Ancient Words For Today - 88
So often, people wrongly blame God when a tragedy happens, for not preventing it. When a person, or nation, who ignores God's commandments, is suddenly thrust into tribulation, disaster, or pain, people are quick to find fault with God for allowing it to happen. The history of the nation Israel and its people provides many excellent examples of God's protection and blessing when the people followed God and kept His commandments, but also chronicles the misery, affliction and sorrow that ensued when they left worship of the true God and followed the false gods and evil heathen practices of the nations and people around them. When the Israelites entered the promised land, God warned them about the pagan tribes who lived there and instructed that they utterly drive them out of the land to avoid becoming entangled in their evil practices. But Israel failed to do as God commanded and as a result, they themselves eventually entered into marriages with the pagan people and fell into idol worship and their detestable practices. And God brought judgment upon them for their transgressions.
The Bible book of Judges records many cycles where the people of Israel fell away from worshiping and serving the true and living God and began serving false gods and doing evil in the sight of the Lord (breaking His commandments). It was during these times of spiritual corruption, which inevitably led to moral and civil decay, that God would allow and even raise up the surrounding idolatrous nations to come against Israel, trouble them and put them in servitude. When the people of Israel became afflicted in this way and could not deliver themselves, they would cry out to the God of Israel for deliverance. God would respond by appointing a judge, from amongst the children of Israel, to deliver them from their enemies, restore peace to the land, provide Godly counsel, and reestablish proper worship of the true and living God of Israel. Peace would generally reign for the life of the judge, but when the judge died, the people would soon fall away from worshiping God and keeping His commandments and fall again into sin and the worship of false gods.
Israel's history illustrates how that when people turn away from God and from keeping His right and good commandments for living, that a downward spiral ensues, leading to sin, guilt, alienation from God, and tragedy. People today are much like the Israelites. We all have a propensity to do what seems right in our own minds instead of adhering to the standards God has established. We also tend to establish our own priorities and directions in life, oblivious to or ignoring what God's plan for our life is, and pursuing those things that we think will make us happy. Often, when we get what we have sought after, we find that it fails to satisfy us and has no lasting value and may lead to an unhappy situation or catastrophic circumstances we didn't contemplate. It is sad that so many people choose to seek after temporal things that the world has to offer instead seeking out the rich, abundant, and satisfying life that God wants to give them.
Belief systems, values, attitudes and actions which are contrary to God's revealed truth and that fall short of or transgress His commandments lead to alienation from God and ultimately, spiritual death (permanent separation from God). But God sent the ultimate Judge and deliverer, Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, to provide us all with a means of escape from the sin that so easily besets us and that leads to death. Jesus came to show us that God loves us and is willing to forgive us of our sins and reconcile us to Himself! The name Jesus means God is our salvation. He provided the way for our redemption from sin by taking upon Himself the penalty for our sins against God and others. The penalty for sins - in every case - is separation from God and death. Jesus, also called Emanuel which means God with us, died on the cross for my sins and for yours. When we cry out to God for deliverance from our sins and problems, He points us to Jesus Christ, our Savior. Jesus is the only one who can reconcile us to God. He will then lovingly guide us through life as He reveals to us His wonderful purpose and plan and empowers us to accomplish it. And finally, He will lead us to our heavenly home where we will dwell in God's presence forever.
Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Acts 4:10-12
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 1 John 1:8-10
If you are a Christian, please share this message with others who haven't heard the good news. If you aren't a Christian, there is no better time than right now to call upon God, confess your sins, receive Jesus as your Savior, be reconciled to God, receive the gift of eternal life and begin the adventure of seeking out and experiencing the unique, exciting, and eternally fulfilling plan God has for your life!
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