5Then the LORD gave me this message: 6“O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand. 7If I announce that a certain nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down, and destroyed, 8but then that nation renounces its evil ways, I will not destroy it as I had planned. 9And if I announce that I will build up and plant a certain nation or kingdom, making it strong and great, 10but then that nation turns to evil and refuses to obey me, I will not bless that nation as I had said I would.Jeremiah 18:5-10
God spoke these words to the people of Israel through the prophet Jeremiah. While we should be cautious about taking any prophecy concerning the nation of Israel and applying it to any other nation such as the United States of America, we should take note of the general description of God’s sovereignty as we look at verses 7-10. In fact, we could replace the words “a nation” and “a kingdom” with the informal name, America, and it’s truth remains the same.
5Then the LORD gave me this message: 6“O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand. 7If I announce that America is to be uprooted, torn down, and destroyed, 8but then America renounces its evil ways, I will not destroy it as I had planned. 9And if I announce that I will build up and plant America, making it strong and great, 10but then America turns to evil and refuses to obey me, I will not bless America as I had said I would.
We must renounce our evil ways. We must turn away from evil and turn to the One who alone holds us in the palms of His hands . . . before it’s too late.
“Don’t put your confidence in powerful people;
there is no help for you there.
When they breathe their last, they return to the earth,
and all their plans die with them.
But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper,
whose hope is in the LORD their God.”
Psalm 146:2-5 (NLT)
I will pray and I will vote for the candidate and party whose platform best aligns with my Christian values, but I can never put my faith in human institutions and human office holders. Joyful are those whose hope is in the Lord their God. Disappointment awaits those whose hope in the leader of our country.
It seems that with all the noise going on it’s hard to tell who to believe, who to trust, and what to do with what little knowledge they seem to bring. One health expert gives their opinion based on their experience in their research, but another health expert says just the opposite. One politician tell us what he believes and what his constituents believe is the best course of action and another politician says just the opposite. One scientist gives a report on what is happening and another scientist says just the opposite. One mental health expert explains why people act the way they do and another mental health expert says just the opposite. One sociologist says why people act the way they do and another sociologist says just the opposite.
So who do we believe? Why, the one(s) we agree with the most, of course. No need to balance and reconcile opposing views of others. Quite frankly, we don’t need to even entertain their thoughts. Ridicule them? Yes, but we need not carefully consider them or what they say. After all, their ideas don’t align with what we want to hear.
“For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear” (2 Timothy 4:3 NLT) When Paul gave this admonition to Timothy he was warning him about false doctrine coming into the church. My concern is that false information is guiding Christians because many believers choose to act relying solely on the knowledge provided by humans (even experts and/or authorities) while ignoring the wisdom of God. There is nothing wrong with seeking advice. Proverbs 15:22 reminds us that “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” However, there is something wrong – disastrously wrong – with seeking advice and not seeking God. Psalm 118:8-9 says it this way:
It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.
May we, as believers, always take refuge in the Lord; always trust His wisdom: always rely on Him for our safety, understanding, and peace. “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” – Isaiah 26:3
The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral,
begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy.
Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth.
Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate.
In fact, violence merely increases hate.
So it goes.
Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Baseball – America’s Pastime
That’s quite a claim in the middle of football season and yet, here we are about to begin the 6th game of the 2019 World Series and the excitement is growing with each outing. (I fully expect tonight’s game to be the final game of this World Series with the Astros “taking back” what they owned just 2 years ago.) Baseball, hot dogs, and apple pie were touted as America’s favorites in a Chevrolet ad campaign in the 70’s. And we all agreed – except for the grumpy Ford owners – that these things represented America. In so many ballparks a new symbol of our country has emerged as the song “God Bless America” has become as common as “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” This practice took hold after 9-11-2001 and has continued to this day. Perhaps, as we watch the Astros win this year’s Series, we could pause to thank God for allowing us to live in a country that gives us such events and we could also pause to ask God to truly Bless America with an outpouring of His Spirit on our nation.
Now . . . . Play Ball!
From The Back Porch 