If God in his wisdom were to send a prophet to us today—to stand on the courthouse steps and preach to us like Jeremiah did to the ancient Israelites—what do you suppose that prophet would have to say? What would his message be?

In the first place, the mere presence of a prophet is reason to become apprehensive. God does not usually send a prophet to tell us how well we are doing. He figures that when we do things right, we aren’t really earning any points. We are just doing the best thing for ourselves. There is no reason to send someone to pat us on the head. So, when the prophet shows up and begins to speak, it is time for us to take notice.

I think God might tell that prophet to begin by telling us something like this…