Common Sense Reborn

Stubborn Disobedience

⁷“If 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 plant and build up a certain nation or kingdom, ¹⁰but then that nation turns to evil and refuses to obey me, I will not bless it as I said I would.”…

…¹²But the people replied, “Don’t waste your breath. We will continue to live as we want to, stubbornly following our own evil desires.” (Jeremiah 18:7-12)

Skye Jethani is one of my favorite Christian Contemporaries. He is an award-winning author, speaker, and co-host of the Holy Post Podcast, Skye has written more than a dozen books and served as an editor and executive at Christianity Today for more than a decade. He has a publication series called “What if Jesus was Serious”; covering Jesus’ teachings on Prayer, the Church, Heaven, Justice (soon to be published), and one book simply titled: “What if Jesus was Serious?“. In that work, Skye looks at the Sermon on the Mount, and asks readers, what if Jesus was serious about all the expectations He had of His followers from that sermon? Well, building on my last post, about God’s expectation that His people treat the foreigner, the widow, and the orphan with the greatest compassion, empathy, and love, I ask you reader: What if God was serious about that expectation?

If God looks at evil as the way we treat others, not just the obvious evils of murder, exploitation, or hatred, but the basic way we treat the most vulnerable in our society, can it be any surprise if the FAVOR of God is quickly leaving the United States of America. We are quickly seeing disaster after disaster unfold across this country. Two horrific plane crashes back-to-back. A heartbreaking training accident in the United States Army extremely close to home at Fort Stewart, GA. More extreme weather events forecast for this country. I cannot help but think that God sees no reason to keep His favor on a country that so whole-heartedly supports a leader who seeks to segregate our country from anyone that does not look, and think, like him. As we continue to see America burn down around us, it is not so much that God is causing these awful events to happen, but rather, He has removed His blessing from the people of America. If we want to refuse to listen to what God and Jesus is serious about, and follow our own evil desires, what else should we expect?

But there is hope for this country. As Jeremiah recorded God’s words thousands of years ago, if we can turn from our evil ways, live with compassion, mercy, grace, and love, God will return His favor upon this land. There is hope. There is hope in the forgiveness of God. There is hope in the words of Jesus Christ. There is hope in the resurrection.