Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Our Lack of Glorification

Scripture: Glorify your name, not ours, O Lord! Cause everyone to praise your loving-kindness and your truth. Why let the nations say, "Their God is dead!" Psalm 115:1-2

Observation: The psalmist opens up this plea to the Lord - a plea that is from those who are faithful to the Lord and thus detest those who are opposed to the Lord - by asking God to glorify himself, not them. They don't want for their own success as evidence of God's greatness, but rather they want God's greatness to come forth as evidence of itself. If only God would produce overwhelming evidence of his love, then no one could possibly declare "God is dead" or any other version challenging God's existence. In such a way, God could "cause" others to worship him.

Application: This is a common prayer by many Christians, I believe ... if only God would simply provide unequivocal evidence of his existence then all convincing would be done. Of course, this will someday occur - at the end time when Jesus returns - and the point is that doing so removes the concept of faith and thus concludes the time of freewill faith.

Knowing this then, the most interesting part of this plea then are the two words "not ours". The plea is not just for God to glorify himself, but also to not glorify the faithful. This is important context for me and the church as well. We shouldn't want the church "glorified" or exalted. We shouldn't want to be honored, or proven true, or lifted up in high regard. We should simply want Jesus glorified. Period.

When Jesus is glorified, everything else about faith ... proper worship of the Lord, understanding of God's love, belief in Messiah, salvation for all, and love among the saints ... would fall into place. The ends we strive for would be achieved with just this outcome, which is glorification of Jesus.

Again, this won't openly happen, and we understand why. Even still, it is important this be our only goal, and that we - including me - set aside any aspiration for being found "right" in our faith. We are certainly tired of the world around declaring "God is dead", but we should never want anyone to replace that by thinking how great the church is. If we serve well, behave well, love well, care well ... may the end result always only be glorification of the Lord.

Prayer: Lord, as our church heads into a season that will create strife, may we find a way to glorify you, and only you, in our work and service. Let all we do only shine a light toward Jesus Christ. Amen.

Tuesday, September 29, 2020

There is No Ambivalence

Scripture: I will search with lanterns in Jerusalem’s darkest corners to find and punish those who sit contented in their sins, indifferent to God, thinking he will leave them alone. They are the very ones whose property will be plundered by the enemy, whose homes will be ransacked; they will never have a chance to live in the new homes they have built. They will never drink wine from the vineyards they have planted. Zephaniah 1:12-13

Observation: As the Lord pronounces his future punishment on Jerusalem, he has pronounced how he will destroy those who have actively rejected him, and who have worshipped other gods, and who have engaged in the worship of the sun and moon, and who have created idols to other deities. However, he calls out another group here ... those who are simply ambivalent.

There are people who just ignore not only the Lord, but all religion. They disregard it all, indifferent to God, and just living an earthly life. Theirs is not a death sentence, but rather a life sentence. Everything they have will be taken, and they will lose all the simple, earthly things they have like their homes, wealth, and material goods. Entirely ignoring God and rejecting the concept of any kind of worship and honor to a greater power may make them less detestable than those who worship false gods, but it does not make them less sinful.

Application: Which is worse today ... those who actively pursue some kind of false worship, or those who simply reject everything? Interestingly, when you think about it, is is obvious that there is no "continuum" of more or less worse in the eyes of Jesus Christ.

Jesus creates a binary clarity. He is the way, the truth, and the life. Those who believe in him as Messiah and the son of the Lord God almighty, creator of heaven and earth, receive eternal life. Those who don't ... don't. It doesn't really matter if they have a different god, or if they reject all belief systems, or if they believe God exists but don't see value to worshipping and believing in him.

So many today are actually ambivalent. They proceed in life without any thought that the existence of God could matter in their lives, so they don't care either way and decide to never give it a second thought. This certainly creates the other emotions we see in society around us. In the hearts of those indifferent to God, joy and praise and comfort are supplanted by anxiety and fear and discontent. Peace is supplanted by anger. Worship is supplanted by rioting.

