Good morning. It is Thursday, August 8, 2024. This past weekend, our city held a “Pagan Pride” day at a local park, featuring witchcraft presentations and lewd fashion shows. It was billed as a way to encourage “community, charity, and inclusiveness.” Sounds nice, doesn’t it? However, changing the label on a bottle of strychnine from “poison” to “honey” won’t alter the consequences.
Today, we begin the book of Jeremiah. He lived during a time when Israel began accepting the same kinds of ideas, and soon it would be deported into the Babylonian Captivity of 586 BC. Read on...
Today's Reading:
Jeremiah 1,2; John 10
Scripture
“My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” (Jeremiah 2:13)
Observation
Jeremiah succinctly points out the Israelites' downfall. They not only forsook the Lord, but they also decided that they would provide for themselves—no more need for God. They were self-sufficient and became “God-less.”
Trusting in their own skill and relying on “science” (which is simply another way to remain unaccountable), they carved out their own idols, their own rules, and their own truths. They didn’t need God to tell them the difference between right and wrong. They would now decide that for themselves.
Application
That sounds like the world we live in today. Our society has committed the same two sins. So, what do we, as Christians, do in this kind of environment?
We must become like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These three young leaders in Daniel 3 stood fast while the world wobbled. They remained true and courageous regardless of what society demanded. They didn’t stay silent, nor did they go on the defensive. They continued to move forward with valor and total devotion to God.
I have an Apple Watch, and if I have been sitting too long, it beeps and tells me, “It’s time to stand.” It just may be that the Holy Spirit is doing the same. He is awakening the Church and saying, “It’s time to stand!”
Prayer
Father, thank you for reminding me that in times like these, the Church should RISE UP and not shrink down. Please increase the “beep” in our souls to remind us, "It’s time to stand!”
Sign up to receive Pastor Wayne's devotions daily
