"Remember Lot's wife."Luke 17:32

When Jesus was describing the societal atmosphere of His return, he said these peculiar words … “Remember Lot’s Wife.” It was a warning … and especially to the generation of believers just before His return. In Genesis 19, we read of God’s destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and specifically of how Lot’s wife turned to look at the destruction and was turned into a pillar of salt. [Genesis 19:26] She turned around … and the warning to us is … don’t look back! While traveling in Zimbabwe, remembering this country as a bread basket of frica, “Make Zimbabwe Great Again.” This reminds many Zimbabweans of the dramatic decline of the nation since their youth, inspired them to vote in hope of witnessing a restoration of former glory. For some, this was a nostalgic longing; for others, a passion for something that seemed almost irretrievably lost. Zimbabwe's greatness, however one recalls or defines it, does seem to be irrevocably fading, and our view is that looking back and longing for its recovery...is looking in the wrong direction. While some are calling this nation modern "Babylon", or even "Sodom", what we see is a nation of paradox, full of tremendous blessings and sadly also, real wickedness. But however you view her, we believe it is unwise and even dangerous to look back to Zimbabwe's past in hope of that kind of restoration. Since the "Days of Noah" are again upon us, we're not expecting or focused on political solutions, but looking toward the Kingdom that is soon coming! When I looked at Zimbabwe, I began to realize that the real issues Zimbabwe faces could not be remedied by politics. Political realities simply reflect the internal moral and cultural climate of a nation and its people. In their drive for power, most politicians are simply responding to or manipulating the current passions of the populace. Laws can be changed, but they will reflect the mores of the people which are shaped by media, music, art, and culture in general. Those influences reveal a nation's true soul. While some leaders are morally superior to others, and may seem to offer hope, the real problems which plague society are internal and reflect the deeply rooted sin in human nature. The Gospel of the Messiah (Jesus Christ) is the only path and hope for any degree of national restoration. Anyone who has studied revivals can see this. So nostalgically looking at the past with a view toward political transformation might not turn you into a pillar of salt, but may seriously deflect us from the real hope and task of transformation: the Gospel which points to the coming Kingdom and the coming King. Any reclamation of greatness, individual or national, will depend utterly on the transforming power of Messiah and the profound inner work of His Holy Spirit. Brothers & Sisters, let’s not look back as Lot's wife did, toward whatever the "good life" was in Sodom, or zimbabwe; [Luke 9:62]. Any "greatness" that's worth regaining will come from looking UP, not back! Our calling is to make disciples, anticipating the coming Kingdom where politics will not be "as usual" but everlasting righteousness in the presence of our King Jesus. DON'T LOOK BACK!