Beginnings and conclusions
Proverbs 20: A bonanza at the beginning is no guarantee of blessing at the end.
Last year we had a new restaurant open in our community. It seemed the whole town decided to try it out. The place was packed out and it looked as though the owners had a real winner on their hands. However, things didn’t work out that way. After that first couple of weeks things really dropped off for them. Finally, the doors closed. The promising start didnāt guarantee a continued success. I’ve seen that happen in people’s spiritual lives too. At the beginning I think that theyāre going to be a productive, consistent disciple of Christ. But it simply doesn’t work out. The promise of their lives gets derailed and, in the end not only are we disappointed, but so are they. The tragedy here is that such failure never has to happen. That restaurant might have been doomed from the start. It might be that anyone who knows about such things could have predicted that it won’t work out. However, when it comes to living for Jesus thereās every reason for success. Sometimes it seems that the one who simply decides for Christ and just starts living for him has a better chance of seeing it through than the one who makes a big splash at the beginning. That’s not only the lesson in this proverb, but Jesus’ parable about the sower and the seed makes the same point.
Take Away: When it comes to living for Jesus thereās every reason for success.
Tag: failure
Devotional on Isaiah
On the solid Rock I stand
Isaiah 40: God doesn’t come and go. God lasts.
Sooner or later everything fails us. Some failures come on purpose and can be considered betrayal. Others come by accident but are painful none-the-less. Still others come with great reluctance; such as the death of a loved one who promised to be with us always. Sometimes I make something that was never intended to be permanent into a centerpiece in my life. When the time comes for it to be taken away it becomes, spiritually speaking, a surgery rather than a simple letting go. Because of the temporary nature of this life, I must remember the truth of Isaiah’s words here. Thereās only one place of absolute firm footing and thatās on the solid rock of God. Heās the only One who never fails. As I take my stand on the rock of his faithfulness everything else falls into its proper place. I can weather betrayal because One vastly greater has not betrayed me. I can survive some thoughtless, accidental failure and I can find hope even in genuine personal disasters because my hope isnāt focused there in the first place. Everything else comes and goes. If Iāve pinned my hopes and dreams on anything or anyone else, Iāll become a sad, broken man. The only stability I really have (and need) is in the Lord.
Take Away: Thereās only one place of absolute firm footing and thatās on the solid rock of the Lord.
Devotional on Jeremiah
Letting it goā¦gaining it all
Jeremiah 38: I’m telling you this for your own good.
Zedekiah’s a pitiful failure. When it comes to Jeremiah, he keeps him locked up, but can’t resist talking to him; he hates what he says, but can’t stop listening. Once again the prophet’s being held in the courtyard, and, as things continue to deteriorate, Zedekiah arranges a secret meeting with Jeremiah. However, he’s just wasting his time. At first Jeremiah refuses to answer because he knows Zedekiah won’t like what he says and will once again refuse to listen to him anyway. When Zedekiah insists, Jeremiah simply tells him what he’s told him before: the city will fall and only those who surrender to the invading army will be spared. Jeremiah is offering Zedekiah the way to life, but he knows Zedekiah will reject it once again. In the New Testament we find the story of a wealthy young man who comes to Jesus asking the way to life. When Jesus tells him that the “way” is for him to give up everything and become one of his followers the young man sadly turns and walks away. In the passage before me today I find Zedekiah, like the rich young ruler, rejecting the only hope there is. How pitiful to be so close and yet so far. Jeremiah offers Zedekiah hope and Jesus offers the rich young ruler “life.” Both decide to reject what’s offered in favor of position and wealth and power. When Jesus, himself, is faced with the same choice he willingly gives up everything and surrenders to his enemies. This leads to the ordeal of the cross, but it also leads to the resurrection. So, what are you holding on to that must be released for you to have life? Today, both Zedekiah and the rich young ruler alike would tell you it is better to let it go because holding on costs too much.
Take Away: Whatever it is that keeps us from the Lord isnāt worth it.
Devotional on Lamentations
Preach responsibility
Lamentations 2: They didn’t face you with your sin so that you could repent.
