Ever have a day when you think more than usual? It’s dangerous, and leads to radical thoughts and actions.
Turns out, Jesus was a radical, and we should be too. So, in hindsight, thinking is not a bad thing. My thoughts today were on a variety of topics, summed up into the word of movement. Getting somewhere else. I always feel like I can improve (and, due to the imperfection of mankind, I always can), and today I really thought about a lot of ways in which I am sloppy with life and spirituality. Which leaves me here, with the clock ticking toward my post deadline, and some actions to be taken. First step, read the bible. Great step to take.
Today I started the book of Hosea, the prophet who married a prostitute (Hosea 1:2). (It’s kind of like this was designed to follow yesterday’s post.) The reasoning: her illegitimate babies will show Israel how they have worshiped other gods and turned against their God. The Lord says of Israel, his chosen people, “I will punish her for all those times when she burned incense to her images of Baal, when she put on her earings and jewels and went out to look for her lovers but forgot all about me.” (Hosea 2:13). But the story continues and shows that God forgives his people and accepts them when they come back to him, and restore to them favor and peace in their lives. When people give up their idols, He is faithful to answer them and call them His own.
1 John 5:3 actually picks up quite nicely here. It says “Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome.” While things you may prostitute your heart away to can burden you, the commands of God are not burdensome, but liberating. Jump down to 1 John 5:21: “Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.” The literal translations of the Greek text here is “Keep yourself from idols.” Idols, gods, things you prostitute your heart to. These can be people, objects, events… many things can be idols and will be idols if you let them be. I encourage you to reveal to a trusted friend or accountability partner what an idol of yours is so that they can encourage you to avoid it, whatever it may be. And along the way of avoiding idols, you will need more help than humans can provide. Remember, “our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Psalms 124:8). And in the end, “evil people are trapped by sin, but the righteous escape, shouting for joy” (Proverbs 29:6).
So, in summary, today is still about prostitutes. Or, the prostitutes metaphor. Whatever is taking you away from spending time and energy on God, keep yourself from these things, escape from them and shout for joy.
Interestingly enough, today’s scripture a) lined up with what I was thinking about earlier, which was reallocating my time and energy from worldly things to things of God, and b) fit the title that was picked out well before I actually read today’s scheduled devotional.
Please be encouraged in your journey as we all strive to become more like Jesus and shake free from all that distracts us from God and his master plan.
-Zachariah