In the end, ambivalence in the Lord then creates a destructive energy, and the Lord will soon deal with it.

Prayer: Please, come, Lord Jesus. Amen.

Monday, September 28, 2020

Dare Reach for the Sword

Scripture: In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan. And you will need the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit—which is the Word of God. Ephesians 6:16-17

Observation: One of the last recorded words of Paul is this metaphor ... the armor of God. He tells the church at Ephesus to be armed for battle, and then goes through a list of literal armor but associated with spiritual capabilities and preparations. For the basic everyday armor, truth is a belt, God's approval is a breastplate, and shoes are part of spreading the gospel. However, when it is time for battle, you take up certain battle gear. Faith is a shield, salvation from Jesus is a helmet, and one's sword is the word of God. It is the only offensive weapon, and it is also aligned to the Holy Spirit.

Application: Pastor Phil talked yesterday that we are not in a time of chaos, but in a time of conflict. That is becoming so very clear. Conflict is everywhere, permeating every topic, and is even affecting church leaders.

I want to go on the offensive. I want to confront, correct, and thus improve the situation. However, I am likely the wrong person for such a task. For one thing, for the offensive, the only proper weapon is God's word, inspired by the Holy Spirit. I am weak in the Spirit, and my first inclination is to fall into logical discussions. I am not the kind of person who often calmly leans into biblical learning as inspired by the Holy Spirit. This should make it clear enough that, if there is need for correction by way of confrontation, I am not the person to lead such a conversation.

And yet, it needs to be done. We have people in our church who are creating division because satan is stirring conflict. By faith, I already have my shield in hand, and the Lord knows it has already absorbed fiery arrows aimed at me. I have on my helmet of salvation, confident as I am in the salvation that comes from Christ, and leaning into that truth every day.

Should I reach for the sword? I must only do this in cooperation with the Spirit.

Prayer: Lord, here I am. I desire more of you Spirit within me so that I may better serve you. Thank you for your peace in my heart this day, even while the tempest of the world boils. I will fight for your truth, as your will decides. Amen.

Friday, September 25, 2020

Another in the Fire

About three times a week right now, I find myself saying, "I hate this world." I don't really hate everything ... I hate the situations we find ourselves in. I hate the inability to dine out easily, or visit certain places, or go to events, or wonder about procedures. I hate the fear and anger and distrust I see in and feel from others. I hate the lies and arguments swirling from all fronts around the issues.

However, today I am reminded ...

There is a cross that bears the burden ...
There is a grave that holds no body ...
There is another in the fire!!


Wednesday, September 23, 2020

Seeking True Peace

Scripture: For Christ himself is our way of peace. He has made peace between us Jews and you Gentiles by making us all one family, breaking down the wall of contempt that used to separate us. By his death he ended the angry resentment between us, caused by the Jewish laws that favored the Jews and excluded the Gentiles, for he died to annul that whole system of Jewish laws. Then he took the two groups that had been opposed to each other and made them parts of himself; thus he fused us together to become one new person, and at last there was peace. As parts of the same body, our anger against each other has disappeared, for both of us have been reconciled to God. And so the feud ended at last at the cross. And he has brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were very far away from him, and to us Jews who were near. Ephesians 2:14-17

Observation: Paul discusses peace within the church - those who have faith in Jesus - showing that Jesus even breaks down the Holy conflict between Jews and Gentiles. In his day, this was the greatest division, as the Jews declared their status and laws separated them from all other people. However, simply by faith in Jesus, that division is completely gone. Every believer is at peace, fused together, part of the same body. All people now know God whether they were before far or near to him. All anger had disappeared, and the feud ended.

This is directly in line with Psalm 110:1-4, where Jehovah says to Messiah that he is a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek, the priest of peace, who was honored by Abraham as an extension of his faith. In other words, every "believer" acknowledges that Messiah is the ruler of the world, and in that honors him as we partake in his peace. It is also in line with Jesus' own words from the sermon on the mount, blessing the peacemakers, who are those with a true maturity in their faith.