As Jeremiah deconstructs the fall of Judah for us he describes the failure of the preachers of his day. Even as Jeremiah faithfully proclaimed God’s word of condemnation on the nation, his competition described coming divine rescue. Jeremiah’s message called for a radical change of attitude and lifestyle. Their message was that everything was going to be just fine, that they were children of Abraham, and therefore, God had to keep his promises to him no matter what they did. Because of their success in convincing people of their mistaken theology, Jeremiah’s message was rejected and those who needed to repent never did so. I’m not writing today to put down some radio or TV preacher. To tell the truth I don’t listen to any of them enough to even know their core message. I do believe this, though: we preachers have a responsibility before God to call sinners to repentance. If all we do is share principles for a happy marriage, or tell parents how to raise well-adjusted kids, or outline how to get along with the boss we’re failing people. I’m not saying that there’s never a time and place for such sermons, but Jeremiah says the preachers of his day didn’t confront people with their sin and therefore, they never realized their need for repentance. Does this translate over to today?
Take Away: We have a responsibility before God to call sinners to repentance.
Devotional on Lamentations
Looking up from the bottom
Lamentations 5: Give us a fresh start.
The prayer I find near the conclusion of this book of laments is one that has been prayed many times through the centuries. Jeremiah describes for us the devastating loss his people have suffered remarking, “Our dances have turned into dirges.” In their miserable state they exclaim, “Would that we’d never sinned!” That’s another statement that has been said many times. As some unknown preacher said, “Sin will take you farther than you want to go.” How many people have found themselves at the bottom, crushed by the consequences of their own sin? For some reason we always think we’ll be the ones to get away with it, that we’ll beat the odds. It never happens and sooner or later we add our voice to the chorus lamenting, “Would that we’d never sinned!” It’s in that place, when everything seems hopeless that we can lift our faces to the God we’ve failed and pray, “Give us a fresh start.” Our God is the God of Second Chances. Even when I’ve messed my life up to the point that all is lost he can give me a fresh start. That isn’t to say that he’ll press the rewind button on my life. What’s done is done. However, he’ll do something just as meaningful: he’ll make me into a new person. When I’m weary of my sin and crushed by my failure, I can look to the God of Second Chances and ask him to give me a fresh start. The Lord delights in answering that prayer.
Take Away: God is the God of Second Chances.
Devotional on Ezekiel
A sad love story
Ezekiel 16: Your beauty went to your head.
This section of Ezekiel isn’t uplifting. It’s graphic and weighty. The sin of Israel is described as adultery. The prophet is a rough and tough guy and his language is hard and attention getting. Ezekiel describes Israel as a baby abandoned at birth, destined to die without ever having a chance at life. Instead, the Lord rescues this pitiful infant and lavishes his love on it. Then the imagery changes as he describes this rescued one as a grown woman, beautiful and loved by the Lord as a devoted husband loves his wife. Ezekiel says that Israel, who should have never even existed, has become vain and disinterested in the God to whom she owes everything. Instead of being faithful to the Lord, though, sheās become an unfaithful harlot. Anyone hearing Ezekiel’s words should be disgusted with such betrayal and sin. None of this is intended to be a pretty picture. Instead, Ezekiel wants us to recoil at what he describes. Today, I’m reminded that my nation is a blessed nation too. In the early days our chances of survival were small, yet we survived by the grace of God. Now we’re a nation many others watch, and many watch with envy. And even as Israel began to take God for granted and rebel against him, so have we. This section of Ezekiel isn’t fun to read but it needs to be allowed to speak to us in this day.
Take Away: Itās a dangerous thing to forget the blessings of the Lord and take them for granted.
Devotional on Ezekiel
Accepting fault, doing something about it
Ezekiel 18: The soul that sins is the soul that dies.
A common saying in Ezekiel’s day is that “the parents ate green apples and the children got a stomachache.” That saying describes the current plight of the people of Judah. Their nation has been defeated and many have been exiled far from home. They blame it all on their parents and consider themselves to be victims of the failure of others. Ezekiel says that isn’t so. While it’s true that their ancestors failed God, the current generation has plenty of failure of its own. Ezekiel wants them to understand that when a wicked person turns from his or her wicked ways that God is gracious and rich in forgiveness. God, he tells them, doesn’t hold a grudge. On the other hand, if a righteous person abandons that righteousness he or she stands guilty before God. Past righteousness doesn’t make a person immune from current failure and judgment. The bottom line is that the Lord will “judge each of you according to the way you live.” The spiritual principle here is that it’s our current relationship with God that really matters. Ezekiel’s advice is still good today. He says since it’s “right now” that counts, those who are living apart from God and blaming their parents (or someone else) for it need to “turn around…make a clean break” and “live!”
