2 Kings 17:15 They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their fathers and the warnings he had given them. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless.

One phrase in this jumps out at me every time I read it: “They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless.” The Japanese doesn’t say “idols,” but just “things,” which makes this even more broadly applicable. This seems like a remarkably appropriate description of society today. When the opinion of an entertainer can be expected to influence the outcome of a national election, something is seriously out of alignment! The hopeful note is that more and more people seem to be waking up to the state of affairs, but society as a whole seems to be set on ignoring, or outright denying, God. America is not Israel, much less a replacement for Israel, but in its founding it was based more on the Bible and Biblical principles than any other nation on the planet, yet it is currently the origin of the vast majority of the pornography on earth, to give just one example. Repentance is certainly called for! Many people seem to be pinning their hopes on the election this fall, but as Andrew Breitbart famously said, “Politics is downstream from culture.” American culture is currently degraded to a sickening degree, but repentance and dedication have to happen on an individual level before society as a whole is changed. Those who still have a head on their shoulders – and a heart in their chest – need to examine themselves and see how they have contributed to the current situation by their passivity and conformity, and stand up on the side of righteousness. Otherwise, the nation as a whole will indeed be worthless, just as this says.

I am geographically speaking an outside observer to the situation in the US, since I live in Japan, but I see the same rot in Japanese society and in the Japanese Church. As a believer and as a pastor I need to stand up and say what is right and what is not, speaking the truth in love but not backing down for fear of offending someone. Over the past three days I have had the privilege of speaking to people about life in the Spirit, but I’ve got to live it out myself or my words will be completely hollow. There is no substitute for obedience to the Lord! Looking at my datebook just now I see that the next three weeks have a lot to be done, but then the schedule is much more open. Regardless of external demands, I need to spend each day as the Lord directs, being worthwhile to Him and not being distracted by external factors. He is my everything, just as Dennis Jernigan wrote in You are My All in All.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I indeed want to be worthwhile in Your eyes, not carried along by society but being Your agent in it to bring Your Kingdom by doing Your will for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!