April 23, Seek your city's good.

Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.

Build houses and live in them. Plant gardens and eat their produce.

But 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, 4 through 5, and 7.

If that was true for God's exiles in Babylon, it would seem to be even more true for Christian exiles in this very Babylon-like world.

What then shall we do? We should do the ordinary things that need to be done, build houses, live in them,

plant gardens. This does not contaminate you if you do it all for the real king and not just for

I service as men pleasers. Seek the welfare of the place where God has sent you. Think of yourself as sent there

by God for His glory, because you are. Pray to the Lord on behalf of your city. Ask for great and good

things to happen for the city. Ask that they happen by God's power and for his glory.

Never lose sight of the ultimate good that the city needs a thousand times more than it

needs material prosperity. Christians care about all suffering, especially eternal suffering. That's the greatest danger every city faces. But neither God

nor his people are indifferent to the health and safety and prosperity and freedom of the city.

We all want these things. And Jesus said, you shall love your neighbor as

yourself, Matthew 2239. In fact, the Lord says in Jeremiah that loving your city is a way of loving

yourself. In its welfare, you will find your welfare. This does not mean that we give up

our exile orientation. Peter says that Christians are sojourners and exiles, 1 Peter 2.11.

And Paul says, our citizenship is in heaven, Philippians 320.

In fact, we will do most good for this world by keeping a steadfast freedom from its beguiling attractions.

We will serve our city best by getting our values from the city

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