Today's readings are Judges 2.6-23 and Acts 13.13-41.
We can come to a terrible realization when we look at today's reading in Judges chapter 2. That terrible realization is that we, just like the Israelites, are prone to wander. We, like them, tend to follow God while someone is watching and taking care of us, but we tend to stray and wander when we are left alone. How easy is it to fall out of patterns of faithful practice when our schedule is interrupted? How easy is it to stop reading the Scripture when we are on a trip? How easy is it to fall into temptation when we are not in society of those who love us and care for our souls? It is as easy for us as it was for the Israelites in the time of the Judges.
What follows on the heels of this terrible realization? In the case of Israel, when left to their own devices, the people fell into the hands of enemies and were taken captive. After rescuing them repeatedly, God allowed the Israelites to go ahead and pursue their own sin, receiving their punishment at the hands of the neighboring people. And this is the condition in which our Lord has left the world to this day. We can look in faith to Christ, who has given himself to deliver us from the bonds of sin. Or we can go our merry way and reap whatever penalties come upon us . Our Lord is not going to force us to continue in the faith he has delivered to us. Yet when we walk by faith, when we are driven by the righteous delight of our Lord rather than by our own imaginations, we see how utterly ridiculous any other option is. May the Lord preserve us in this true faith which he has delivered to us.
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Dave Spottsblogging at http://capnsaltyslongvoyage.blogger.com
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