In today’s Old Testament reading, we see God’s swift punishment for idolatry. Though God is patient and merciful with us, it doesn’t mean He’s changed His mind about sin. Sin and idolatry still have painful consequences. But the problem is that idolatry has a blinding effect. And we can become blind to our blindness.
We end up blinded about how we grieve the Holy Spirit when we sin against God, blinded about the extent of our sin and how it hurts others, blinded to the source of our sinful choices, and finally, blinded to how easy it is to justify our sin.
So, how can we tell if something in our lives, even something good, has become an idol?
Have people close to you ever thought you were crazy? Have they accused you of being a fanatic or turning away from your family traditions? Or have you ever had to choose between honoring Christ and honoring those traditions?
And what about outside the family, maybe in the workplace or at school? Have you ever been subjected to belittlement or persecution because you took a stand for Christ?
Why does God allow His children to experience rejection and persecution, anyway? Could there be a purpose to it?
And from our Old Testament reading about the sacrifices required for a leper, what do sacrificed birds, blood, water, and other rituals have to do with our relationship with God? Why was it important enough for God to record it in His Word?
Read about these and other subjects in today’s post.
Plagues and epidemics have been part of human history since the fall of man. Of course, the latest one is COVID-19 and all of its variants. But there is a plague that is even more contagious and disfiguring, the plague of sin. Paul warned us about contagious sins. We can pick them up from others and, worse yet, we can be carriers spreading them to those around us.
Have you allowed yourself to be exposed to some contagious sins? Are you protecting your family from over-exposure to them? Or worse, could you be guilty of spreading contagious sins to others?
I hope I’m not the only one who falls so easily into the trap of grumbling and complaining. After all, it seems like such a little thing! And, let’s face it, there are plenty of things to gripe about. Yet, in reality, we’re not just complaining about our circumstances or other people, but against our Sovereign God. We’re called to shine the light into a dark world, but it’s hard to be shining when we’re whining!
So, what should we be doing? And what is the ultimate answer to the things we gripe about?
Have you ever looked around at the lives of others and thought that life just isn’t fair? Maybe because you’ve been treated unfairly in the workplace, in your family, or maybe it seems even by God? What should we remember when we’re tempted with thoughts of “It’s not fair!”?
We’ll also look at how one of the psalmists prayed when he felt like life wasn’t going his way and how pride blinds us to the seriousness and the consequences of our sin.
And finally, we’ll talk about how people today have decided they can make the rules. They can decide what’s right and wrong, what marriage is, when life begins, and what lives are worth protecting. And much of what we see around us are the consequences of that kind of foolish thinking.
It started right there in the garden. The serpent tempted Eve with a thought, “Did God really say …?” The first step in his deception was to get her to doubt God and he’s still whispering the same question today. What is he tempting you to doubt?
But God didn’t give up on mankind. In fact, in the next chapter of Genesis, He counseled a young man named Cain about the anger that was growing in his heart. He warned him that sin was crouching at the door like a hungry lion. What could be crouching at the door of your heart and mine? Is there some bitterness or unforgiveness for which we need to repent? Is there some temptation to anger, impurity, or worry? Find out what we can do about it before it’s too late.
Also read about the danger of thinking we’re smarter than God, the importance of honoring parents, and some examples of fulfilled prophecy.
As I said last week, keeping clutter under control seems to be a battle I’m constantly fighting. And most of us would agree that clutter can quickly make us feel overwhelmed and disorganized. But could there be spiritual clutter in our lives that creates a whole host of problems? Could it lead to a sense of hopelessness and lethargy and could it hinder our relationships with God?
While I’m sure it’s not an exhaustive list, I suggested eight things that I see as spiritual clutter. Today I’m going to talk about ways to rid yourself of that clutter.
Keeping clutter under control seems to be a battle I’m constantly fighting and sometimes losing. As a friend of my husband’s once said, an open surface just seems to invite you to put something on it. It’s easy to set things on the nearest convenient space thinking we’ll deal with them later. Unfortunately, clutter can quickly make us feel overwhelmed and disorganized. In fact, organizational experts will tell you that the minute or two it takes to put things in their proper place can save you a lot of time and energy later. But what about spiritual clutter? Could spiritual clutter lead to a sense of hopelessness and lethargy in our spiritual lives? Worse yet, could it be hindering our relationships with God?
LIVING BETWEEN THE ALREADY & THE NOT YET – Part 3 Several weeks ago I started this series, “Living Between the Already and the Not Yet.” “The already” is who we are in Christ and have been since the day that...
