Our Sacred Responsibility by Franklin Graham

Our Sacred Responsibility By Franklin Graham The prophet Jeremiah preached to Israelites who were enslaved 70 years in the alien, idol-filled land of Babylon. It was a terrible time in Israel’s history, but tucked into the Biblical narrative is a surprising verse: “Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare” (Jeremiah 29:7). Rather than let the people of Israel wallow in bitterness and anger against their captors, Jeremiah told them to pray for their rulers and to be constructive. This is no time for Christians to isolate ourselves and withdraw from engagement with our culture. We are not of the world, as Jesus said (John 17:14), but we most certainly are in the world. We have the responsibility for our sake, and especially for the sake of our children and grandchildren, to do all we possibly can to influence our communities with righteous conduct.