{"id":21552,"date":"2020-04-14T14:31:37","date_gmt":"2020-04-14T19:31:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=21552"},"modified":"2020-04-14T14:31:37","modified_gmt":"2020-04-14T19:31:37","slug":"seek-the-welfare-of-the-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/seek-the-welfare-of-the-city\/","title":{"rendered":"Seek the Welfare of the City"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t

by Doy Moyer<\/p>\n

God\u2019s people had been sent into exile because of their failure to keep the covenant. While in Babylonian exile, what should have been the attitude of the exiles generally?<\/p>\n

Jeremiah sent a letter to those in exile: \u201cto the surviving elders of the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to B<\/em>abylon<\/em>\u201d (Jeremiah 29:1). In this letter, Jeremiah told them to build houses, plant gardens, get married, and have children. He told them not to decrease, but to increase and \u201cseek 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<\/em>\u201d (Jeremiah 29:7).<\/p>\n

\"\"

Photo by Dakota Corbin on Unsplash<\/p><\/div>\n

God\u2019s people should always be a blessing to the world in which we live. We should be a blessing to our neighbors, to our community, to our city and nation. We know this world is not home, that we seek the heavenly country, and that our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20-21; Hebrews 11:13-16). At the same time, we need to seek the welfare of this place of exile. Love your neighbor. Pray for those in power (I Timothy 2:1-2). Use any freedoms you have to glorify God and bless those around you.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t have to agree with the people of this world to seek their welfare. You don\u2019t have to become enmeshed in political scheming and mudslinging to pray for the leaders, no matter what their views might be.<\/p>\n

If God\u2019s people in exile could seek the welfare of Babylon, that city that came to stand for all that is against God, then surely Christians can seek the welfare of this world today. It doesn\u2019t mean condoning sin. It doesn\u2019t mean compromising God\u2019s truth. It does mean that we show ourselves to be reasonable, gentle, and reflect the longsuffering of God who seeks the salvation of all.<\/p>\n

Do what is right. Love your neighbors. Seek the welfare of the city where you live and await the final day of the revelation of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Doy Moyer God\u2019s people had been sent into exile because of their failure to keep the covenant. While in Babylonian exile, what should have been the attitude of the exiles generally? Jeremiah sent a letter to those in exile: \u201cto the surviving elders of the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[194,353],"class_list":["post-21552","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-benevolence","tag-influence"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":69856,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/two-political-principles\/","url_meta":{"origin":21552,"position":0},"title":"Two Political Principles","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 19, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer Two prime principles should help Christians navigate through the various political systems of this world, whatever they may be: Worldly powers are ultimately in God's hands. \"It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings\" (Daniel 2:21). Likewise, \"the Most\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":40901,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/does-god-only-care-about-our-salvation\/","url_meta":{"origin":21552,"position":1},"title":"Does God only care about our salvation?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 29, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi, I am struggling with my faith. It is hard for me to trust God to answer my prayers for friendship and marriage because I think God only cares about my eternal destination and not about my life here on earth. 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Hamilton Text: II Timothy 2:14-19 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Atheists will often use short quotes from the Bible to make it appear that the Bible is contradictory or teaches something that people would find repulsive \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0But then, when you lift words from their context, you can make almost any point\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":61622,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-valley-of-dry-bones\/","url_meta":{"origin":21552,"position":3},"title":"The Valley of Dry Bones","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 30, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"by Matthew W. Bassford We all know the song. 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Stripped\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":47060,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/when-was-jehoiachin-released\/","url_meta":{"origin":21552,"position":4},"title":"When was Jehoiachin released?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 4, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: When was Jehoiachin released? \"Now it came about in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month,\u00a0on the twenty-seventh day of the month, that Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he became king, released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison\"\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":14793,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/when-did-god-take-israel-and-judah-back\/","url_meta":{"origin":21552,"position":5},"title":"When did God take Israel and Judah back?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 4, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: When exactly did God take both Israel and Judah back? 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