His deeply emotional writings have given Jeremiah the title of the Weeping Prophet, for he spoke on behalf of God during the final days of his beloved nation, Judah, before it was overtaken by Babylon. Jeremiah was called a traitor, his pleas for repentance interpreted as treason by the people of Jerusalem…to the point that Jeremiah even complained to God that he didn’t want to speak His Words anymore. “But if I say I won’t mention Him or speak anymore in His Name, His Word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I’m weary of holding it in; indeed, I can’t.” (Jeremiah 20:9) And so Jeremiah continued to call God’s people to repentance…to turn from sin & turn back to Him. But then in Chapter 12 God turns His attention to the main reason why Judah is suffering so…”Many shepherds will ruin My vineyard and trample down My field; they will turn My pleasant field into a desolate wasteland. It will be made a wasteland, parched and desolate before Me; the whole land will be laid waste because there is no one who cares.” (Jeremiah 12:10-11) Let that last phrase sink in for a moment…”Because there is no one who cares.” Has the Church gotten to that point? A point where social issues out-weight the Word of God coming from the pulpit on Sundays? Where the color of the new carpet for the Sanctuary is more hotly debated than God’s Word? James warned us in the Scripture above that we can’t have it both ways…we either stand with God or fall with the world. But has the Church gotten to that point already…a point where we only go to Church to be entertained with big musical productions, and feel-good sermons that tickle our ears but are just full of fluff? God warns us in the last verses of Chapter 12 of Jeremiah, “But if any nation doesn’t listen, I will completely uproot & destroy it.” The Church is at a very pivotal moment in time, a critical time of taking personal & corporate responsibility as the Body of Christ to take a hard look at what the Church as become. The Church is not to be a country club for people to waltz in & out with little obligation or commitment. No, the Church is to be the instigator of change for the world…but are we willing to take the challenge, or are we just too comfortable with the status quo?
Safetypinlove 