Self-Idolatry

October 18, 2024September 21, 2024 / Mark Brady / 6 Comments

I post about atheists or people who worship Satan from time to time. As comments are welcomed, there is one atheist who has an absolute fit when I post the truth about such people. This last time, I didn’t “approve” their comment, allowing others to see it because it was full of lies and hate. I recognize and have no problem with people having free will to believe however they choose, and I have no issues with “freedom of speech,” even if it is negative and against me, but I won’t promote “hate!”

I didn’t respond to this person, and that drove them nuts. During the next week, they kept making comments, knowing I would see them. I wanted to reply to them, but after praying about it, I sensed God said, “No,” I sensed they were simply trying to pick a fight. I did go out to their website, though, and read some posts and comments. What I read led me to believe this person thinks they are omnipotent and omnipresent. They made several statements that are absolutes that aren’t absolutely true, and there is no way they know the hearts and minds of everyone on Earth! It seemed as if this person is a “god” unto themselves. Umm, reminds me of the devil.

This individual has no problem telling how smart they are and how everyone who believes in Jesus Christ is a liar and can’t do anything that Jesus did. They are intelligent, I’ll give them that, and they are well-read, but that is part of their problem. You see, they try to make God fit into their mind and understanding. They try to use reason and or logic to understand the ways of God, but scripture says:

But the natural, nonspiritual man does not accept or welcome or admit into his heart the gifts and teachings and revelations of the Spirit of God, for they are folly (meaningless nonsense) to him; and he is incapable of knowing them [of progressively recognizing, understanding, and becoming better acquainted with them] because they are spiritually discerned and estimated and appreciated. 1 Cor. 2:14 (AMPC)

“I don’t think the way you think. The way you work isn’t the way I work.” God’s Decree.
“For as the sky soars high above earth, so the way I work surpasses the way you work, and the way I think is beyond the way you think. Is. 55:8-9 (MSG)

This person doesn’t believe God gave us free will, either. They think that because a church split when they were young, there can’t be a God because the kind of God they want wouldn’t have allowed that to happen.

It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows. For everything we know about God’s Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That’s an act of true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out—in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then? Gal. 5:13-15 (MSG)

This person first commented on a post I had written about four years ago. I tried to interact with them, praying the whole time. I knew the words I wrote needed to be led by the Spirit of God. I actually received from the Spirit of God a word of knowledge for this individual. I wrote them with the event God showed me. I don’t know this person at all, so there was no way I could have known. When they responded, they said that every kid likes to do that activity. Honestly, I didn’t as a child. Then they proceeded to share with me a story about doing that activity using some of the exact same words I told them they had said.

This should have gotten their attention, and they should have seen God’s love for them all over it. As I have said before, words of knowledge are to get someone’s attention to what God wants to do or say next. God was trying to show how much He loves them.

I compare this person to Saul in the Book of Acts in the Bible. He was presented with the truth of the gospel, and it ate at him. He hated that believers in Jesus Christ would even die for their belief. He was highly educated, and the message of God’s love didn’t make sense to him, so he tried with all his might to dismiss it. He wanted to get rid of the constant frustration by killing the followers of Jesus Christ. He wound up having a personal encounter and interaction with Jesus Christ, and he then let go of what didn’t fit into his thinking and accepted Jesus Christ into his life. I think the person I wrote about today needs that kind of encounter before they believe. I feel sorry for them, and I pray that they will believe in God soon.

One note about atheism I don’t understand. To me, something or someone has to be there BEFORE you can CHOOSE to not believe in it or them! So, in other words, someone saying they are an atheist is saying, “God is real!” And by the way, choosing not to believe in Him is exercising the very “free will (freedom)” that God gives us! This person hopes they are right because when they find out they are wrong, they will be held accountable for all of the wrong and sinful things they have said and done.