Take Away: It’s our current relationship with the Lord that really matters.
Devotional on Daniel
Handwriting on the wall
Daniel 5: Mene, Teqel, Peres.
Belshazzar, son of Nebuchadnezzar, only makes a brief appearance on the grand stage of Biblical history and in that appearance he’s a drunken loser. In spite of the fact that his father’s story is well known Belshazzar chooses stupid arrogance and practically dares the God his father came to honor to do anything to stop him. So, God Almighty takes up his dare. Even as Belshazzar uses the items taken from the Temple as tableware for a drunken party the hand of God miraculously appears to write the three words of condemnation. As Daniel explains to him, “God has numbered your life and it just doesn’t add up! He’s weighed the value of your life and it doesn’t make weight. He’s decided to divide your kingdom and give it to others.” This unworthy man’s life is about to end in an unworthy way. It’s pitiful isn’t it! Nebuchadnezzar did all the heavy lifting for his son. Not only did he hand over to him the most powerful kingdom on earth, but Nebuchadnezzar went through the years of out-of-his-mind torment to get his head screwed on straight about the God of the Hebrews. All Belshazzar has to do was pick up where his father left off. Instead he delivers stupidity. The Lord expects him to gain from his father’s experience. When he doesn’t do it, it’s “Mene, Teqel, Peres” and a brief appearance on the world stage before going down in flames.
Take Away: While parents have the responsibility of passing on their faith to their children, children have the responsibility of taking up that faith and making it their own.
Devotional on Jonah
The hardest work of all
Jonah 1: He was sound asleep.
We donāt know anything about Jonahās background. It may be that heās been a prophet for years, faithfully preaching Godās messages to his people. On the other hand, this may be Jonahās first encounter with God. He may have been an average fellow just minding his own business who heard the Voice of God. Either way, the mission he’s given isnāt one he wants. Nineveh is the capital of the hated and feared Assyrian empire. Thereās nothing Jonah or any of his fellow countrymen would like better than to see Nineveh destroyed. Just a few pages over in our Bibles we find ourselves in the book of Nahum. That short book of the Bible is all about Godās promised destruction of this same city. Now, thatās the sermon Jonah wants to preach. Instead, God calls him to call them to repent that they might be spared. Jonah doesnāt want the job so he flees Israel and, he supposes, the presence of the Lord by hopping a boat headed in the opposite direction. Once aboard, he heads for the deepest, most out-of-the-way spot he can find and falls fast asleep. Iāve only been out on rough seas one time so my experience is very limited. Still, I can say with confidence that such a time and place isnāt a good one for a nap. In fact, the only possibility of falling into a sound sleep in that circumstance is exhaustion. I think Jonah has wrestled with his call to preach to Israelās enemies to the point that he’s not slept for days and is operating on the ragged edge of collapse. People think that doing what God wants is too hard or that it wonāt satisfy their lives. To their chagrin they discover that refusing God is even harder and that whatever they do instead fails to satisfy. Running from God is hard work.
Take Away: Disobeying the Lord is hard work.
Devotional on Romans
The greatest need of the believer
Romans 7: But I need something more.
In this passage the Apostle describes the frustration of many of Godās people. Heās been set free from sinās prison and now wants to live Godās way. He understands that Godās ways are right but under the influence of sin even the purity of the Law becomes a tool of temptation and failure. Heās been freed from prison but some of that prison remains in him. He declares āI need something more.ā A believer doesnāt have to attend a particular brand of church to identify with this statement. Having been forgiven of sins I set out to live a new life of righteousness in fellowship with the Lord. However, I come to the conclusion that this isnāt as easy as it appears. In fact, the harder I try to live that life of righteousness the clearer it becomes that, in Paulās words: āI obviously need help!ā Is this passage a pitiful surrender to sin? When all is said and done, is the Christian life all about grimly holding on through repeated spiritual failure? The Apostle will more fully answer these questions as he continues writing in what we call chapter eight, but he tips his hand when he says, āThe answer, thank God, is…Jesus Christ.ā
Take Away: Without the deeper work of God the Christian life is one of constant struggle.
Devotional on Genesis
Sin, murder, and grace
Genesis 4: Sin is lying in wait for you…youāve got to master it.