Application: Oh, that this were all true! Within the body of Christ, we bicker and fight, we gossip and complain, and we create conflicts. We extend that outward to fight with others. And we fail to influence a world that is being torn apart by anger, hate, and division.

Faith in Jesus Christ delivers peace. However, even within the faithful we fail at that. Perhaps if we sought true peace within the church, we could influence peace in our society. Or at least we could declare that the division in society could be healed by a revival of faith.

Paul knew that faith should heal even the greatest division in society. Today, our faith fails to resolve even local political differences. Oh that we could find the peace of Jesus in our hearts.

Prayer: Lord, I ask for your forgiveness of our church, beginning with me. We, and I, have failed to uphold your promise of peace, by fighting with each other over both trivial and settled matters. We are not a light of peace to all the rest of society, and thus have lost our ability to help heal the divisions in our society. Please forgive us. Please forgive me. May your spirit of peace rest upon us again. Amen.

Tuesday, September 22, 2020

Salvation for Far-Off Foreign Nations

Scripture: See, my Servant shall prosper; he shall be highly exalted. Yet many shall be amazed when they see him—yes, even far-off foreign nations and their kings; they shall stand dumbfounded, speechless in his presence. For they shall see and understand what they had not been told before. They shall see my Servant beaten and bloodied, so disfigured one would scarcely know it was a person standing there. So shall he cleanse many nations. Isaiah 52:13-15

Observation: It is the famous chapter 53 where the Servant is seen to be beaten, tried, and executed though he be innocent, and the prophet declares this is for the redemption of all mankind ... he has taken the punishment for us. Yet it is the last three verses of chapter 52 that introduce this Servant.

Here, two descriptions contradict one another. The Servant is beaten, bloodied, and disfigured ... however he is also prosperous and highly exalted. In addition, two other outcomes of these descriptions exist, which both relate to kings and nations both foreign and far-off in the future. The Servant will cleanse these many nations, and their people will understand all of this even though they have never been told of it.

Christians stand in the power of this prophesy. Jesus - the promised Servant of God - was beaten and bloodied in a horrible way, and emerged from that victorious over death, lifted into the place of greatest honor. Today, we can believe in the salvation that comes from Jesus receiving this punishment for our sins and be cleansed by it ... it is a faith that we can feel even before we understand it.

Application: I have said before that I often wonder about God's plan of salvation for gentiles. In the bible, we do see Israel as the chosen people, but we clearly see Old Testament nations that believe in God, interact with the Lord, and are even cared for and blessed by Yahweh. Here we explicitly see that the salvation of Jesus was always planned for far-off, foreign nations. It was the plan that we would believe, dumbfounded and speechless by the love of Jesus, understanding our need for and hope in salvation, prepared to honor Messiah when we learn of it.

I am part of the far-off foreign nations. I live a long time in the future from this prophesy, in a land on the other side of the planet from Jerusalem. Jesus died to cleanse me. He took my punishment for sin so I may be blameless before God. Isaiah said so 2,500 years ago.

Prayer: Lord, may I never lose sight of the fact that Jesus died a terrible death for me. My only response can be to live for Jesus. I know I am not worthy of such great love and sacrifice, which makes your mercy all the greater. Thank you for your grace and love. Amen.

Monday, September 21, 2020

When the World Loses Interest in Me

Scripture: As for me, God forbid that I should boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in all the attractive things of the world was killed long ago, and the world’s interest in me is also long dead. Galatians 6:14

Observation: As Paul is concluding some final advice, he encourages the church to focus their lives on Jesus Christ, and to be interested in only that salvation, truth, good news, and hope. As for himself, this focus on Jesus means that he no longer cares about the things of the world. However, he adds another clause to this statement. Because of Paul's focus on Jesus, the world no longer cares about him, either. Paul is no longer part of the world's ecosystem, economy, structure ... in either direction.

