Greetings Cherished
Children of God…
Have you ever considered the words of
Jeremiah the prophet to those in exile?
Jeremiah 29: 4 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into
exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 “Build houses
and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find
wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may
have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of
the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”
Even in the New Testament Paul and Peter
encourage folk to obey and respect leaders. That was at a time when Nero was
Emperor. He was somebody particularly troublesome for Christians.
1 Peter 2: 13 Submit
yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the
emperor, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors,
who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who
do right. 15 For it is
God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of
foolish people. 16 Live as
free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live
as God’s slaves. 17 Show
proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor
the emperor.
Far from calling us to be threats to the
prevailing culture surrounding us, God encourages us to live productive lives
in the midst of discomfort and contrary conditions.
God encourages the Israelites to pray for their
captors. God encourages Christians to be at peace with human authority.
Also, in both, the Jeremiah and 1 Peter
encouragements, there is a sense of us Christians being about our business as
Christians rather than cultural or political subversion.
Let us not indulge in anxieties about whether or
not things are falling apart. Let us “Know that God is indeed God” and that all
things work for the good of those that love God.
Be about that today. Be about loving God and
neighbor. The rest is up to God.
Peace, Mike