The first children are born to the human race, two boys. These boys become men and these men are worshipers of God. One is a dirt farmer and the other raises livestock. These two worshipers of God bring sacrifices to the Lord. To Cainās dismay God likes his brotherās offering better than his own. Iāve heard a few sermons on the reason why. In fact, Iāve attempted to deal with the topic myself. Some people think itās the lack of blood in Cainās offering. Others pounce on the āfirstbornā aspect of Abelās offering and the writer of the book of Hebrews focuses in on the faith aspect of it. Deciding why one offering is more acceptable than the other is a hard call. After all, Cain brought from what he had, just as Abel did. Of course, we know that this passage isnāt here to elevate one type of offering over the other. This account is about sin, murder, and grace. When Cain’s angry with God about his brotherās offering the Lord warns him that heās skating on thin ice. Being disappointed with God, apparently, isnāt sin in itself; but such an attitude attracts sin. The Lord speaks to Cain like a father talking to his son, warning him that itās a dangerous road heās traveling. This situation has potential for Cain to be humbled. If he responds to the Lord by asking for an explanation concerning why his offering is inferior to Abelās we wonāt have the mystery concerning it. Instead, Cain proves God right by doing the wrong thing. At this point, the score is Sin: one, Cain: nothing.
Take away: Some things that arenāt quite sin, can, if Iām not careful, open that door.
Devotional on Exodus
What an offer
Exodus 19: Everything God says, we will do.
The miracle at the Red Sea has provided a deliverance that will be remembered forever. However, what’s about to happen is intended to form these newly freed slaves into a people of God. Theyāre camped at the foot of Sinai and the Lord is stating his plan for them. If theyāll listen obediently to his words theyāll be a unique people on the face of the earth: a kingdom of priests who enjoy the blessings of the Almighty. The elders of Israel immediately respond that āeverything God says, we will do.ā I know that Iām standing at the beginning of what will be a long, failure-filled journey. They wonāt even break camp at Sinai before thereās a massive spiritual failure. Still, if I stop looking ahead and simply consider this exchange, Iām impressed by what I see. First, The Lord’s making the wonderful, amazing promise of connecting their lives to his. They donāt deserve it but in an amazing act of grace the offer is made. Second, they say āyes.ā Again, I know that many failures are coming, but in this time and place, when God offers them this unlikely partnership, they respond with just the right answer. In spite of the fact that I know things arenāt going to always work out as they should I also remember here that had they said, āNoā the story would end here and now. In saying āyesā to God they open the door to an unprecedented relationship with him. To some extent, all human beings receive this same offer from the Lord. We can respond that weāre not worthy or that itās too hard or that weāre likely to fail. Know what? He already knows all that. Still, the offer is there. When the Lord calls my name, I can respond no better than these ancient Israelites did: āEverything God says, we will do.ā
Take Away: I canāt do better than saying the ābig yesā to the Lord.
Devotional on Exodus
A lesson on leadership
Exodus 32: Moses said to Aaron, āWhat on Earth did these people ever do to you that you involved them in this huge sin?ā Aaron said, āMaster, donāt be angry. You know this people and how set on evil they are.ā
Aaron is left in charge while Moses is up on the mountain meeting with God. Just as the Lord said, thereās an idol-centered orgy going on. Moses demands an explanation from his brother who responds that these people are just bad people and thereās nothing he can do. Aaron is supposed to be the leader here, but heās a spectacular failure. Leaders must have vision and be skilled in organizing and persuading people to work toward the fulfillment of that vision. Aaronās view of leadership is to help the people do what they want to do already. His excuse to Moses is, āthatās just how these people are.ā His error is huge and because of it he fails his people, Moses, and God. Genuine leaders donāt wring their hands as people do the wrong thing. Neither is it testing the political winds and āleadingā the people to do what they already want to do, right or wrong. In fact, leadership can be lonely and occasionally it is practically suicidal. Aaron should have stood for Godās way even if it meant that the people just ran over him to do what they wanted in the first place. Moses understands leadership. He takes a position away from the goings on and calls for those who are on Godās side to join him. Heās going to make things right no matter what the cost. Thatās leadership.
Take Away: Leadership is more than helping people do what they would do anyway.
Devotional on Leviticus
I didnāt mean to
Leviticus 4: If the whole congregation sins unintentionally…they become guilty even though no one is aware of it.