Application: Last night, I was on a plane returning from vacation. I had an isle seat, and a guy came up and said he had the window seat. I said "great!", jumped up and moved (because I knew someone would come for the seat), and quickly let him in. He immediately got on his phone texting, and his font was very, very large on his phone. To whomever he was texting, he said ... "I'm sitting next to some a*****e" (technically we weren't next to each other ... there was an empty seat between us). He then described me as "a jerk in bare feet with gross toes".

I'm literally just sitting there, and have said one friendly word to this guy. Maybe I shouldn't have been reading his texts but I don't have great eyesight and the text was so big I couldn't miss it. And I was barefoot having slipped off my sandals just then. However, I did have one other distinguishing item. As required I was wearing a mask, and it says "FAITH over FEAR".

As Paul taught, as a Christian I should want nothing to do with the "attractive things of the world". However, also as a Christian, the world will want nothing to do with me. When I display my faith, I should expect the world - and those who live in and honor the world - to react to me with ... at least ambivalence, if not contempt.

I'm okay with that. I have had that contempt of the world hurt me in the past. However, I believe this is a way I am growing in my faith ... that I now just expect it. I'm really okay with a guy calling me names and thinking my feet are ugly (15 years of competitive soccer can do that to your feet). I expect the world not to care about me any more, and for people 'of the world' to treat me poorly. Ideally I can scale back my ambition so that I care less and less and less about the attractive things of the world.

Prayer: Lord, you are so wise that you know I can and will find contentment and joy in nothing more than whatever you provide. I have no need for that which you don't provide. I look to you for all I need, and all I want, in this world. Thank you for caring for my family and I. And I do hope my row-mate last night felt better about himself, and perhaps had some time to contemplate in his heart the concept of faith. Amen.

Monday, September 14, 2020

Beyond Unsaved is Cursed

Scripture: Let God’s curses fall on anyone, including myself, who preaches any other way to be saved than the one we told you about; yes, if an angel comes from heaven and preaches any other message, let him be forever cursed. Galatians 1:8

Observation: As Paul begins to lecture the church in Galatia about an alternative gospel they are accepting, he curses those teaching it. There is a true gospel, which is that of salvation by faith in Jesus as the son of God and Messiah. Anyone, even an angel, who announces a different path to salvation is not just sinning, but is cursed.

On the continuum of enemies against the Lord, those who deceive others about the path to salvation are therefore worse than those who don't believe in salvation. Non-belief is one thing, and rejection of belief is another matter, but false belief - and the teaching of that false belief - is something to not only cause one to stumble but rather is a cause of God's curse to fall on someone.

Interestingly, Isaiah fully outlines what God's curses look like. They involve death, destruction, the burning of towns and resources, and eventual destruction of people and civilizations.

Application: The longer we continue into this year, the more our daily lives look like that of a cursed society. Death, fires, internal wars, hatred, fear. And in the midst, so many people pronouncing false doctrines about the meaning of life, the purpose of mankind, and what a godless "salvation" looks like.

Many in our society are beyond unsaved, because they are beyond unbelieving. They are cursed, because they teach another way to be saved. It would almost be liberating to know that this is a curse upon our society. It would mean that God is taking corrective action.

Prayer: Lord, your people, including myself, know there is only one way, one truth, one baptism, one hope, one salvation, one eternity. This is true because there is only one God, and one savior. I will tell others only of you, and let your curse fall on anyone who teaches a different way. Amen.