Preach To Them

October 11, 2024September 7, 2024 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

3 ^1-2Next, God spoke to Jonah a second time: “Up on your feet and on your way to the big city of Nineveh! Preach to them. They’re in a bad way and I can’t ignore it any longer.”
³This time Jonah started off straight for Nineveh, obeying God’s orders to the letter.
Nineveh was a big city, very big—it took three days to walk across it.
⁴Jonah entered the city, went one day’s walk and preached, “In forty days Nineveh will be smashed.”
⁵The people of Nineveh listened, and trusted God. They proclaimed a citywide fast and dressed in burlap to show their repentance. Everyone did it—rich and poor, famous and obscure, leaders and followers.

A lot of believers get shy when it comes to sharing their faith. When I was growing up, most people thought it was only their preacher’s job to share the gospel and reach people. In reality, the minister’s job is to “equip the saints for ministry.” (Eph. 4:12)

Anyone can talk about God, and there are different ways to make a statement. Like mowing your elderly neighbor’s lawn, and when they ask why, you can say, “Because God wanted to love on you today, and He wanted to do that through me.” That will get their attention and, over time, give you an opening to share your testimony or faith in God. I call that kind of witnessing “Lifestyle Evangelism.” You show them “God’s love” and that you are NOT some weird fanatic! Your life makes an impact and gets their attention.

But what if you don’t like someone? Perhaps you are like Jonah above, and you have little concern if someone faces destruction. What I didn’t post was the first two chapters of the book of Jonah. God asked him to preach to the people of Nineveh to give them one last chance to accept Him and amend how they are living their lives. Otherwise, God was going to destroy them. Jonah didn’t obey at first.

People far from God, whether rich and famous, poor and obscure, leaders or followers, all need to hear about God. Regardless if you like them or not. What if you were the one that someone would listen to and you don’t share God with them? The words God gives you to share could make the difference between them having eternal life or being destroyed. Our duty is to speak the truth about God. If you ask him, He will be faithful to you to lead you in what to say to someone. Preach to them, and then leave the results up to God. For, after all, He is the Lord of the harvest!

Copyright © 2024 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

Care Package

October 4, 2024September 2, 2024 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

I have a cousin who seems to suffer a lot in life. I know they believe in God, but I’m not sure if they live a life pleasing to God. Living by God’s commandments and in a relationship as God designed them to be. As well, and I’ll explain why this is important later, I don’t know if they handle their finances the way God instructs us to. If my observations and instincts are correct, then I can see why they have a difficult existence.

I have said before that living a life pleasing to God doesn’t guarantee your life will be problem-free, but living it with God on your side certainly helps. When God smiles upon you, He protects you.

1 Job was a man who lived in Uz. He was honest inside and out, a man of his word, who was totally devoted to God and hated evil with a passion.

⁸God said to Satan, “Have you noticed my friend Job? There’s no one quite like him—honest and true to his word, totally devoted to God and hating evil.” ^9-10Satan retorted, “So do you think Job does all that out of the sheer goodness of his heart? Why, no one ever had it so good! You pamper him like a pet, make sure nothing bad ever happens to him or his family or his possessions, bless everything he does—he can’t lose! Job 1 (MSG)

When it comes to finances, God asks us to give back ten percent of our income. God says if we do this, He will open up the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing upon us. But here is the part that is even more important and powerful. God says He will shut the mouth of the devourer. That means He will stop Satan from eating away at our lives. Our homes, our finances, our health, and our relationships!

¹⁰Bring all the tithes (the whole tenth of your income) into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now by it, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

¹¹And I will rebuke the devourer [insects and plagues] for your sakes and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground, neither shall your vine drop its fruit before the time in the field, says the Lord of hosts. Mal. 3:10-11 (AMPC)

God really does care for us, for you! He doesn’t demand you live the way that is best for you, but He hopes that you will choose to. He wants you to be one of his favorite children in his family. (I’m not sure if God actually has favorites because He loves us all, but some probably put a smile on his face more than others.)

Even people like my cousin I mentioned earlier, God wants them to accept him so He can love on them even more, send them a personalized care package, stop the destruction and pain in their life, and pour out blessings upon them like no one has ever seen.

