I had the privilege and honor to read the Bible today as a part of Bluffton's Day of Prayer. The reading started yesterday and continued all day today. We are reading the Bible at the Wells Country Courthouse. I began at 6am, read an hour and then came back at 2pm to read for another hour. It was so fun to read scripture for all the community to hear. In reality, there were not many people just sitting and listening. The world was passing by not listening, not heeding, not willing to obey the word of the Lord.
The real problem is the people here in our country hear but don't listen or heed. I was reading in 2 Chronicles after the death of Josiah in battle. Within two paragraphs Israel goes from obedient, to defiant, and then to exile.
The rest of the events of Josiah's reign and his acts of devotion (carried out according to what was written in the Law of the Lord), from beginning to end -- all are recorded in The Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah."
"Then the people of the land took Josiah's son Jehoahaz and made him the next king of Jerusalem. Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became kind, and he reighed in Jerusalem three months. The he was deposed by the king of Egypt, who demanded that Judah pay 7500 pounds of silver and 75 pounds of gold as tribute.
"The king of Egypt then installed Eliakim, the brother of Jehoahaz, as the next king of Judah and Jerusalem, and he changed Eliakim's name to Jehoiakim. The Neco took Jehoahaz to Egypt as a prisoner. Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord his God. (2 Chronicles 35:26,27; 36:1-6)
The leaders went from complete devotion to the Lord to exile because they refused to obey the Lord.
I fear for our nation for the same reasons. Within one generation we will go from a nation who values the Lord above all others to a nation who doesn't even know the Lord.
As I was reading today, I was humbled at how much we are like Israel. They thought they were special and they thought they were better than everyone else! Instead of humbling ourselves, we are puffing up our chests in pride. We are only devoted to ourselves NOT GOD.
As I was reading 1 Corinthians, the message was clear, but no one was listening:
"And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and wholly sacrifice -- the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good andpleasing and perfect. Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don't think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Romans 12:-13)
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