Friday, September 11, 2020

Rejecting a Simple Message

Scripture: "Who does Isaiah think he is," the people say, "to speak to us like this! Are we little children, barely old enough to talk? He tells us everything over and over again, a line at a time and in such simple words!" But they won’t listen; the only language they can understand is punishment! So God will punish them by sending against them foreigners who speak strange gibberish! Only then will they listen to him! Isaiah 28:9-11

Observation: Isaiah repeats the protests of Israel against his prophesy. They challenge his authority, but also are critical of the language he uses. The implication is that it's simplicity infers it cannot be prophesy from God, for the God would speak more intelligently. The Lord's answer to this is that they are so foolish, that even when spoken to in simple language they don't understand. They won't listen to anything! Therefore, all they can learn from is punishment, and soon the commands they receive will be from foreigners who speak a language they don't know ... these Israel will listen to.

Application: Our message today is SO simple. Out of his love, the Lord provided Jesus Christ as the savior of all mankind, and anyone who believes and places their faith in Jesus will have eternal life. The rejection of this simple message comes in the form of logical challenges. Who is this Lord? Can you prove he created the universe? Why would sacrifice be required? Why does God have rules that alienate some people? What really are sins? If anything about an all-powerful God is true, why wouldn't he just reveal himself?

And the point is ... these are all just protests identical to Israel's protests. They challenge the authority of correction, and reject simply lessons. Yet just like a child, they could never understand the more complex conversations if they cannot understand the simple teachings.

Our society has complex problems, and thinks that unless God comes along with complex solutions then Christianity is wrong and God doesn't even exist. I truly fear for the coming punishments, for I believe that we are only experiencing the tip of the spear now.

Prayer: Lord, may thy kingdom come, and thy will be done. Please, come Lord Jesus, and claim your bride. We are anxious and weary. And yet, we will serve you faithfully, delivering your simple message. Amen.

Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Upon Hearing a True Prophet

Scripture: Look! They are preparing a great banquet! They load the tables with food; they pull up their chairs to eat. . . . Quick, quick, grab your shields and prepare for battle! You are being attacked! Isaiah 21:5

Observation: Verse 1 of chapter 21 says this is a prophesy about Babylon, and goes on about how it will be attacked and fall at the hands of the Medes. Verse 5 explicitly calls out that this will happen during a feast ... while the people are having a great banquet, they will be attacked by surprise and fall.

We know from the book of Daniel, and from historical fact, that this is exactly what happened. During a feast - the exact feast in fact where the king has used the sacred items from the temple and the hand of God writes on the wall that the king will die that very night - the Medes and Persians sneak into the city and overthrow Babylon in a single night.

In the course of nine verses, Isaiah recounts the exact event that will occur ~30-50 years in the future, including details that are impossible to know, involving the fall of a nation that has not in fact even risen yet, at the hands of a people who are not at war with them, and the resulting return of exiles who ... aren't even in exile.

Application: The Lord's words to his prophets are amazing in their reliability. I have learned that I should not fight against them, and yet in some cases I do not fully trust them.

Here is the discerning issue ... are the words spoken by others around me truly prophesy, or are they human extrapolations of actions based on prophesy, or are they simply personal hopes?

What I do know is that I am not a person given such prophesy, and thus my own thoughts are much more likely in the category of personal hopes. I can serve for an outcome. May I be shown the goals.

Prayer: My Lord and my God, you are great in your knowledge, wisdom, and authority. What will come to pass you know, and what you speak comes to pass. Help me to cooperate with others in your work, and please guide us all to understand the true purpose and objective of your will, today and in al the days to come. Amen.

Tuesday, September 8, 2020

Motivation for Holy Rebellion

Scripture: They were envious of Moses, yes, and Aaron too, the man anointed by God as his priest. Because of this, the earth opened and swallowed Dathan, Abiram, and his friends. Psalm 106:16-17

Observation: The psalmist is recounting the history of Israel in the wilderness, and reminds everyone of this scene. Some elders lead a rebellion against Moses and "his" rules, declaring a different path and worship practice. Yahweh immediately kills them - swallows them up in the earth - and even contemplates completely starting over with Moses as a new founder of the nation.

These elders rebelled against God because they were envious of Moses. They desired leadership, authority, honor, and comfort. As a result, they declared their own path and sought those who would follow their lead. Yes, since Moses was obeying God, this meant their efforts were opposed to God, but their first motivation was envy and jealousy of a man. They wanted what Moses had ... position.