Copyright © 2024 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

I’m Not a Robot

October 1, 2024September 2, 2024 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

According to Isaac Asimov, there are three laws of robotics:
1. A robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

2. A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

Would you want to be a robot? Life might be easier if you were. You would be programmed, so there would be no decisions to make. You would have no soul and, therefore, not be responsible for your actions. Robots do not have free will. God didn’t make robots because He wanted a group of people to choose to love him back freely.

If humans were robots, according to the First Law, there would be no murders, and everyone would watch out for others and do whatever they could to help or protect them. A robot would never “sin” because of the Second Law. And there would be healthy robots who would never get depressed and commit suicide.

When God made mankind, He, too, established some Laws for us to live by. We know them as the Ten Commandments:

You shall have no other gods before Me.
You shall make no idols.
You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
Keep the Sabbath day holy.
Honor your father and your mother.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
You shall not covet.

These commandments weren’t established to make your life miserable but, in reality, to make all of our lives good. Living according to the above list is a great way to live. “No. I am not a robot.” I have accepted God and His Son, Jesus. I believe in the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. I do my best to live by these commandments. I worship God and praise His Holy name. I do all of this of my own free will, out of love for the one true God who first loved me.

What They Need

September 27, 2024August 21, 2024 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

I once visited a third-world country. Most of the people who lived there were extremely poor. Every day was a struggle for them to find food to feed their families. Jobs were difficult to come by, and “good” paying jobs were out of reach for most. In talking to one lady who had made it to America, she shared with me that she made more in two weeks than she did in six months there.

While I was there, I attended one of the local churches. The minister spoke both the languages of the country and English. I’m not sure what his motivation was, but he began to go around the room asking the parishioners how much they would commit to paying each week. I felt terrible for them as they squirmed and were not making eye contact with their pastor. As the people threw out an amount, one of the pastor’s family members recorded their responses.

Later that day, the pastor asked me what I thought of the service. Now I squirmed and finally asked. “You want me to be honest?” “Yes,” he replied. I said, “Well, I felt awful for the congregation. You put them on the spot. Of course, they were going to say they would commit to giving a certain amount every week. What they give is between them and God. They live difficult lives. They don’t need “rules” to live by, that’s guilt and “religion.” What they need is to hear about how much God loves them, knows what they are going through, and cares about them so much. What they need is a stronger “relationship” with God. One they can rely on and survive the week to come.”

The pastor stared at the floor and then struggled to admit he had made a mistake. I suggested he apologize to his flock and strive each week to hear God’s encouraging word for them.

I would go out on a limb and guess that what you need is to hear the same message. God knows you, and He loves you so much! He cares about what you are facing, and He wants you to trust him to work on your behalf. That is accomplished by having a great “relationship” with God. That is what you need. That is all that you need.

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Mat. 11:28-30 (MSG)

My Oscar Moment

September 24, 2024August 21, 2024 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

Do you ever daydream? I do. I have ever since I can remember. Especially in elementary school, when I was bored with the lessons I should have been learning. I found it entertaining to “play” or “dream” in my mind.

As I was writing my novel, “Kill the Preacher Man,” I would sometimes share with others what the book was about. Several would comment that it sounded like a movie. I then started daydreaming about winning an Oscar and what I would say in my acceptance speech. That dialog changed after meeting April and telling her about the book.

“I would like to thank the academy for this honor and, of course, God and my lovely wife, April. When I first met April, I told her about my novel and that some had said it should be a movie. I told her, ‘Who knows? Maybe it would be up for an Oscar?’ She replied, ‘Would I be able to attend the ceremony, and do you think Keanu Reeves would be there?’ I replied, ‘Yes. You can go, and Mr. Reeves would probably be there.’ After a brief pause, she said, ‘Okay, Mark. I will marry you!’” (True story!)

