BIBLE PASSAGE:
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
(1 JOHN 4:8)
MEDITATION:
We can love the world, or we can love God, but we cannot love both.
God and the world are diametrically opposed to each other.
The world wants to lead us in one direction,
but God commands us to go in the opposite direction.
Anytime we try to love both,
we create problems, confusion, and frustrations for ourselves.
Today, Christians find themselves in a form of bondage.
It is not like the bondage the Israelites faced (yet), but it is similar.
The Israelites suffered physical and emotional bondage.
The world has placed many Christians in “spiritual bondage”.
“Bondage” is defined as, “the condition of being a slave”.
“Spiritual bondage” is defined as,
“the condition of being a spiritual slave”.
It refers to “anything that keeps us from being fully submitted
to the lordship and the power of Jesus in an area of our lives.”
“Spiritual bondage” is usually a result
of the choices we make (or fail to make).
When we read the scriptures, we discover how the “bad choices”
of the Israelites resulted in their “state of bondage”.
“What has happened to us is a result of our evil deeds
and our great guilt, and yet, our God, you have punished
us less than our sins deserved and have given us a remnant
like this.” (Ezra 9:13)
God warned them of the potential
of being corrupted by the ways of the world.
“But now, our God, what can we say after this? For we have forsaken
the commands you gave through your servants the prophets when you
said: ‘The land you are entering to possess is a land polluted by the
corruption of its peoples. By their detestable practices they have filled
it with their impurity from one end to the other. (Ezra 9:10-11)
God told them not to mingle with the ways of the world
(which meant avoiding the temptation to be influenced
by the ways of the people who were going in
a different direction than following God).
Therefore, do not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take
their daughters for your sons. Do not seek a treaty of friendship with
them at any time, that you may be strong and eat the good things of the
land and leave it to your children as an everlasting inheritance.’
(Ezra 9:12)
Because they had ignored God’s commands,
they found themselves in a “state of bondage”.
How did this bondage impact the people?
Well, it got the attention of at least one (Ezra),
and he prayed about their situation.
“I am too ashamed and disgraced, my God, to lift up my face to you,
because our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached
to the heavens. From the days of our ancestors until now, our guilt
has been great. Because of our sins, we and our kings and our priests
have been subjected to the sword and captivity, to pillage and
humiliation at the hand of foreign kings, as it is today.” (Ezra 9:6-7)
We should take note of Ezra’s awareness of the love of God,
(even while they were in bondage as a result of their disobedience).
He said,
“you have punished us less than our sins deserved
and have given us a remnant like this.”
In his prayer, he also acknowledged God’s compassion,
“But now, for a brief moment, the LORD our God has been gracious
in leaving us a remnant and giving us a firm place in his sanctuary,
and so our God gives light to our eyes and a little relief in our bondage.
Though we are slaves, our God has not forsaken us in our bondage.
He has shown us kindness in the sight of the kings of Persia: He has
granted us new life to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins,
and he has given us a wall of protection in Judah and Jerusalem.
(Ezra 9:8-9)
We live in a world today where we have witnessed many people
who did whatever they could (lying, cheating, etc.) to get elected
to leadership positions, because they saw an opportunity to be in
a ‘position of power’.
Their desires and their increase of power has caused
them to ignore God, and make efforts (enacting laws)
to replace God’s laws and His power.
Instead of seeking ways to improve standards of living, and
glorifying God for who He is, what He has done, and how He
loves and cares for those He has created, they have chosen
to destroy everything God has created, so they can create
an environment where they will be able to control the people.
Our bondage increases in proportion to their increase in power.
The question we have to ask ourselves is,
“Why are people of this caliber in positions of leadership?”
(Note: Fortunately there are some people in leadership who
have good character, have concerns about the welfare of the
people, and ultimately acknowledge God as our all powerful
Creator; in my community, our mayor is a man of faith and
we have seen the benefits of having a man of his character
in leadership).
Are we being subjected to corrupt and demented leadership
as a result of God’s punishment for our disobedience?
As a nation, we have asked God to depart and leave us alone.
As believers, many of us have forgotten the importance
of worshipping God and inviting Him to be a part
of our everyday lives.
As individuals, many of us have stifled the Holy Spirit’s
presence, influence, and guidance in our lives.
We need to repent as individuals, as believers, and as a nation.
We need to invite (plead with) God to return to us, so that we
can once again be known as a Godly nation
(with people of good character, morals, ethics,
and faith occupying leadership positions).
This is not a responsibility of ‘some people’ but it is
an obligation of every believer to pray for forgiveness
for themselves, for other believers, and for our nation.
If we sincerely want God to once again bless and protect
our nation and our families, then we will make a commitment
to pray daily for God to forgive and restore us individually,
and our nation as a whole.
In Ezra, we have learned of the love and compassion of God.
Obviously we may not understand the ways of God and what
influences His decisions, but He just “might” be awaiting your
prayers as the pivotal point for His blessings on our nation.
Remember, God said He would not destroy the city of Sodom
“if” there were a certain amount of righteous people:
The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city
of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”
(Genesis 18:26)
ACTION:
Consider this hypothetical scenario:
What if God has decided that He would return
to our nation “if” 1000 people would pray for
forgiveness and invite Him back?
What if 999 have done this, and He is waiting for one more?
What if He is waiting on “you” to be number 1000?
Your prayer could be what ignites a revival like we have never
seen; one which could sweep across our nation and around the world.
Maybe you are discouraged, maybe you are depressed, or maybe
you have low self-esteem, but regardless of how you feel about
yourself, you are valuable to God and your prayers are very important!
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves
and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then
I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal
their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, forgive me for the times I have rejected
or ignored Your commands. Forgive us as believers for failing
to praise and worship You as we should. Forgive our nation
for rejecting You and for trying to enact laws to replace Your
commands. Father, I plead with You to return Your protective
hand over our nation. I pray for a revival to be ignited that will
return Your people to You, and pierce the hearts of the lost – so
that they will humbly come to You in repentance, and ask You
to give them a new life (salvation) with a desire to praise,
worship, and serve You.”
BREAD FOR BELIEVERS 
Discussion
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