Jeremiah 36:7 “Perhaps they will bring their petition before the Lord, and each will turn from his wicked ways, for the anger and wrath pronounced against this people by the Lord are great.”

Jeremiah had the unenviable task of calling to repentance a people who were set in their evil ways. Here, he is delegating the specific proclamation to Baruch, but the desire is always for the people to repent. The same may be said for the situation today. Across the world there are people who are stubbornly set in their rebellion against God and there are people who are calling them to repentance. America was founded on Biblical principles, but you’d never know it from looking at much of society today. Just yesterday I was seeing statistics that said that about ¾ of the population claims to be Christian, but for the majority of those it’s simply that they aren’t any other religion. More and more people are honest enough to say they have no religion. Those who seek to proclaim repentance are often shouted down, because people don’t want to even be exposed to any opinion other than their own. That is sad indeed. When and how judgment will come is something only God knows, but it is absolute that no one ultimately “gets away with” anything. All we can do is keep speaking the truth in love, seeking to keep our own lives in line with God’s Word and inviting others to do the same. Chances are good that we will be treated much as Jeremiah was, and that won’t be pleasant, but we need to love people enough to warn them, however they respond.

I have never been a “hellfire and brimstone” preacher, but I must never shy away from saying whatever the Lord directs me to say. I want people to like me as much as anyone wants that, but my focus is to be on God’s approval, not man’s. I have seen people on YouTube who are called to confrontational ministry, and it gets pretty heated at times. I respect them, but I’m thankful that’s not how the Lord has directed me! That said, when the Lord gives me a hard Word, I must not draw back from delivering it, regardless of how it is received. I’ve got to remember that everyone who does repent is saved from eternal destruction, and that goal is certainly worth inconvenience and discomfort and much more on my part, if that is how it works out.

Father, help me be fully faithful to You on every level, walking in Your truth myself and proclaiming it as You give me opportunity. May Your words through me indeed wake people up and cause them to repent and believe, for their salvation and Your glory Thank You. Hallelujah!