Recurring Sins

 

The sins of ancient Israel are being practiced and even celebrated in our secularized culture today. As a result, the divine judgment Israel experienced is one we are presumptuous not to fear for our country.

America's Christians therefore have a vital and urgent task. We are watchmen on the wall, warning those inside the city of impending danger (Ezekiel 3:17–21). We are intercessors called to represent our people before God (1 Timothy 2:1–2) and ambassadors called to represent God before our people (2 Corinthians 5:20). We are the only salt and light in a world decaying in the dark (Matthew 5:13–16). We are the body of Christ, the visible manifestation of Jesus' continuing ministry in our day (1 Corinthians 12:27).

To fulfill our calling, we must make the three commitments:

First, know God more.

The more we know him, the more we love him. And the more we love him, the more we will want to know him. We must love him with our heart, soul, mind, and strength before we can fully love our neighbor as ourselves (Mark 12:30–31).

Second, see the critical urgency of the moment.

Life, from conception to natural death, is under assault today. The so-called Equality Act is just one way religious liberties are under unprecedented attack. Biblical morality is widely dismissed as irrelevant if not rejected as dangerous. A rising ideology seeks to replace religion with secularism.

Third, pay the price to respond.

Jesus was blunt: "If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you" (John 15:19). He added: "If they persecuted me, they will persecute you" (v. 20). In this light, Christ followers should be more surprised when we do not face opposition for our faith than when we do.

"Tell the storm how big God is"

We'll close with an optimistic word of hope.

At a time when God's people faced not just cultural opposition but the threat of genocidal extermination, Mordecai told Queen Esther, "If you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place" (Esther 4:13). In his new book You Were Made for This Moment (excerpted on our website), Max Lucado writes: "Relief will come! This was Mordecai's message for Esther. And this is God's message for you."

Max encourages us: "Don't measure the height of the mountain. Ponder the power of the One who made it. Don't tell God how big your storm is. Tell the storm how big God is. Your problem is not that your problem is so big, but that your view of God is too small."

So, "the next time you feel the weight of the world, talk to the One who made the world. As your perception of God grows greater, the size of your challenge grows smaller. . . Relief will come. Your Father will give you strength to meet the day."