A group of children are playing in the yard when one accidentally knocks another to the ground. Soon thereās lots of crying, some because of pain and mostly because of anger. Mom comes to see whatās wrong. Billy says, āJohnny knocked me down!ā Johnny responds, āI didnāt mean to.ā Mom tells Johnny to apologize to his friend because, intentionally or not, he has wronged him. In this passage, as the law is given every contingency is covered, including unintentional sins. God tells them that when they fail at some point, even if they donāt know it at the time, that theyāre to take action to make things right. In this instance, he isnāt talking about making restitution to a neighbor who’s been intentionally wronged. Instead, the Lordās talking about making things right with himself. Like Johnny, we tend to stiffen and declare that we didnāt do it on purpose. Our theologians might debate about the level of guilt and work through the definition of sin but they all agree that, intentional or not, failure is an affront to God. Jesus, when he teaches his disciples to pray, instructs them to ask for forgiveness even as they forgive others. When I realize Iāve failed the Lord my response isnāt to be a declaration of innocence. Rather, itās to be an honest confession and an effort to make things right. For these ancient Israelites that meant they needed to make an absolution-offering. For me, it may only require my sincere confession of failure and apology to the Lord. One thing that wonāt work is for me to stiffen up and declare that it wasnāt on purpose.
Take Away: The proper response to a realization of failure is to confess and repent.
Devotional on Numbers
Grasshopper thinking
Numbers 13: Alongside them we felt like grasshoppers. And they looked down on us as if we were grasshoppers.
Iād love to come up with some unique, interesting way to talk about this famous statement, but, alas, I think preachers across the centuries have pretty much nailed it. In preparation for invading the Promised Land twelve explorers are sent to check out the area. They find a rich, bountiful land and, to the dismay of most of them, they also find physically imposing warriors. All their faith in God and his promises concerning this land dissipates. The most famous line of the report of the majority is that, compared to those big guys they feel like grasshoppers. Through the centuries since, preachers like me used this passage to remind our listeners that if we think of ourselves as grasshoppers others will do the same. Grasshopper thinking stops us from even attempting great things by defeating us before we ever begin. Itās a self-fulfilling and God displeasing prophecy. When God gives me his plan, my job is not to evaluate the wisdom of that plan. Instead, Iām to trust him and obey in the assurance that God will provide everything necessary for it to succeed. To do otherwise is to see myself as a grasshopper ā what Zig Ziggler called, “Stinkin’ thinkin’.”
Take Away: If we think of ourselves as grasshoppers weāll perform like grasshoppers and others will tend to see us that way too.
Devotional on Numbers
Talking to rocks
Numbers 20: Speak to the rockā¦do we have to bring water out of this rock for youā¦slammed his staff against the rock.
Weāre familiar with most of the big events in the life of Moses. We know about the bulrushes, the burning bush, the plagues, the Red Sea crossing, and Mount Sinai. Sadly, when the story of Moses is told his failure at Meribah has to be included. This is the blot on his life and, later on, this is what disqualifies him from entering the Promised Land. On the surface it seems like a minor infraction. God says to him, “Speak to the rock” and, instead, he “hits the rock.” As I read this and see the seriousness of God’s response I immediately think that there has to be more. I think the “more” is what Moses says before he strikes the rock. Moses’ leadership has been challenged before and each time heās responded by pointing the people to the Lord. Moses’ entire case for leadership, his credentials, is that heās God’s man. In this case as his leadership is being once again challenged, he takes matters into his own hands. He doesn’t say, “Listen, rebels! Watch what the Lord is going to do for you.” Instead, he says, “Listen, rebels! Do we have to bring water out of this rock for you?” The difference is profound. Instead of God getting the credit, Moses and Aaron are taking it. Remember, this is not the mistake of a young person in their first pastoral assignment. This is an intentional shifting of emphasis by a seasoned man of God whoās had many personal encounters with the Lord. God takes this intentional failure seriously. We see here that God expects gifted leaders to remember the source of their authority, to remember that they are stewards of his, and that theyāre expected to always serve with that in mind. To do otherwise mars an otherwise exemplary ministry.
Take Away: The longer we walk with the Lord the more he expects of us.
Devotional on Deuteronomy
The distant reach of failure
Deuteronomy 1: Don’t be terrified of them, God, your God, is leading the way; he’s fighting for you.
