Hypocrites!

Jesus did a lot of talking against the religious leaders if His day, but nowhere was His distaste for them more prevalent than in 23rd chapter of Mathhew.

"Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. 5 “Everything they do is done for people to see." - Matthew 23:1-5

Jesus then went on to call those same religious leaders "hypocrites" seven times in the next few paragraphs.

We have many co-called "leaders" in our current world governments who could be given the same title. Hypocrites! For example, the United States of America. We condemn Russia for attacking Ukraine while at the same time we import an average of $19 million barrels of oil each month from them (2021 data). Friday's oil price was $91.90 per barrel. That's works out to $1.75 billion the U.S. pays Russia each month so they can build more tanks, jets and helicopters for its war efforts in Ukraine.

Hypocrites!

What would Jesus do in Biden's situation. Well, that's not really fair. Jesus is God. Somehow, I think a legion of angels would be involved and Mr. Putin would be a smoking pile of ashes when Jesus got done with them. But that's just my guess.

"The sanctions were never meant to stop the Russians." - Joe Biden

“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 12So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." - Matthew 7:9-10, 12

Yes, verse 12 is The Golden Rule.

What can WE do as Christians? Our primary weapon in cases like this is prayer. We must pray for Ukrainians and their leaders. Pray for God's protection for our Ukranian brothers and sisters. They will need strength and determination, perseverance and an iron will. They will need provision of food and water as well.

We also must pray for the Ukrainian leaders. They need wisdom in addition to all the things I just mentioned for their people. I have been more impressed by their leaders than I have by ours during this time.

And we must also pray for Vladimir Putin. God needs to work in him. Putin is sure he is just in doing what he is doing. I wonder what being in dwelt by Satan looks like. People who know him say that he has changed in recent days. Whatever the case, he needs a change of heart. Clearly, he does not know Jesus, or he wouldn't be ordering the shedding of innocent blood.

And lastly, we must pray for God's will to be done. I just wrote about Rosh and the Ezekiel 38 war. If this is Rosh moving into position for that war against Israel, then this war MUST take place. We must be okay with that. It is God's will. Only time will tell.

Personally, I would call off all oil imports from Russia. That will hurt at the gas pumps, but people are dying in Ukraine so, who gives a rip about gas prices short term? Cut them off! I have a bunch of other things I would do but until I'm elected president I'll keep them to myself.

God hates hypocrites. I know because I am one myself. Thank God for Jesus who takes away the sins of the world!

Let's pray! And then pray again!! God is mighty to save.