““So says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the captives whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, ‘Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there and do not decrease [in number]. Seek peace and well-being for the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf; for in its peace (well-being) you will have peace.’”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭29:4-7‬ ‭AMP‬‬

This is amazing to me.

This was my answer to prayer.

By prayer, I mean, I asked my Father this morning what He would have me to do.

In all of this.

Like Esther, I long to be in Jerusalem, lavishly and leisurely, dwelling in the Presence of my God,

While those “other people” of the world just go on about there business.

And like these captives, in bondage to Babylon, (above bible reference)

I wanted to get myself-

Out of dodge!

There was only one problem with both.

Limited, religious thinking.

God loves me, but He loves more than just me.

He loved Esther,

and the chosen people,

but looking through the lens of the New Testament,

He chose All people.

I thought, religiously speaking,

That I needed to bury my head in the Bible and bubble wrap myself in order to stay free from the filth of this world.

There’s only one problem with that-

Jesus wants to use me to help those filthy people get cleansed the same way I did.

God’s Choosing, is not based on our merit, but solely by His Goodness.

How dare I think I had something to do with His choosing, or His ability to change the very people that I myself once was.

Coming out of the world is a mindset, not a geographical relocation.

Yet, we tend to think if we could just avoid them, we will keep from being contaminated by them.

There’s only one problem.

We were once just like them.

And they, are important to my Father and My Lord.

And the True heart of Jesus is to become all things-

with all men to win them to the Father through Him!

Influence.

That’s what God has called us to.

We should have more influence on our surroundings,

Then they have on us.

That’s the key.

Be in this world, but not of it.

That doesn’t mean I don’t go to the Marts.

It means that I bring light to the fear and chaos.

It means I give the toilet paper that others are so frantically trying to hoard!