“Samuel replied, “Don’t be afraid. Even though you have committed all this evil, don’t turn away from following the Lord. Instead, worship the Lord with all your heart. Don’t turn away to follow worthless things that can’t profit or rescue you; they are worthless. The Lord will not abandon his people, because of his great name and because he has determined to make you his own people.” 1 Samuel 12:20-22 CSB https://bible.com/bible/1713/1sa.12.20-22.CSB

The American church has sinned greatly against the Lord by not making disciples. We have failed to raise our children in the ways of the Lord. We have failed to make disciples in the marketplace, holding our business, education, and government leaders to God’s standard. We reap now what we have sown. Our passivity and self-centered living have resulted in a country in chaos, deep in murder and sexual immorality, and near economic calamity. Times are hard because we, the church, have not made disciples. We have not obeyed everything Jesus commands or taught others to obey Him. But we can. We can start today by praying for people we know need Jesus and for those in authority over us. We can start today by obeying God. We can open the Bible and begin a systematic plan for reading all of it in the next 365 days. Then, do it again for the rest of our lives. We can join God’s people, study God’s ways with them, and encourage one another to obey Jesus. We can start to identify ourselves publicly with Jesus, taking every opportunity to share with our neighbor the love of God in the person of God, Jesus, God our Savior. This is the Lord’s will for us. He is working this in us to work through us and accomplish His work by us. God is determined to make His Name known and loved through us, His children. We must cooperate with God in living as children of God, building the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven for the glory of our God. Let us repent from our past sins and go forward today and tomorrow, loving God and obeying His commands together.