see not just how to endure heat, but to thrive in it by God’s grace.

‘Twas six months before Christmas, and all through the towns,
The people were stirring, for a birth was announced.
Elizabeth’s son, born eight days ago,
His name didn’t come from the family tree’s flow.
They pestered Zechariah, “How can this be?”
So he scribbled his thoughts that all might see.
“His name is John, and not little Zack.”
The neighbors were shocked but cut him some slack.
Then his tongue was unleashed; he praised God above,
And all people marveled at Yahweh’s great love.

I don’t usually write poetry to introduce a portion of Scripture, but maybe it caught your attention. Writing that little poem made me think more deeply about this narrative account, and I’d encourage you to do the same. When you try to tell a biblical story creatively, you quickly discover that faithfulness to the text matters. You can’t just make it up; you have to reflect carefully on what God has said.

Now, let’s set the scene more clearly without the constraints of poetry.

This past weekend was a meaningful moment for our church family here at Litchfield First Baptist Church. We gathered to celebrate Daniel’s ordination and affirm God’s call on his life. An ordination service reminds us that pastoral ministry involves devotion, perseverance, and deep reliance on Scripture, and it also recognizes the responsibility placed on those who shepherd God’s people.

Life Is a Journey with Mile Markers

Every person experiences seasons that shape character, values, and faith. The Bible gives us examples of individuals who navigated many chapters in their lives while trusting God’s sovereign plan. Joseph faced dramatic changes: he lived in comfort within Jacob’s household, endured injustice as a slave in Egypt, and rose to leadership during a time of national crisis. Through it all, he remained faithful and hopeful because he believed God was working even when his circumstances were painful.

Paul shared this same confidence in Christ when he said:

“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”
— Philippians 4:13 (ESV)

The highs and lows of life do not surprise God. Whether we walk through abundance or scarcity, joy or grief, His strength sustains us. Our church family prays that Daniel will look back on this weekend as a milestone that reminds him of the Lord’s faithfulness and the love of the people who walk alongside him.

Bad Medicine: When Good Things Replace Jesus

Almost everyone has a story about someone taking the wrong medicine. Maybe it was an honest mistake—a mix-up in prescriptions—or a misguided home remedy that went wrong. I once heard about a woman who thought fruit juice would be a natural cure for all her health problems. She actually infused it directly into her veins. What she believed would bring health instead brought serious harm.

That story reminds us how even something that seems good can become dangerous when it replaces what is truly needed. God has a plan and a prescription for our growth in holiness, and it always centers on Christ. When we try to grow through our own spiritual “medicine,” even good things can become harmful substitutes for what only He can give.

Paul wrote in Colossians 2:6–8, “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” He also wrote in Romans 12:1, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” The same grace that saved us is the same grace that sustains us. Our daily walk with Christ is not meant to be powered by substitutes but by the same dependence and faith that marked our salvation.

Yet there is a constant temptation to replace Christ with things that seem spiritual or productive. They sound good, they look good, but they become “bad medicine” when they take the place of communion with the Savior.