As a child, my mother would sometimes ask me or my sisters: if your sister/friend jump into the fire, are you going to jump in, too?
The same can be said about civilization today. If you do not agree with the majority of people, you are labelled as a bad person. You are the one in the wrong, although you are the one standing in the word of God. John said that we should, “love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15, KJV). God, has set us, as fellow Christians apart from this world. Jesus actually warned us in John 15:18-19 (KJV): “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.”
We can feel an abrupt change of tone in the next piece of Jeremiah. Today we are reading Jeremiah 44, the King James Version. Jeremiah warns the people that they are to face death because their forefathers, kings and wives has continued with their wicked ways, although they saw what happened to their home country. Yet, they burned offerings of incense to false gods and they even told Jeremiah, boldly, “As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the Lord, we will not hearken unto thee” (Jeremiah 44:16, KJV). I see a direct correlation between what is happening today in our world and the times of Jeremiah. People are continuing serving other false gods, refusing to repent, and return to the Lord.
Can we then blame God for his anger. In the following piece, we read: Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying; Ye and your wives have both spoken with your mouths, and fulfilled with your hand, saying, We will surely perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her: ye will surely accomplish your vows, and surely perform your vows. Therefore hear ye the word of the Lord , all Judah that dwell in the land of Egypt; Behold, I have sworn by my great name, saith the Lord , that my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, The Lord God liveth. Behold, I will watch over them for evil, and not for good: and all the men of Judah that are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by the famine, until there be an end of them. Jeremiah 44:25-27 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/jer.44.25-27.KJV
These are crimes that were committed over many years. God didn’t respond because a few have sinned. No. All the men and women, great and small, stood in front of Jeremiah. My own heart weakens reading this piece today. If you know the Lord God, you too can testify, as David. David described God as, “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy” (Psalms 103:8, KJV). To prove His love to this world, we learn in John 3:16 (KJV), “for God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
How are you standing in this world? Will you be standing with or against God? This isn’t an easy path, when you choose to stand against this world. Be like Jeremiah standing fast with his Lord. It feels disappointing at times, but remember we still need to love those who hate and persecute us.
My prayer for you today is that you will stand firm in your relationship with the Lord. May He guide you in this world that are full of turmoil. But remember the ultimate prize, will be to spend eternity with Him. #GodCanDoThis
Lightbearer's Quest 