"Gedaliah vowed to them that the Babylonians meant them no harm. "Don't be afraid to serve them. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and all will go well for you," he promised." ~Jeremiah 40:9, NLT
Gedaliah was neither a prophet nor a holy man. He was a politician set up as governor by the Babylonians. One might say that because of these qualifications (or lack thereof) that we can't take his words seriously - how many times in the Bible does a sinful person claim one thing that doesn't happen because it wasn't in line with what God wanted? Yet Jeremiah, the man of God, trusted him, and the words he said were in line with what God had told Jeremiah. Because those words reflected what God said to Jeremiah (see yesterday's verse) we too can trust them.
God can use any of us to spread His word. We don't have to be prophets, we don't have to be pastors, we don't have to be denominationally appointed missionaries; God can and will use any of us to spread His message of hope.
Gedaliah tells the people not to be afraid to serve the Babylonians. This is a message reflected later by Paul, who says slaves should serve their masters as they would serve Christ. Don't be afraid to do your best, don't be afraid to let your actions shine forth as a testimony, who knows, you might be changing the lives of the Babylonians that you serve in ways that you can't even imagine! Step out in faith and be the very best person you can be, it will glorify the God who made you regardless of the beliefs of those around you.
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