Our scripture this morning is Jeremiah 31:24-25 (ESV).
And Judah and all its cities shall dwell there together, and the farmers and those who wander with their flocks. For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish.
I’ve been traveling for family this last week and haven’t been on much. I head home tomorrow and hope to resume daily posting. I have been doing a lot of thinking though.
I feel we put way too much emphasis and effort into our human created organizations, counting on them to save us from what we have allowed to happen in the world. At times I’ve been asked why I don’t speak out more in defense of or opposition to one side or another. I’ve always thought Jesus doesn’t have a “side” in all this. We are all His brothers and sisters.
To be honest, I do have opinions and I vote, but I don’t think that is what matters to Jesus. God warned the people what asking for a king meant in 1 Samuel 8:7 – “And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.” Unless we are willing to let Him be the king of our lives, nothing else matters.
What about people who don’t listen to our message? Well, first off it has to be His message, not ours. Look at how Jesus handled it with the rich young man in Matthew 19:16-26. We read that the young man walked away sadly, and Jesus didn’t run down the hill after him. In the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32), the father let the son make his own decisions, both to leave and to return. God gave us free will and waits for us to use it properly.
Today’s verse from Jeremiah reminds us we are all called to a better existence than we know here. God wants our trust to be in Him, not in things or organizations we have created ourselves. That’s why I avoid political commentary here and stick to scripture. Please know I am a fallible human and I surely don’t have answers to many of our very human and very valid questions. Only our personal relationship to the Father through Jesus can bring that peace.
Patient God, we are amazed that You are still waiting for us to make the decision to return to Your love, and ashamed it has taken us so long. Help us to be patient with each other, that we may all be part of Your Kingdom. Amen.