The below description is from the back cover of the book:

“Kill The Preacher Man” is a modern-day novel about 30-year-old Jeremiah Crowley, whose gift of faith and healing launches a revival in America. Like Jesus, signs and wonders follow him when he ministers. A Chicago news reporter, Caroline Roberts, is dispatched to investigate why a church meeting is causing a traffic jam. Her coverage of the incident propels her to disprove this modern-day Jesus. When that attempt failed, her disdain for God reached a boiling point, erupting in her putting out a contract on his life. Will she succeed in killing the preacher man, stopping the revival, and stopping God?

Awards and accolades are great. They can serve us with encouragement and as a testament to help others to keep working on achieving their dreams. God will give those who endured tests and temptations and came through it victoriously a “Crown of Life.”

Blessed (happy, to be envied) is the man who is patient under trial and stands up under temptation, for when he has stood the test and been approved, he will receive [the victor’s] crown of life which God has promised to those who love Him. Jam. 1:12 (AMPC)

Fear nothing that you are about to suffer. [Dismiss your dread and your fears!] Behold, the devil is indeed about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested and proved and critically appraised, and for ten days you will have affliction. Be loyally faithful unto death [even if you must die for it], and I will give you the crown of life. Rev. 2:10 (AMPC)

But when it is all said and done, we will lay those crowns at the feet of Jesus. For without his sacrifice on the cross to die for our sins, resisting temptation would not even be possible.

¹⁰The twenty-four elders (the members of the heavenly Sanhedrin) fall prostrate before Him Who is sitting on the throne, and they worship Him Who lives forever and ever; and they throw down their crowns before the throne, crying out,

¹¹Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive the glory and the honor and dominion, for You created all things; by Your will they were [brought into being] and were created. Rev. 4:10-11 (AMPC)

Jesus alone is worthy, and in praise and thankfulness to Him and in acknowledgment of Him, the saints cast the symbols of their victory at Jesus’ feet. Any awards and accolades received on earth are temporal. They will be consumed by fire in the end, so we should all focus on receiving “The crown of life.”

“Kill the Preacher Man” can only be purchased via Books | brady, mark a. (bradymarka.com)

Some Famous Atheist (or at least used to be)

September 13, 2024August 13, 2024 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

Founder of the Church of Satan, the famous Satanist, Anton Szandor LaVey’s last deathbed words were, “Oh my, oh my, what have I done! There’s something very wrong, there’s something very wrong, there’s something very wrong!”

Voltaire (1694–1778), an atheist, said, “I am abandoned by God and man! I shall go to hell! O Jesus Christ!”

David Hume (1711–1776), an atheist, said while dying in utter despair, “I am in the flames!”

Sir Thomas Scott (1808–1878), an atheist, said, “Until this moment I thought there was neither a God nor a hell. Now I know and feel that there is both, and I am doomed to perdition by the just judgment of the Almighty.”

The above, moments before their demise, saw a glimpse of what turned out to be real after all. All their lives, sadly, they had accepted the lies of the devil.

For the last several posts, I have keyed in on God’s judgment, eternity, heaven, and hell. I have felt an intense urgency to drive the point home that your time on Earth is extremely short, and then you will stand before God. You can believe now and start experiencing real life, or you can deny Him and continue to live as a dead man walking! Hear the words of some who found out too late! Learn from them.

Luke 16:19-31 (MSG)
^19-21“There once was a rich man, expensively dressed in the latest fashions, wasting his days in conspicuous consumption. A poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, had been dumped on his doorstep. All he lived for was to get a meal from scraps off the rich man’s table. His best friends were the dogs who came and licked his sores.

^22-24“Then he died, this poor man, and was taken up by the angels to the lap of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell and in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham in the distance and Lazarus in his lap. He called out, ‘Father Abraham, mercy! Have mercy! Send Lazarus to dip his finger in water to cool my tongue. I’m in agony in this fire.’

^25-26“But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that in your lifetime you got the good things and Lazarus the bad things. It’s not like that here. Here he’s consoled and you’re tormented. Besides, in all these matters there is a huge chasm set between us so that no one can go from us to you even if he wanted to, nor can anyone cross over from you to us.’

