by David Brenneman
As children it starts...a child struggling and in their own stubbornness and declaring "No! I got this!".
It continues in life. Pride keeping people from appearing vulnerable.
Was reading in Jeremiah the other day and read the following: "They are worthless, a work of mockery; In the time of their punishment they will perish."
Do we mock God? Do we think more highly of ourselves than we ought to?
Do we persist in living a life our way by our desire, our design?
We are all too often in tough situations in life due to not leaning on Jesus for to be who we have said that He is.
We collect things, actually, if honesty ruled the day, we would admit that idolatry isn't as foreign a concept as we have said it is.
The people we read of in the Old Testament really aren't much different than people who live today. Man-made items were everywhere and the thoughts of mankind were evil continually. Evil as being defined as opposed to the righteous life that God desired for them. The Lord spellings it out in the 10 Commandments.
We don't take life as seriously as we should. We dismiss as important the wisdom and instruction of the Lord because we just don't think it's "that bad".
We can dismiss what the God of the Bible says is sin. We can subscribe to the ideas that worldly pursuits that involve sin aren't so bad. We can do as the rest of the world and redefine what sin is. All this is mocking God. We can actually be found worshipping things of this world and deny that we're doing it.
We can easily be found puffed up by knowledge. We can be found puffed up by a career. God quickly slips to 2nd or 3rd place...and swiftly falls farther from His rightful place in our hearts.
We can parade around the small part of the world we occupy with things we truly worship emblazoned on our clothing and yet deny that is what it is. We set things up in our hearts and minds as being more important than the things that the Spirit says makes for a true life in Christ. We spend hours being entertained by various places, things, movies, sports, and yet can't figure out how to schedule in time for Jesus.
Oh we are in great danger of mocking God.
How much you love Him is found in your level of obedience to God's Word, not in your social status, not in how many people you count as friends. Not in whatever this world says is true or important.
Spend time with your thoughts before Jesus. Ask Him, as the hymn writer said, see if there be any wicked way in you and reveal that to you. Then, by all means, do not dismiss it. Do something about it.
Search me, O God, and know my heart today; Try me, O Savior, know my thoughts, I pray. See if there be some wicked way in me; Cleanse me from ev'ry sin and set me free.
I praise thee, Lord, for cleansing me from sin; Fulfill thy Word, and make me pure within. Fill me with fire where once I burned with shame; Grant my desire to magnify thy name.
Lord, take my life and make it wholly thine; Fill my poor heart with thy great love divine. Take all my will, my passion, self, and pride; I now surrender; Lord, in me abide.
What will your response be? Denial or confession? Jesus is here to help you in living out your true purpose in living. Won't you reach for Him today?
All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.
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