Application: The concept of "position" will be the major conversation in the U.S. over the next 60 days. It is all about who will have what positions of authority in our government. It is SO critical to understand that the "who" isn't important. When it comes to authority to lead a nation, we should only care about one thing, and that is determining God's will for the nation, and who may follow it most obediently.

Of course, our major issue is that perhaps no one follows God's will when it comes to political leadership of the modern world, and that is a problem without an easy solution. For us, the conversation should be ... will we make our decisions based on prayer and guidance from the Lord, or based on anger, jealousy, and frustration over current circumstances?

Dathan, Abiram, and the elders took action based on these elements. They were frustrated over life in the wilderness, grew jealous of Moses being in charge, and took action that was clearly opposed to the Lord. Today, between pandemic lockdown, racial tensions, and secondary issues like economic uncertainty that results from those ... we have plenty of reasons to be frustrated over our current circumstances. Maybe the current officials are part of God's plan to address this, and maybe their challengers are instead. No matter, it is important for us to seek God's plan and God's will, and not act only out of our frustration.

I will not myself seek position or authority. I have no voice in any matter, outside of a voice the Lord may grant me to serve him and others. I hope we are prepared to follow the Lord through this matter, and not instead pursue some terrible rebellion.

Prayer: Lord, may thy will be done in the coming days. Please guide this land, and all nations, in ways that follow you plan. Amen.

Friday, September 4, 2020

Two Responses to Sorrow

Scripture: For God sometimes uses sorrow in our lives to help us turn away from sin and seek eternal life. We should never regret his sending it. But the sorrow of the man who is not a Christian is not the sorrow of true repentance and does not prevent eternal death. 2 Corinthians 7:10

Observation: As Paul discusses his relationship with the church at Corinth - specifically how he scolded them in his prior letter and they responded by first being sorrowful but then taking proper action - he gives this clear and direct lesson about how God uses sorrow. God uses sorrow, hardship, and correction to clarify our understanding of sin in our lives, and thus repent. Thus sorrow has a good outcome.

However, there is a flipside to this that applies to non-believers. Since non-believers do not know the truth, and thus have no understanding of repentance and the proper way to behave, sorrow cannot correct them. Non-believers can only suffer in their sorrow, and turn cynical toward the world, nature, others, and God himself.

Application: As we all suffer through hardships, this is the difference between believers and non-believers. I see believers looking for how the outcomes of this situation will advance their personal understanding of God, or give opportunities for the kingdom to advance, or correct large swaths of society. I see non-believers ... fighting about politics, taking sides over policies and practices, and generally fearful of everyday life. They have no idea that anything related to hardships and sorrows may be leading toward opportunities for a changed life, so instead it is all just challenges to overcome.

So what does it say when I see believers who ... fight about politics, take sides over policies and practices, and live fearfully? I must not judge too quickly. Overcoming sorrow is a process, not a knee-jerk reaction. The Corinthians were first sorrowful about the scolding they received from Paul, then considered the matter and corrected it. Some believers are still in the 'sorrow' state.

When I have been corrected, it took me a long time to get through my sorrow ... months. It can be hard. But the Lord is faithful. He has been faithful to me, helping me find new kingdom purpose while caring for me and my family. The Lord is being faithful to his Church and believers, creating new platforms and messages from many places.

And the Lord loves everyone and will be faithful to anyone else who turns to him. As believers, let us focus on seeking God's will during sorrow, and model that for those who are only seeking survival.

Prayer: Lord, again today I pray for our country, our world, our communities. I pray for those far from you to discover your love in their lives, even in the midst of hardship. It is more difficult when they have no hope or context, but the first step is simply to seek an understanding of your love and the love of Jesus. May this happen more and more, and more and more hearts, daily. Amen.

