[quote style=”boxed”]“Three things are necessary for the salvation of man: to know what he ought to believe; to know what he ought to desire; and to know what he ought to do. -St. Thomas Aquinas” [/quote]
I’ve been going through the 1 Year Daily Audio Bible via podcast. I listen to it every morning and can’t get enough of it. The hardest thing about doing your 1 year bible reading is that you have to discipline yourself to follow just the reading for each day, when what you really want to do is devour it all at once.
Currently, I am going through 2nd Kings and one thread that’s obviously predominant is the inconsistent faith of the children of Israel. It is pitiful to see a people spiral out of control from one generation to the next with little recollection of past glories. Sadly, there are definite parallels to our generation we cannot ignore. Bottom line is, we are no different.
It seems as though every 40 or 80 years, a righteous man would arise to lead the people back to God and they would have a great victory which would carry them for several years and then they would fall back into the same behaviors that led them astray from the God of their fathers. This is something I struggle to grasp; a people who have seen and experienced the glorious will often choose to go back to the ordinary. Why is that?
I want to attribute that to our “sinful nature” but truthfully, I know many people who are born into sin, then find their place in the kingdom of God and completely transform their lives in such a way that they never go back to that old lifestyle. One of the most famous examples we have is that of C.S. Lewis, who was a scholar philosopher and well-known skeptic. About his conversion he said, “”When we set out to Warnade Zoo, I did not believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, and when we reached the zoo I did.” (http://www.thenarniaacademy.org/article_conversion.htm) He then radically changes his views and becomes known as the Apostle to the Skeptics for the rest of his life.
My sweet grandmother, Julia, was born into a world full of witchcraft and superstition. Once she found that the grace of God was more than rituals and more than enough, she gave her life fully to Christ and never looked back. she was a strong believer and a fervent servant until the end of her life. My father gave up certain habits upon his conversion and to this day he continues to serve Christ wholeheartedly and has not once slipped back into his old self.
I know is not the same for everybody, but I have to believe our faith is stronger than our addictions, our bad habits, and our feelings of unworthiness, among other things. I strongly believe that when we say yes to Christ and allow Him to become Lord of our lives, it is forever, and not just for a season. Please don’t misunderstand me for being a judgemental person who is out of touch with people’s weaknesses. But I take hold of the word of God when it tells me, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” [John 16:33]
What I am trying to say is, we were once like the children of Israel-wandering through the dessert, but by His grace, we are now overcomers. We don’t need to wander any longer and continue to fall back into the same old sin. The word tells us in 2nd Peter 2:9; “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” So then, let’s live as such and finish the race even if we have to crawl to the finish line. Is it easy? No way! but it’s, oh so worth it.
[quote style=”boxed”]
5-10 A wandering Aramean was my father,
he went down to Egypt and sojourned there,
he and just a handful of his brothers at first, but soon
they became a great nation, mighty and many.
The Egyptians abused and battered us,
in a cruel and savage slavery.
We cried out to God, the God-of-Our-Fathers:
He listened to our voice, he saw
our destitution, our trouble, our cruel plight.
And God took us out of Egypt
with his strong hand and long arm, terrible and great,
with signs and miracle-wonders.
And he brought us to this place,
gave us this land flowing with milk and honey.
So here I am. I’ve brought the first fruits
of what I’ve grown on this ground you gave me, O God. -Deuteronomy 26:5 (The Message)[/quote]
he went down to Egypt and sojourned there,
he and just a handful of his brothers at first, but soon
they became a great nation, mighty and many.
The Egyptians abused and battered us,
in a cruel and savage slavery.
We cried out to God, the God-of-Our-Fathers:
He listened to our voice, he saw
our destitution, our trouble, our cruel plight.
And God took us out of Egypt
with his strong hand and long arm, terrible and great,
with signs and miracle-wonders.
And he brought us to this place,
gave us this land flowing with milk and honey.
So here I am. I’ve brought the first fruits
of what I’ve grown on this ground you gave me, O God. -Deuteronomy 26:5 (The Message)[/quote]
I’d like to recoment the 1 Year Audio Bible by Brian Hardin. I like that he changes versions weekly and makes you feel as though you are a part of a family bible study.