Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil

.... Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, And shrewd in their own sight (Isaiah 5:20, 21)!  I have heard it said that the Kingdom of God is the upside down Kingdom, the first shall be last,  and    he who humbles himself shall be exalted etc., etc.  But really, it's the Kingdoms of this world that are wrong side up, and the thinking of the world is bound up in foolishness rather than wisdom. The world,  by its wisdom, does not know God (1 Corinthians 1:21), and truth is suppressed  by unrighteousness (Romans 1:18).

There are times when the Bible seems to read like today's newspaper, for the news media has,  by and large,  turned into the propaganda of the world that justifies wrong and vilifies right.  Traditional values are under attack, masculinity is said to be toxic, the family unit, the very basis of the stability of a culture,  is being dismantled. If a parent does not affirm the gender confusion of a child, that parent is in grave danger of the child being taken away by the government!  Never mind that all this contradicts science, and that research shows that the majority of those with this kind of confusion grow out of it.  But no,  all these things must bow at the alter of the politically correct. And should we dare to object to any of it,  we are described as phobic  hate mongers.  But then Jesus said “if they persecuted me, they will persecute you” (John 15:20). And in case you're not sure, they did persecute Him!

How are we to respond?  Well, if we are to follow Jesus,  we are to love our enemies (Matthew 5:44). We need to remember we too were once His enemies, but that He reconciled us through His death on the cross (Romans 5:10). And if we are to love those He is seeking to win,  we need to see that there are many “woes” that are coming to the lost.  We are to pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44 again). Paul puts it this way “a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will” (2 Timothy 2:24-26). Notice in particular,  that these who exchange the truth of God for a lie are prisoners of the Evil one. And if we are to love them, we need to pray for their freedom. This is why Jesus came   (Luke 4:18).

Father,  the accusations of hate and fear by the church are not without  validity. We repent of these things Lord for ourselves,  and on behalf of the church. We claim the promise Lord that if Your people who are called by Your name will humble themselves, and pray,  seek Your  face, and turn from our wicked ways, You  will hear from heaven, and will forgive our sin and heal our land (2 Chronicles 7:14). Help us diligently to do our part Lord,  and we give You the glory in advance Lord,  for healing the land in Jesus Name Amen