Yes, I know I already posted an entry for today; however, I went to church and was inspired this morning.
My pastors are beginning a series that will take us through the book of Judges.
For those of you not familiar with the Bible or, more specifically, the Old Testament, the Old Testament is about the Israelites, God’s chosen people, who constantly fell short of His expectations despite the incredible miracles He performed to free them from the bondage their sin repeatedly put them under.
It’s going to be interesting to hear what my pastors share each week, and I look forward to learning how to apply the truths in Judges to my everyday life.
During the music portion of the service, I was moved by one song in particular…Jesus Paid It All (O Praise the One).
Perhaps I like this song so much because it takes me to my days of growing up in a small-town Baptist church where we sang the old fashioned hymn Jesus Paid It All during many a frequent altar call.
This song goes through the salvation story in such a simple but beautiful way.
As we sang, I began thinking about those around me who either refuse to give their hearts over to the Lord or are blinded by the erroneous teachings of their own religions.
There can be no denying that our hearts seek after reconciliation.
With what, exactly, is one of the big questions that unbelievers wrestle with. How to execute a reconciliation is the other big question for unbelievers.
I wonder if these people really want to be reconciled, though.
It comes at great cost…giving up yourself to One who is Greater.
The Israelites struggled with this question.
Sure, they wanted God but how willing were they to give up control…totally submerge themselves in Him?
For the Israelites of the Old Testament, this required a bigger leap of faith than we realize. They didn’t have the New Testament in front of them. They didn’t know the end of the story…that Jesus would ultimately redeem the people from their sins.
Most unbelievers in today’s world can’t use the excuse of not having heard of Jesus. We live in a culture that wages battle against the name of Jesus and what He represents.
Thus, like the Israelites, we live in a fairly godless word, where morality is at an all-time low, led by godless leaders.
This morning, Tom, my pastor said something that really struck me.
He said that while we are sinning, God sometimes gives us what we want.
That’s not necessarily a good thing.
We want to live godless lives, He gives us godless leaders.
Look at Israel’s history.
Look our ours.
Tom said something to the effect of, “If you want godliness, God will give you Godly leaders.”
Hmmm.
It begs the question that we should all ask ourselves (I include myself in this)…what do we really want…in our lives…for our world?
I want to lead a life more closely aligned with God’s Word.
I want to live in a country that has a Christ-following leader…who shows his devotion to the One and ONLY Lord through the decisions he makes in his own personal life and in whatever political office he’s held or is holding.
I rarely get political on my blog, and I’m not going to push any particular candidate.
The only reason why I’m mentioning it is because the words I heard today touched me on a personal level. The words I heard challenged me to be more purposeful about what I desire…the decisions I make and the decisions of others…decisions I might or might not choose to support.
Food for thought.
Here’s the song we sang today in church.
May it speak to your heart as it did to mine, and may it lead you to either pray for your own salvation or for the salvation of those you know.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38EVco7eba0
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