Today’s Scripture Reading: Isaiah 28:1-29; 2 Kings 17:5; 2 Kings 18:9-12; 2 Kings 17:6-41; Isaiah 1:1-20
Have you heard the cliché, “We are what we eat”? The saying on this t-shirt says it all about the food most of us eat in today’s world—fast, cheap, and easy.
In the 21st century that’s pretty much the way we want to worship—fast, cheap, and easy.
- “We don’t have time to go to discipleship classes AND worship on Sunday morning…No way that’s our family time!” –We want to get in and get out.
- “I’ll worship when it’s convenient”—in other words, worship can’t cost me any time, money or energy, if it does, I’m outta here.
- “I don’t understand the Bible and I just can’t overcome my bad habits; it’s just too hard to serve the Lord!”
So just like we are what we eat; we are what we worship:
But the Israelites would not listen. They were as stubborn as their ancestors who had refused to believe in the Lord their God. They rejected His decrees and the covenant He had made with their ancestors, and they despised all His warnings. They worshiped worthless idols, so they became worthless themselves. They followed the example of the nations around them, disobeying the Lord’s command not to imitate them. –2 Kings 17: 14-15
It’s so easy to read these two verses and say, “Those bad Israelites, they were so stubborn.
- Why did they refuse to believe in the Lord?
- Why didn’t they obey His decrees and keep the covenant their ancestors had made?
- Why didn’t they listen to warnings from Almighty God?
- Why in the world would they worship idols when they had the one true God to worship?
- Why would they act like the nations around them when they were God’s chosen people?
I wonder what future generations will think about the 21 century church.
Will they say—
- Why did they refuse to believe God and allow Him to be the Lord of their lives?
- Why didn’t they obey His decrees and keep the covenant when they had a Bible in every room of their house?
- Why didn’t they listen to the warnings written in Daniel, Matthew, and Revelation?
- Why in the world would they worship the idols of time, pleasure, and materialism when they had the one true God to worship?
- Why would they act like the people of the world when they had been rescued by Jesus Christ and given the Holy Spirit to help them become who God planned for them to be?
They worshiped worthless idols, so they became worthless themselves.
Father, we don’t want to become worthless! Show us the idols in our lives. Draw us to you Lord. Help us not to be deceived. Use us for Your Glory today!
In Jesus Name. Amen and Amen!
© 2012 Dianne Guthmuller
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Isaiah 1:21 through Isaiah 5:30
This is such a timely message.
Isrealites–Americans, what’s the difference? So, who is not wandering in a desert? We have given in to being apathetic about God’s Word and a relationship with Him as a Nation. God is still God, He does not change. And neither do His promises to those who obey Him!