^27-28“The rich man said, ‘Then let me ask you, Father: Send him to the house of my father where I have five brothers, so he can tell them the score and warn them so they won’t end up here in this place of torment.’

²⁹“Abraham answered, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets to tell them the score. Let them listen to them.’

³⁰“‘I know, Father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but they’re not listening. If someone came back to them from the dead, they would change their ways.’

³¹“Abraham replied, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the Prophets, they’re not going to be convinced by someone who rises from the dead.’”

I share these words of truth with you because I don’t want to see anyone perish, and neither does God. He loves you and cares about you more than you’ll ever know! Eternity is too long to be wrong!!! Be informed. Please don’t wait until it’s too late. God is real.

Nope!

September 10, 2024August 10, 2024 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

A man once told his wife that the reason he didn’t go to church and had dismissed his belief in God is because he was abused as a little boy in a main denominational church, and he couldn’t believe a loving God would allow that to happen. I hate that it did happen. It was so wrong, but the truth is this: you will not be exempt from hell because of someone else’s moral failure! Nope! Notta!

The Bible is clear about this issue. “Everyone must die once. After a person dies, he is judged.” Heb. 9:27 (ICB) That same man will not be judged for the sins of someone else, but he will be judged for how “he” lived his life.

All people have sinned and are not good enough for God’s glory. ²⁴People are made right with God by his grace, which is a free gift. They are made right with God by being made free from sin through Jesus Christ. ²⁵God sent him to die in our place to take away our sins. We receive forgiveness through faith. And all of this is because of the blood of Jesus’ death. Rom. 3:23-25a (ICB)

Recently, a famous senior pastor, who proceeded over several campus locations and was on television, had his past sins revealed. The indiscretion took place many years ago but was disclosed. He probably thought it was hidden and would never be known publicly. This shows that scripture is true when it says, “Everything that is hidden will become clear. Every secret thing will be made known.” Luke 8:17 (ICB)

My point in bringing this up is no one can say, “See. The church is full of hypocrites, and I don’t want to be like them. I’m just as good as they are. So, I will live my life how I want to!” The church is indeed full of imperfect people, but they are forgiven if they have asked God to forgive them in the name of Jesus.

A reporter once asked President Bill Clinton, “You have committed an indiscretion in the Oval Office, yet we see you go to church and carrying a Bible.” President Clinton smirked and replied, “If anybody needed to be in church, don’t you think I should have?” Honestly, he was right.

There is no getting around this matter. There are only two eternities. One is heaven, and the other is hell. God cannot allow people into heaven who are filthy and have not been washed in the blood of Jesus. Fair or not, that is the way it is and must be. For God is Holy.

It is your evil that has separated you from your God. Your sins cause him to turn away from you. And then he does not hear you. Is. 59:2 (ICB)

Each creature was calling to the others: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of heaven’s armies. His glory fills the whole earth.” Is. 6:3 (ICB)

God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. 1 Jn. 1:5b (ICB)

Your eyes are too good to look at evil. You cannot stand to see people do wrong. So how can you put up with those evil people? How can you be quiet when wicked people defeat people who are better than they are? Hab. 1:13 (ICB)

That is why God had to turn his back on his Son, Jesus, while he was dying on the cross because Jesus took on the sins of the world. So get it through your head today: either accept God’s gift of salvation through Jesus Christ or die as a sinner and be condemned to spending eternity in hell. It’s your choice. You will not be able to blame anyone else.

Happy Birthday!

September 3, 2024August 10, 2024 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

Whenever your birthday rolls around, and it seems like they appear every year, do you reflect upon your life? I tend to. I think about what I have achieved, my regrets, and where I want to go in the future. I thank God for what I have achieved, and I appreciate his grace and forgiveness, which covers my regrets. Then I pray for my future.

The one thing I don’t regret about my life is trying my best to maintain a good relationship with God. Relying on him for strength, comfort, wisdom, understanding, and guidance. I sometimes trip up and struggle to keep an appropriate attitude toward God. This means that, at times, I get angry about how life is going at the moment and even have the audacity to blame him. Knowing full well He gives us freedom to make our own choices, and if those decisions don’t work out, then it’s my fault.

