By: Dale Weckbacher
Text: Jeremiah
2
Romans 12:1-2
I appeal to you
therefore, brothers,[a] by the mercies of God, to present
your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is
your spiritual worship.[b] 2 Do not be
conformed to this world,[c] but be transformed by the renewal
of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God,
what is good and acceptable and perfect.
(ESV)
This week could be challenging
and contentious for the United States and why I encourage God’s people to pray
for peace and civility. My concerns stem
from the inauguration of the 46th President of the United States and
the belief by many that his election was illegitimate. Instead of taking up arms in revolt, I encourage
God’s people to put on the armor of God and pray without ceasing (Ephesians
6:10-18). God’s people must have faith
in God who will reveal the truth in His time and be the peacemakers who will be
called the sons, and daughters, of God (Matthew
5:9). God’s people must not conform
to the world (Romans
12:2), which reacts in violence, and instead, fight the battle on their
knees using the spiritual weapons God has provided.
In Jeremiah
2, Jeremiah speaks the word of the Lord to Israel, calling out their forsaking
of God and turning to other gods. God
gives Jeremiah two messages that tell God’s people to,
1) Remember
(Jeremiah
2:1-3) – Israel once had a devotion to God like a bride has for her
groom. This devotion led to Israel
following God in the wilderness with anyone trying to harm them incurring the
wrath of God. This illustrates the
importance of history for it provides a reference point showing how we have
either grown or regressed. For Israel and
Judah, it was a process of regression.
2) Reflect
(Jeremiah
2:4-37) – Israel’s regression from their devotion to God at the beginning
has consequences, their conquest, and exile from the land God has given them (Deuteronomy
8:11-20). However, Israel and Judah
have ignored this warning and now face exile due to their rebellion against
God. The word of God given to Jeremiah illustrates
God’s grace and is a final warning to God’s people to repent and turn back to
God.
Our modern world is not much
different from Israel and Judah during the time of Jeremiah. In the United States, we have the abortion of
millions of unborn babies with those favoring abortion claiming it is the right
of the mother to abort the baby, ignoring the rights of the unborn child. Most recently we have the justification of violence
that destroys people’s property and kills innocent victims because it supports
a racist political agenda. While the
first amendment of the U.S. Constitution does give people the right to
peacefully protest, it does not condone the violent riots in the U.S. Capital on
January 6. I call upon the people of the
United States, and the world to heed the words of the Lord given to Jeremiah
and,
1) Remember
the Godly foundation of the United States as expressed in the declaration of
independence.
2) Repent
of our abandonment of God and dependence on government to provide the answers
to our problems causing the nation to turn its back on God. We must remember that a nation whose God is
the Lord is a blessed nation (Psalm
33:12).
Just as God was gracious and
merciful at Israel’s and Judah’s abandonment of God, there comes a time when
God can no longer condone sin, leaving it unpunished. While we now live under a new covenant of
grace, we must not use God’s grace to justify a life of sin for Scripture tells
us not to conform to sin but to experience transformation through the renewing
of our minds through God’s Word (Romans
12:2). Scripture also warns us that
continuing to live in sin, claiming we have no sin due to God’s grace is a lie
(1
John 1:8-10). Instead, God’s people
are to live lives of repentance remembering that God is faithful and just in
forgiving our sins. Instead of reacting with
violence, I want to encourage God’s people to join me in prayer,
Dear Lord Jesus, I repent and confess my sins to you and ask
for Your forgiveness. I also repent and
confess the sins of our nation and pray for revival in the land, in Jesus' name,
amen.
Remain diligent in prayer this
week, knowing that God is in control and that his plans for us are not for our
destruction but our good (Jeremiah
29:11). May God bless everyone
reading this post.
1. National Archives. The Declaration of
Independence. archives.gov. [Online] The National Archives. [Cited:
November 21, 2020.] https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration.
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