Thursday, September 3, 2020

The Worst Sort of Anarchy

Scripture: And the worst sort of anarchy will prevail—everyone stepping on someone else, neighbors fighting neighbors, youths revolting against authority, criminals sneering at honorable men. Isaiah 3:5

Observation: What does the world look like today ...

-- Proclaimed anarchists literally fighting police
-- Groups burning down government property
-- Violent protests killing shop owners and bystanders
-- Chanting mobs in front of officials' personal homes
-- Public declarations by 'leaders' against other races
-- Rude name calling for anyone opposed to a certain policy
-- Open arguing over civil issues and decisions

Isaiah is clear about why this is happening. It is because of a total lack of focus on, belief in, and obedience to, the Lord, Yahweh, God almighty, creator of heaven and earth. This is not an earthly battle - though it takes the form of earthly issues like poverty, violence, death, war, plague, and government chaos - but this is a spiritual battle. Most have turned so far from God that they cannot even understand that concept.

Application: Once again today, we are shown that our current world is in a tailspin due to a lack of faith. How can we recover? It may be instructive to understand how Judah eventually recovered ... it was decimated and completely removed from the earth for an entire generation, before a minuscule remnant was allowed to try again.

I wonder how much worse we are right now compared to the final century of Judah.

Prayer: Lord, I want to lean into this and pray again for how we can help our nation, our people, and our community recover. I also want to lean into your promise in verse 10, which says, "But all is well for the godly man. Tell him, 'What a reward you are going to get!'" Please, dear Lord, show me how to be that godly man in these terrible times. I seek your love and your reward, but I also desire to see others receive that reward, and even more so as those who are lost return to you in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Wednesday, September 2, 2020

What a Sinful Nation

Scripture: Oh, what a sinful nation they are! They walk bent-backed beneath their load of guilt. Their fathers before them were evil too. Born to be bad, they have turned their backs upon the Lord and have despised the Holy One of Israel. They have cut themselves off from his help. Isaiah 1:4

Observation: Isaiah opens his prophesy against the sinfulness of Israel, Judah, and Jerusalem with this observation ... they themselves even know their evil and their guilt, and yet do it anyway. The guilt they bear over their sins against the Lord are themselves a heavy burden, which is upon them at all times. They walk around under that burden with full knowledge, and yet do nothing to relieve it because it has become part of their culture. Their society is evil ... they were born into that evilness, as their ancestors passed the evil practices down to them. In this way, they have fully cut themselves off from God.

Application: That pretty much summarizes life in the northwestern US today. We are a people burdened by anger, hatred, unrest, and lawlessness. Daily casual conversations turn to worry about riots, crazy politics, and true and total hate between people groups. As a result, when placed under the heavy burden of a pandemic, and hearing of economic issues and massive storms, we cower in further fear ... yet never once as a people do we turn to the Lord for help.

The church must NOT be like this, but rather we must be the prophet calling out this condition. I must be a person who says the next things, asking why the people refuse to acknowledge the situation, why they chase after false propositions in life like political parties, governed equity, generational wealth, and even cotton masks?! These are not things that can help! These are not concepts in which to place hope.

My family was called into this mission field, in what is actually one of the least faithful places on earth. We - the church - must express the truth, for this is the charge of the Lord. The Lord promises that, no matter how deep our stain is as a people, he can wash it out, and has provided the means through Jesus. May we make Jesus known today.

Prayer: Lord, this day I pray for my nation, for my region, for my city, and for my community. It would be easier to leave here. It would be easier to withdraw and simply ignore the issues, the anger, and the hurt that surround us. But Lord, the source of all those sorrows is an ignorance of Jesus and a lack of hope found in your love. May that hope be rediscovered, despite how many generations it has been since the knowledge left this place. Elected official of social leaders stand opposed in hate, and I pray that somehow they find a common ground in the love of Jesus. It looks impossible from here, but all things are possible by you, oh Lord. Please reach the people with your message, and restore the land by that same grace. Amen.