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Scripture for the day: Jeremiah 2:11, 17, 27b-28 Has a nation changed its gods, which are not gods? But my people have changed their glory for what does not profit … Have you not brought this on yourself, in that you have forsaken the Lord your God when He led you in the way? … But in the time of trouble, they will say, “Arise and save us.” But where are your gods that you have made for yourselves? Let them arise, if they can save you in the time of your trouble.
Thought for the day: I’ve been reading lately in Isaiah and Jeremiah, along with the history of the rise and fall of the Children of Israel; thoroughly depressing. I thought about how depressing it truly can be to read these parts of the Bible and suddenly realized how seldom we hear anyone preach from them. Curious, I went to a number of preaching websites just to get an idea what others were speaking about from the pulpits of America and discovered that, in a list of several thousand sermon illustrations, there were very few having to do with warnings for the nations, prophecy, etc. On the other hand, I found huge numbers dealing directly or indirectly with the power of positive thinking and associated topics.
Now, please don’t misunderstand, I’m glad there are literally thousands of people sharing the love of God from the pulpits of America and the world. God’s love for His creation is the most important message we can ever hear or preach. My fear is, though, that the message of God’s love has gotten terribly one-sided. I fear it’s become mostly a message designed to pat people on the head, provide an ointment for the hurt they may be feeling, or convince them that God is just a wonderful white-haired grandpa sitting in His rocking chair in heaven, thinking up new ways to shower gifts on His people to make them happy.
If there were a nest of poisonous snakes in your backyard, would you allow your children to play there? Of course not! You wouldn’t be seen as a loving parent (and rightfully so); everyone would recognize you to be the uncaring lout that you showed yourself to be. Better yet, let’s pretend you’re out driving your car on a bright sunny day in May. You have the windows down, the fresh Spring breeze is blowing through your hair and you’re thoroughly enjoying God’s good creation. The road you’re on takes you down near the ocean and you can’t wait to catch your first glimpse of the shoreline. Unfortunately, the closer you get the more the clouds settle in until rain begins to fall. You reluctantly close the windows in your car, but still look forward to watching the waves as they pound against the ledges of the coastline. Suddenly, as you round a bend, you realize the only bridge to the island in front of you has washed out. The chasm between the mainland and the island is deep and wide; at the bottom are jagged rocks and pounding surf, certain death for anyone unfortunate enough to go over the edge.
Once you’ve brought your car safely to a stop at the side of the road, you bow your head and thank the Lord for protecting you from certain death. Now the rain is coming down in sheets and the wind is making howling sounds as it whistles past your antenna. You decide to sit out the storm where you are and find a nice Christian radio station playing all positive hit praise songs. After a few minutes, you’re actually beginning to enjoy the storm outside.
Suddenly you see in your mirror the lights of an approaching car. It’s just coming around the bend in the road and you realize immediately the driver is going much too fast for conditions. He or she will certainly plunge over the precipice if no warning is given. What do you do? Do you flash your lights to warn the oncoming driver? Do you sound your horn to add a sense of urgency? You could get out in the pouring rain, thunder and lightning, but that would be miserable for you. What do you do?
Wouldn’t every one of us condemn the person who would remain safe and dry in his or her car while others went to their deaths, unwarned of the treacherous danger ahead? Wouldn’t we be labeled as uncaring, unloving, evil even? Of course we would, and rightfully so. And yet we spend so much of our time soothing wounded psyches, patting sinner’s hands or trying to build “self-esteem” (whatever that really means) instead of warning perishing people of the dangers that lie ahead. Lord, forgive us.
Christmas is coming and we’re going to rightfully celebrate the advent of our Savior. But this year, why not consider making part of that celebration a real attempt to warn people of the dangers of not recognizing, not accepting, not turning to the One who came to live and die for our sins so we don’t have to go over the edge. Think about it.
Now go take on your world. - Bill