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| Volume 21 Number 2 February 2019 | Page 10 |
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| Volume 21 Number 2 February 2019 | Page 10 |
Mark McWhorter
Jeremiah was a prophet of God. He spoke to the people of Judah. He warned them of Divine punishment if they did not return to God. In Jeremiah 22:29, we read, “O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord.” Notice the word “earth” is repeated three times. Repetition by God gives emphasis to His words. All God has to do is say something once. Attention should be given to anything He says. However, sometimes He repeats certain words to let people know that they must pay attention.
In this context, God was saying, through Jeremiah, that the earth needed to listen. He was not speaking about the physical globe of the earth. He was speaking to the people of Judah and to all the people of the world. The people of Judah were being told that they were going into exile. The people of the world were being told about the punishment of Judah.
The fact that God was willing to send His chosen people into bondage and slavery should be a warning to us. The people of Judah were supposed to obey God. They had given their word that they would obey Him. When they broke their promise, God punished them. Today, Christians are God’s chosen people. Christians promise to obey God. However, if a Christian does not obey God, then that Christian will not be with God in Heaven. The person who does not obey God during his or her life will be eternally punished by God.
Study your Bible. Learn how to obey God. Don’t disobey Him so that He would say, “earth, earth, earth” to you. Instead, obey Him. If any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.
[Editor’s Note: God welcomes disobedient souls to repent and obey the Gospel of Jesus Christ; He doesn’t want anyone to be lost eternally (2 Peter 3:9). While it is true that those who do not obey the Gospel will remain lost eternally (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; 1 Peter 4:17), anyone can become a child of God today by obeying the words of our Lord in Mark 16:16. Erring Christians can have their sins forgiven through penitence and prayer (Acts 8:22; 1 John 1:9). ~ Louis Rushmore, Editor]
Confusion
Donald R. Fox
Are you confused about same-sex marriage, man-boy sex relationships, polygamy relationships, normalization of homosexual lifestyles, a drive for a secular nation and libertarian views elevated? The “anything goes” crowd thrives on confusing people! There has never been a time in the history of the USA that “way out ideas” of right and wrong have made such fast inroads in our society. The redefinition of marriage, the rewriting of our founders’ intent, the changing of our national heritage and modification our society in general has reached an epidemic level. People are confused!
“Who are you to say what is right or wrong?” This question is designed to confuse, setting a barrier before us, numbing our judgmental capacity. What will happen when we lose our compass in comprehending what is right moral behavior? Have we reached this chaotic state?
Past generations were not confused. Our founding fathers were not confused. The vast bulk of Americans years ago were not confused. They all grasped the concept and understanding of right/wrong, good/bad, fair/unfair, stable/unstable, law/lawless, moral/immoral and truth/error.
Proverbs 16:9 reads, “A man’s heart deviseth his ways.” Yes, we are responsible for what we think, contrive, plan and invent. The Word of God is the only true and sound standard for right thinking. Let’s regain our compass in our determination of what is right. “A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8).