Corona Devo 1670

Have you read the Bible?  I mean the end of it: last pages and Chapter.  It's slightly concerning, because we are not in there.  Well...as Believers we are surely in there (and in Eternity!). But as a nation, America is not found in the last days of the Bible. 

That could be up for interpretation and I am no "End Times" scholar, so please don't freak out on my observation.  But I do love to study about God and His one and only Son, and I have noticed a recurring theme in Their nature and Their love for us: We serve a God of second chances.

God WILL forgive if people's hearts are repentant. 

God will forgive IF people's hearts are repentant. 

If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, (8) and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned.  ~Jeremiah 18:7-8

When God speaks to Jeremiah about the nation of Israel over 2,000 years ago, it is very much as if he could be speaking to our Nation today. The options that God presented to Israel are the same options He presents to the United States (and all nations)

What decision will we make? What decisions ARE we making? 

If we will renounce our evil ways, then God will not destroy us or our Nation. 

...if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned.  ~Jeremiah 18:7-8  

I'm not (exactly) saying that God has warned to inflict disaster on America due to our evil...but...does the shoe fit?

What I am saying (and what I believe that God is saying), is that an alternate and reversed option (from disaster) is possible and even probable for the United States...if we will repent of our evil. 

It's written in the Bible, and it's certainly ours (and any nation's) for the taking.  We can take God up on His mercy and grace.

That goes for nations, but it goes for individuals too.  

We serve a God of second chances.

Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.  ~2 Chronicles 7:14

Redemption is any nation's opportunity, and it is any one of our personal opportunities also.

Let's take this opportunity to be forgiven and redeemed, Friends, and let's take this opportunity, America! 

...and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned.  ~Jeremiah 18:8

But the flip side of this verse, and God's holiness is also true.  If we have been rooted in Him...but then become self-reliant and fill our lives with self-truth instead of God's truth...then the opposite consequence will come.  First to us as individuals, and then (regrettably) to us as Americans.

(9) And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, (10) and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.  ~Jeremiah 18:9-10

Jeremiah spoke these words from the Lord to Israel.  But listen to them today for us.  For you.  For me.  Are we listening?

(11) “Now therefore say to the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, ‘This is what the Lord says: Look! I am preparing a disaster for you and devising a plan against you. So turn from your evil ways, each one of you, and reform your ways and your actions.’  ~Jeremiah 18:11

Will we listen?   Can we hear the truth ringing out from this verse and into our American ears?  

And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted...  ~Jeremiah 18:9

God did build up and plant this Nation after His desires and by men and women seeking to serve Him.  Read their letters, diaries and journals.  Study our founding documents and National protocols.  God...and their obedience to Him is well-documented in our American history and in our American hearts.  This Nation is unique among nations for this reason.  God is our Founding Father.  

But where have we as a nation esteemed God and His word today?  

...and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.  ~Jeremiah 18:10

But...God gives us a chance.  He always gives us a chance.  These verses are a cycle: there are two options ever before any nation (and any individual): God will forgive if people's hearts are repentant. He will not forgive if they are not. 

 Then the word of the Lord came to me. (6) He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel. 

(7) If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, (8) and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. 

(9) And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, (10) and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.  

(11) “Now therefore say to the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, ‘This is what the Lord says: Look! I am preparing a disaster for you and devising a plan against you. So turn from your evil ways, each one of you, and reform your ways and your actions.’    ~Jeremiah 18:5-11

The choice is completely ours.  

I am not an End Times scholar, but something is afoot, and the last pages of the Bible do not mention America....

Yes: Somethin's happen here.  What it is ain't exactly clear..."  (Buffalo Springfield)

But what is clear are the opportunities that God gives...to nations and to individuals alike.  

  • Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. (20) Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will again send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah.  ~Acts 3:19-20 
  • The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.  ~2 Peter 3:9  
  • From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  ~Matthew 4:17
 I am voting for option A: and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned (Jeremiah 18:8).

We serve a God of second chances.

Let's repent today, citizens.  If we will REPENT, then God will RELENT, and He can rewrite the ending to our (American) story. 

We would be grateful for a bonus chapter. written out of God's grace. 

God WILL forgive if people's hearts are repentant. 

God will forgive IF people's hearts are repentant. 



Blessings,

sarah

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Corona Devo 1156

Image
At work, we provide Trainings for customers, so that they can be updated and educated on all of the latest features (and how to use them) within our product.  Many companies do this--sharing "Best Practices" are a way to ensure positive outcomes on the customer and vendor sides of things. My kids often offer me "life hacks" that they have learned from watching an online video promising to "save time" and "make your life easier".  And just this week, my husband enlightened me about the "tear-away" feature built into most plastic rings holding cans/bottles of pop or Gatorade together.  When separated, the plastic rips open easily, releasing the bottle--saving wildlife that might be caught if it is discarded as trash, and saving me  frustration or angst because I no longer have to pull with all my might to get a bottle out of the plastic rings.  ( Who knew? )  Life hacks do save time and make your life easier! Who couldn't benefit from
Read more

Corona Devo 1217

Image
The unanswered “why’s” of life, the disorder of our days, and even the unfairness of our struggles can cause us to question ourselves and also to question our God. But the order-of-Creation and the systems that God has set in place are undeniable answers that swing back and forth like God’s pendulum-reminder that He set the world in motion, and He continues to keep order, even when it seems as if we and our world are in dis- order.   Job was a man going through some heavy and hard stuff.   Maybe we are too.   Job’s trials had caused him to question the order of life, and possibly God’s dominion over it.   We can relate.   The “Why’s?” and the “Why Me’s” can stack up in our minds and hearts, but like a parent exercising loving-authority over a child, God reminds Job and us--of His power, omniscience and of His ultimate authority over everything: Creation… and us today .   Then the  Lord  answered Job from the whirlwind: (2) “Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ig
Read more

Corona Devo 991

Running low on " good things " today?  Doesn't it (sometimes) seem like/trend like/read like/tweet like/water-cooler-chat or backyard-fence-visit like/intimidate like/depress like... there are no  good things in the land? . I know. It's no secret that many have abandoned  the Law of the  Lord,  and at times, that's us .   It is evident all around us that people have  followed each other  in this sin.  When we look around...or when we live our days...we can wonder: Are there  any  good things  left in the land? There are still some good things in the land ...and no matter how bleak we feel the "forecast" for today is...there will always  be  some good things in the land, because God is in the land.   T he Bible reminds us of that today.   ~~~ The Israelites (and their king, Rehoboam ) were God's people, but like all of us at times/seasons of our lives...they wandered from Lord and His ways.  They relaxed in their allegiance to the Lord, and then the
Read more