Don’t you love to read the words of Jesus? He shared so many encouraging things with us. But make no mistake about it. Jesus was no ear-tickler. He said what needed to be said and often spoke strong words of judgment and rebuke over others.

Toward the end of Matthew 11, he began to call out cities who had rejected him. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you.

What if Jesus were to walk through East Central Mississippi? Would he pronounce woes on our cities? Woe to you, Meridian. Woe to you, DeKalb and Decatur. . Woe to you, Philadelphia. Woe to you, Bay Springs and Quitman.

That’s an awful thought, isn’t it? Beloved, may it never be! Reject not Jesus. Reject not his work. Reject not his message. Repent of your sins, trust Him as Savior and Lord, and give your heart, your city, and your community to Christ.

Change begins in you!