Living in the Spirit

August 29, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Jeremiah 15:15-21

Therefore, thus says the Lord:
If you turn back, I will take you back,
   and you shall stand before me.
If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless,
   you shall serve as my mouth.
It is they who will turn to you,
   not you who will turn to them.
And I will make you to this people
   a fortified wall of bronze;
they will fight against you,
   but they shall not prevail over you,
for I am with you
   to save you and deliver you,
says the Lord.
I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked,
   and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless. –Jerimiah 15:19-21

I was raised in a family that watched the news morning, noon, evening, and night and I inherited that habit. In all honesty, my dad, a farmer, and my mother, an ardent gardener, were at least as interested in the weather as the news, but they did keep up with what was happening in the world. I am picky about the news I watch, and I also read more than one newspaper. I, however, am growing weary of the venom our leaders spew out, keeping everyone unnecessarily riled up over things that push the important issues of our time that really need to be addressed to the back burner. It is my observation that many of the issues these leaders are accusing others of doing are behaviors they have done or are doing themselves. Newspapers now have had to add segments that fact-check what our leaders say. This phrase in the above scripture, If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless, seems to strike at the center of the changes we need to make in our own lives, and what we need to demand from our leaders.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we give in to the vitriol of our world, help us to hold precious the things that really matter, and hold our leaders to that same responsibility. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.