Jesus was one of the most offensive people to walk this earth. Imagine what the Jews were thinking when He said to them, “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves.” Remember, the Law of Moses sternly forbade drinking or eating meat with blood remaining in it. Yet, Jesus was asking them to eat His flesh and drink His blood! How absurd!

Furthermore, He overturned the tables of the money exchangers in the temple. He broke the Sabbath by healing a man and then had the audacity to tell the once lame man to carry his mat. He proclaimed He came from heaven and declared Himself equal to God. He called the Pharisees, the religious leaders of the time, a brood of vipers and pointed out they, not only did not know God, but they were serving the father of lies, the devil!

Over and over again, Jesus offended the mind. The ones who fell into grumbling and complaining were the same ones who crucified Him. Dying on the cross was the ultimate offense. How could the King of Kings appear so weak? If He was Messiah, why didn’t He save Himself? These were all questions the crowds were asking.

Yet, the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ and His equality with God are foundational truths for true faith in Him. He wasn’t afraid to expose darkness. Jesus, the Messiah, walked in humility. And His death on the cross was the most offensive display of love ever to be witnessed. He wasn’t trying to win a popularity contest, He was trying to save the world. He died so we can live. What radical love is this?

I said all that said to say, similarly, there’s a lot of grumbling and complaining in our world today. I petition you, don’t be so quick to judge on the surface or by outward appearances. Pray and ask God to reveal where He is working to you. Because He is working.

What appears offensive at first glance, may have the anointing of God all over it. The United States of America is still one nation under God. Whether all who live here acknowledge that does not distort the truth. God still sits on the throne and His mercies flow like a raging torrent across this land! His mercies are new every morning! His mercies overtake the just and the unjust! 

I pray God will anoint our eyes to see where He is moving. May our prayers for this great nation fall into cadence with the One who holds all things together. Father, forgive our offense. Let us rise higher than the confusion and sync ourselves with Your heartbeat. I pray peace in our souls and peace over our land. May our gaze be forever upon You that we may witness Your great and mighty winds of revival that are about to take this nation by storm.

Just as You have loved with a radical love, may we also love with a radical love. A love that overcomes offense.

In God we trust.

“Call to Me and I will answer you and I will tell you great and mighty things which you do not know…Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them; and I will reveal to them an abundance of peace and truth.

And I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, and I will rebuild them as they were at first. And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned against Me, and by which they have transgressed against Me.

And it shall be to Me a name of joy, praise, and glory before all the nations of the earth, which shall hear of all the good that I do for them, and they shall fear and tremble because of all the good and all the peace that I make for it.” — Jeremiah 33:3, 6-9