The “you” in this passage isnāt the members of the present congregation. Itās their parents. However, Moses is speaking to them as a nation of people, seen as one with the previous generation. This doesn’t sit well with my Western mindset. We Westerners are individualists who like to think we make our own decisions apart from others. In this case it was 40 years earlier that Moses had said these words and “they” refused to hear, refused to have faith, and refused to obey. The penalty was 40 years in the wilderness — an experience all those in the congregation hearing this sermon did share, at least to some extent. Soon it will be their turn to hear, believe, and obey. Moses is preparing them for it by reminding them of their already shared failure in their parents. Still, God is the God of Second Chances. Soon they will stand on the banks of the river. To a great extent they will have the opportunity to erase the failure of those who went before them. While Iām no expert on “generational curses” (or “generational blessings” for that matter) Iām reminded that my failure or faithfulness reaches far beyond my individual life.
Take Away: Itās unlikely anyone ever sees the full extent of their influence, be it for good or for evil.
Devotional on Deuteronomy
Watch out for the little things
Deuteronomy 4: Don’t let your heart wander off.
Moses is familiar with failure. For 40 years heās struggled to keep this nation on the track God laid out for them. Theyāve had both successes and failures. Now, with the end of his life in sight this man of God urges them to stay alert. He wants them to be aware that spiritual disaster sometimes comes bit by bit rather than all at once. Itās possible to become dully satisfied, to fail to be alert to negative changes in our attitudes, and to begin to drift spiritually. The problem isn’t limited to individuals who temporarily lose sight of their goals. Instead, such gradual failure can be national in nature. It can also be generational when parents fail to pass their faith on to their children. Having a current, connected, committed relationship to God is worth any effort it might take. For those of us who are wonderfully blessed the danger isn’t that weāll wake up tomorrow morning and declare that we aren’t interested in God anymore. Nor is it that weāll decide we aren’t going to attempt to influence our children to be genuine Christians. The danger is that we will drift. Moses says, “Don’t let it happen — be aware of the little things and the big things will take care of themselves.”
Take Away: While we canāt stay self-focused all the time, once in a while itās a good idea to do a spiritual checkup.
Devotional on Deuteronomy
Bigger grace
Deuteronomy 9: You’re stubborn as mules.
I doubt the congregation is shouting out, “Amen!” in agreement with Moses’ declaration of their stubbornness, but they know itās true. Just in case they need reminding, Moses is about to list all the failures of this nationā¦failures so great that at one point God is ready to just wipe them off the face of the earth. However, this portion of the sermon is more about God’s grace than about their stubbornness. In fact, it might be said that as great as their stubbornness is, God’s grace is greater. This is a story of “big failures but bigger grace.” By the way, the reason I can think about their stubbornness in particularly vivid ways is that Iām no stranger to stubbornness myself. However, that isn’t the end of the story for them or for me because I can also tell you that I am no stranger to grace. Any time grace is given a chance it wins.
Take Away: Amazing grace, how sweet the sound!
Devotional on Joshua
Achan lied and men died.
Joshua 7: Israel has sinned: they’ve broken the covenant I commanded them.
Jerichoās defeated and destroyed. Now their attentionās on a much smaller, less fortified place, Ai. An armed force of 3000 is sent to do battle at Ai, more than enough to win an easy victory. However, it doesn’t work that way. The people of Ai rise up and rout the larger Israelite force. How could that happen? They not only have superior numbers, but God is on their side. Right? Wrong! They go to Ai without God and are defeated there. Dismayed by what’s happened on his watch Joshua goes to the Lord. Heās told that thereās sin in the camp. As long as thereās sin thereāll be no help from God. You see, sin is always serious in the eyes of the Lord. Beyond that, my sin impacts others in unexpected ways. Achan thinks that God won’t notice and that his intentional disobedience of the Lordās command will have no consequences. Instead, because of his sin, God withdraws his blessing and over 30 men die. In our western culture, we like to think itās every man for himself. Had an American written this story, Achan, and maybe family, would have died for his sin in tragic poetic justice. Everyone else would have gone on with “business as usual.” Here we see a different picture. “Achan lied and men died.” Is it possible that some churches struggle because thereās hidden sin in the camp? And why stop at the church? What does this story say to me as an American? A country where babies by the millions are aborted, where immorality is the accepted mode of behavior? Am I really free to stand back from that and be dismayed, expecting the judgment of God to only fall on “them?”
Take Away: Our lives are interconnected, what I do impacts others, maybe many others.