Church leader devotions: A Wasted Life - 1 Kings 14:9

1 Kings 14:9   You have done more evil than all who lived before you. You have made for yourself other gods, idols made of metal; you have provoked me to anger and thrust me behind your back.

            When I read some parts of the Old Testament, I get bothered by the punishment that is inflicted upon leaders, kings, and people who do wrong. It makes me wonder that if I was alive in those days and lived according to my current ways, would I have been forgiven or condemned by God?  I find it very unsettling and it makes me feel really guilty about my sins. I feel unworthy of God’s grace and separated from His love. I feel like I have created an insurmountable gap between myself and God. I feel unholy and alone.

            In today’s passage, 1 Kings 14:1-11, King Jeroboam is cursed and condemned by God for following idolatrous and self-serving ways, as well as for being ungrateful about the original blessings that God had bestowed upon him. Jeroboam was chosen by God to lead the ten tribes of Israel that had severed themselves from Judah. It was supposed to be an honor for him and a blessing for his descendants. Sadly, however, Jeroboam wasted this God-given opportunity. Instead of praising God, he set up false idols. Rather than give thanks to God, he made up his own new religion and consecrated his own priests. Jeroboam turned out to be a worse character than the misguided king that he had replaced.

            I know that God is both slow to anger and immensely patient, but I wonder how long He will put up with our sins and wicked ways. People feel sexually liberated and independently free, however, instead of using those rights and gifts to make the world a better place, young naïve people are being exploited and trafficked across the world; society has also become more selfish and uncaring to the point that if someone stumbles and falls in a busy street, people just walk on by.

            Jesus has the power to forgive us of all of our sins, but we've sadly reached a stage where most folks don’t feel the need to repent or even recognize that our behavior is sinful. As I've written several times before, what is morally right in the world’s eyes is everything that gets a person whatever they want; what is morally wrong is anything that gets in the way of obtaining that desire – which, of course, means that the true Church of Christ will always be confronting cultural morality and personal lifestyle choices.

Questions for personal reflection

Am I truly aware of how badly my sins damage my relationship with God? Am I willing to truly repent of those sins?

Lord Jesus, sometimes we treat You as if You’re our biggest pal and indulgent friend instead of acknowledging You as both our Judge and Savior. We all sin constantly, but we forget to repent or even cast aside our need to confess to You. Forgive us for taking You for granted; help us to truly distinguish between right and wrong, good and evil, honesty and falsehood. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment or ask questions about today’s message, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of my Good Friday drawings called ‘Cross Bound.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the link: Cross Bound.

Church Devotions: Sinful Shadows - 1 John 1:6 & 10

1 John 1:6        If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.

1 John 1:10      If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His word has no place in our lives.

The problem with sin is this: we don’t want to recognize that it takes place in our own lives. It’s far easier to point out the sinfulness of others rather than take stock of our own spiritual weaknesses and shameful demons. I know that when I was an active alcoholic I totally believed that I did not have a drinking problem. Other people around me were concerned and voiced their worries, but as far as I was concerned, they were absolutely wrong. I could handle my liquor and if I got wasted every night, then so what? I still managed to get my act together and went to my work every morning.

But no matter how much I deluded myself, the issue was still there. Alcohol was wasting my life, my relationships, and my personality. I had a serious problem, but was unwilling to admit to it.

Some people have the same sort of issue with sin. Within themselves, they know that what they are doing or whatever lifestyle choice they are living is wrong. But rather than surrender their spirits to God and seek Christ’s forgiveness, they aggressively justify their sinful ways and expect everyone else to accept, tolerate, and even celebrate their wrong decisions. In other words, rather than turning to the light of God and love of Christ, they want to glory in their darkness and expect everyone else to embrace their sinful shadows.

There came a day in my life when I had to admit I was an alcoholic. Without that self-admission, I could not be healed of my broken ways. The work of the Church is to help people reach that level of self-awareness and to recognize that God does not always approve of His children’s ways. If He did, then Christ would never have had to die on the Cross.

We are all sinners in need of daily and constant forgiveness, but the work of forgiveness and restoration can only begin when we step outside of our sinful shadows and into the holy light of God.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, save us from our pride and delusions. Open our hearts and minds to God’s Word and Your Way. Keep us from molding You into our own misconceived Messiah; help us instead to be reshaped and restored by Your love and grace. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s drawing is one of John’s stained glass designs. It’s called “Crossfull of Promises” and features a wooden cross with a rainbow behind it. If you would like to view a larger version of the drawing, please visit the following link: http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1365/536728152_10feaf58bd_o.jpg