US today

As I was reading a Lenten reader today, the following text from Jeremiah 5:20-31 was the text. Today is of course the first day after Ash Wednesday. We had a great service last night at church and we learned about our human existence and the fact the we are all doomed to death and will return to ashes one day. However, our everlasting life rest in our own decision to follow Jesus Christ and to be born again. The old will become new again.

Read the following Scripture and think about what it means to you. The text is from The Message

20-25"Tell the house of Jacob this, put out this bulletin in Judah:Listen to this, you scatterbrains, airheads,With eyes that see but don't really look, and ears that hear but don't really listen.Why don't you honor me? Why aren't you in awe before me?Yes, me, who made the shorelines to contain the ocean waters. I drew a line in the sand that cannot be crossed.Waves roll in but cannot get through; breakers crash but that's the end of them.But this people—what a people! Uncontrollable, untameable runaways.It never occurs to them to say, 'How can we honor our God with our lives,The God who gives rain in both spring and autumn and maintains the rhythm of the seasons,Who sets aside time each year for harvest and keeps everything running smoothly for us?'Of course you don't! Your bad behavior blinds you to all this. Your sins keep my blessings at a distance.

To Stand for Nothing and Stand Up for No One

26-29"My people are infiltrated by wicked men, unscrupulous men on the hunt.They set traps for the unsuspecting. Their victims are innocent men and women.Their houses are stuffed with ill-gotten gain, like a hunter's bag full of birds.Pretentious and powerful and rich, hugely obese, oily with rolls of fat.Worse, they have no conscience. Right and wrong mean nothing to them.They stand for nothing, stand up for no one, throw orphans to the wolves, exploit the poor. Do you think I'll stand by and do nothing about this?" God's Decree."Don't you think I'll take serious measures against a people like this? 30-31"Unspeakable! Sickening! What's happened in this country?Prophets preach lies and priests hire on as their assistants.And my people love it. They eat it up! But what will you do when it's time to pick up the pieces?"

What can you learn from the above scripture? Does any of this sound familiar?

Key points which provoke questions for me.

Am I honoring God with my life?

Is my sin keeping me from fully knowing God and pleasing him? I am greedy and do I live as most Americans do or do I stand out in some aspect to be peculiar as God would have me to be. I am living my life as a radical disciple of Christ?

Our people, our country need to hear the Gospel. Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, he lived a sinless life, was crucified, died and rose from the grave and now sits at the right hand of God so that all who believe in him may have everlasting life. Praise God!

During Lent I will be more conscience of my life and how I live it. I want to be the radical disciple of Christ God calls me to be.