Week 2 March 2026, Devotion Part 1

If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak anymore in his name,” there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary of holding it in, and I cannot.  Jeremiah 20:9

Poll the members of your congregation and ask who among them is on fire for the Lord. Do expect a mix of perplexed looks, stony silence, and nervous laughter. This makes you feel for the flustered stand-up comic whose every joke falls flat. Get over your mortification and have a chat with the college pastor or the high school director. They will gladly point you to the student headed for the mission field in the Far East or the inner city. Please talk a bit more slowly and loudly if you plan to quiz the affable chairman of the Seasoned Saints Sunday school class. Notice the twinkle in his eyes when he gravely replies, “Talk about heartburn! We are the face of the acid reflux generation!”

Few get fired up over the unpleasant side effects of aging. But what about the “fire in the belly” that signals ripened ambition? Without it, a politician’s prospects are doomed. Only fools put their money on a candidate who lacks the passion to make a difference or the will to go the required distance. Marcus Aurelius had no such spark in him, but  achieved fame as the last of the rulers known as the “Five Good Emperors” of the Pax Romana. He famously said, “There is but one thing of real value – to cultivate truth and justice, and to live without anger in the midst of lying and unjust men.” Pax Americana is a term used to describe the period of relative peace and stability after World War II. It existed in the Western world largely under the military and economic dominance of the U.S.  How does an unpeaceful  American ascendancy impact the world globally?  Peter and Paul were crucified and beheaded, respectively, by a notoriously corrupt emperor of the Pax Romana era. Nero’s idea of “fire” meant torching Rome to clear land to build an opulent palace to be named “Golden House.” Today it might just mean, “You are fired” or face the risk or suddenly getting a one-way ticket to Tierra del Fuego.  Part 1 of 2

Comment: Shh, it’s Spanish for the “Land of Fire” that Magellan discovered in 1520 at the southernmost tip of South America.  So, why not just safely stick to English and go back to 1775 where it all started for those still listed as Caucasian on the census?  In a September 2025 Crankshaft cartoon the often grumpy school bus driver Ed tells his daughter, “I just love this book that you got for me on the American Revolution, Pam. I can’t wait to see how it turns out!”  Her look says it all, “None of us can.”  We might want to go back to Jeremiah 20:10, where he continues, “For I have heard the whispering of many, ‘Terror on every side! Denounce him, yes, let us denounce him and take our revenge on him.’”  Denounce whom?  Shockingly, not many verses later, the prophet regrets that his mother’s belly had not become his grave.  What about a miscarriage of justice?  Whether one must endure or denounce it, a steep price tag might come with it.