Birthdays are great for reflecting and celebrating. They’re also good for making course directions in your life. You’re never too old to start over, start new, or get back on track in your walk with God.

So be very careful to act exactly as God commands you. Don’t veer off to the right or the left. Walk straight down the road God commands so that you’ll have a good life and live a long time in the land that you’re about to possess. Deu. 5:32-33 (MSG)

But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, and don’t take yourself too seriously— take God seriously. Mic. 6:8 (MSG)

Birthdays should make you mindful of God’s grace and goodness. He has allowed you to survive another trip around the Sun. It could be to show his blessings upon your life., or it could be to give you another opportunity to accept His Son, Jesus, into your life so that your sins are forgiven and you spend eternity with him in heaven. Don’t think you will live forever because you won’t! Don’t put off another day without accepting God’s free gift, no strings attached, salvation. Your life came with an expiration date. “Best if used by: ??/??/????.

And now I have a word for you who brashly announce, “Today—at the latest, tomorrow—we’re off to such and such a city for the year. We’re going to start a business and make a lot of money.” You don’t know the first thing about tomorrow. You’re nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing. Instead, make it a habit to say, “If the Master wills it and we’re still alive, we’ll do this or that.” James 1:13-15 (MSG)

Decision 2024

August 30, 2024August 30, 2024 / Mark Brady / 2 Comments

It’s another election year. Both candidates are making promises of what they are going to do for the people, me. I have often wondered, if the incumbent has these great ideas to better our lives, then why didn’t he/she do it in his/her first term? There is a people group in America that is usually featured. They are starting to realize that the party they traditionally vote for never seems to come through on those promises! It has come to this writer’s observation that a lot of people are putting their trust in men to solve their problems and to make their lives better.

We have a lot of serious issues in America! Each candidate says they can fix them. I will certainly vote, but I’m not going to hold my breath, and I am certainly not counting on them! The portion of scripture below from Amos chapter 5, verses 5 – 15 (MSG) comes close to describing our country today and, honestly, our world.

“Seek me and live.
    Don’t fool around at those shrines of Bethel,
Don’t waste time taking trips to Gilgal,
    and don’t bother going down to Beer-sheba.
Gilgal is here today and gone tomorrow
    and Bethel is all show, no substance.”

⁶So seek God and live! You don’t want to end up
    with nothing to show for your life
But a pile of ashes, a house burned to the ground.
    For God will send just such a fire,
    and the firefighters will show up too late.

Raw Truth Is Never Popular

^7-9Woe to you who turn justice to vinegar

    and stomp righteousness into the mud.
Do you realize where you are? You’re in a cosmos
    star-flung with constellations by God,
A world God wakes up each morning
    and puts to bed each night.
God dips water from the ocean
    and gives the land a drink.
    God, God-revealed, does all this.
And he can destroy it as easily as make it.
    He can turn this vast wonder into total waste.

^10-12People hate this kind of talk.
    Raw truth is never popular.
But here it is, bluntly spoken:
    Because you run roughshod over the poor
    and take the bread right out of their mouths,
You’re never going to move into
    the luxury homes you have built.
You’re never going to drink wine
    from the expensive vineyards you’ve planted.
I know precisely the extent of your violations,
    the enormity of your sins. Appalling!
You bully right-living people,
    taking bribes right and left and kicking the poor when they’re down.

¹³Justice is a lost cause. Evil is epidemic.
Decent people throw up their hands.
Protest and rebuke are useless,
a waste of breath.

¹⁴Seek good and not evil—
    and live!
You talk about God, the God-of-the-Angel-Armies,
    being your best friend.
Well, live like it,
    and maybe it will happen.

¹⁵Hate evil and love good,
then work it out in the public square.
Maybe God, the God-of-the-Angel-Armies,
will notice your remnant and be gracious.

Do you want to make a decision in 2024? Decide on God! Accept him through his Son, Jesus Christ. Put your trust in him. You won’t regret your decision!