II Chronicles 7:14 "... if my people who are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."
People often preach or speak about how great things are because God is blessing "the righteous". Instead of seeing that sometimes their prosperity is not due to blessings from God but rather their exploitation or abuse of the poor, their neglect of justice and their engagement in corruption and deceit for gain, they claim that their wealth is a reward for "right living".
People rarely look for their own fault when things are going badly for themselves or the nation, but rather look to blame others. Right now, the current administration is being blamed for the hangover from the debauchery of the last administration, drunk with power and greed, even though MANY citizens not only went along with it but encouraged it for their own gain. We also blame the victims of our greed and exploitation, like "illegal" aliens in the land, those who receive public assistance, agencies and organizations that help the poor and so on... which is why they see no need to fund them and cut what little they have had...
In Alabama, now with the most stringent immigration laws that violate human rights as well as civil rights, latino families are leaving in droves. Consequently, $150m has been lost by the state's farmers because of a lack of field hands at the harvest. Consequently, teens and adults are being harassed and bullied because of their ethnicity, and being told to move back "south of the border", etc... Now, the state government is actually looking at providing 5 years worth of documentation to the SAME PEOPLE they have discriminated against, in order that they might return and help them out of their agricultural crisis. How insulting is that? God is not pleased.
Rather than take less profit during difficult times, corporations choose to lay off workers. Rather than make the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes as they always should have, government officials cut funds to the most vulnerable in the nation, to education, to public broadcasting, to the arts, etc... Rather than regulate business to make sure they keep jobs here, government officials write loopholes for incentives to ship jobs overseas, pollute other nations and exploit their people for cheap labor. Rather than pay a fair, living wage they vilify organized labor so they can pay less to workers here and make them work harder. Rather than help the most vulnerable in the land, they blame them for our nation's economic problems - not their own greed, corruption and thirst for power over others.
Jesus said that He came to "preach good news to the poor, proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." Luke 4:18, 19
With whom do you think Jesus stands here?
Perhaps things will get better, we will avoid all-out revolution, our economy will recover, we will not be at war, our people will be complete and whole... perhaps... if we "turn from (our) wicked ways" in prayer and not conspiracy, in humility and not hubris, seeking God's face and not Mammon's, then God will look at a people who love what is good and just, who love our neighbors as ourselves and live like we do, and who want to be a people of peace, love and justice...
That is MY prayer. People over Profits. Love over Greed. Peace over Power. Humility over Pride.
Pastor Jamie
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