Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them; Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.
Today's Thought: Let us be productive today for we know we shall be in heaven soon.
Paul was a citizen of the Roman Empire but he always remember that his "conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ." We must give utmost attention to matters of eternity than the present we have. We are children of God and that should be our priority.
However, we also live in this world. God told Jeremiah to send instructions to the Israelites living in captivity in Babylon that while they were there, they should build homes and plant gardens. Babylon was not God’s ultimate plan for His people. One day He would touch the heart of Cyrus to send the captives back to Israel. But that was in the future, and in the meantime, God wanted them to be good and productive people who made the place where they were living better by being there.
The same principle applies for us. The fact that we are God’s people should not just change how we live on Sundays, but every day. We need to be shining lights and examples of God’s goodness. George Washington wrote, “We are persuaded that good Christians will always be good citizens, and that where righteousness prevails among individuals, the Nation will be great and happy.”
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