Scripture gives us wonderful word pictures because God is eager to help us understand His truths.
For example:
"My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water."
Jeremiah 2:13
Unbelievers may waste their time on worthless purposes, and that’s evil.
But when God’s people do the same, we commit two evils.
We waste our time on worthless purposes, and we forsake God-given purposes:
"For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10
Instead of enjoying fresh, pure water from a spring, we build leaky cisterns where water stagnates.
Both require effort – fetching living water from the spring or building cisterns. But the cisterns require more and offer less.
Let’s ask God to show us areas of our lives where we might be pursuing worthless things and missing His purposes.
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A good supplemental reading for this devotion:
Lies Some Christians Believe: God Sees All Sins the Same.
In seminary, I befriended Lani when she almost walked into a wall in the cafeteria.
I saw that she was blind, got up to help, and we became friends.
It was fun helping her buy Christmas gifts in the campus book store. It was her first opportunity to choose gifts without family help - her first opportunity to surprise them. For me, it was challenging (but fun) to explain things to Lani without using colors or descriptions a blind person wouldn't understand.
Although most sighted people consider blindness the greatest disability, Lani is content and excited about life.
That’s because contentment is largely based on expectations. Lani has never had her sight.
On the other hand, she once told me that being deaf would be the worst thing she could imagine. I think that’s because she’s always been able to hear.
Lani's expectations are more honorable than many of mine. I expect far too much at times and confuse wants with needs.
The Apostle Paul tells us there’s a secret to overcoming these expectations and being content in every circumstance. Do you know the secret? Look HERE and HERE.
Jesus said the greatest commandment is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30).
While heart, soul, mind, and strength are overlapping elements of our being, we can draw some understanding from each one.
♥ With all our Hearts – Loving God with affection and gratitude, as a child admires, loves, trusts, and depends on his godly parents.
Luke 12:32 and 1 John 3:1.
♥ With all our Souls – Embracing God fervently, aware that we owe Him our lives and every gift He gives us is undeserved.
Romans 12:1 and Philippians 3:12-14.
♥ With all our Minds – Letting God's Word renew our minds so we understand His thoughts and desires for our lives.
Philippians 1:9-11 and 2 Timothy 2:15 and Romans 12:2.
♥ With all our Strength – Consistently acting on God's Word and depending on His strength and power, not our own.
1 Corinthians 4:20 and Philippians 4:13 and James 1:22.
Let’s love our God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength and embrace His purposes each day (Ephesians 2:10)!
Some Christians honor ungodly parents.
And some Christians dishonor godly parents.
Each adult child makes their choice to show interest or disinterest, kindness or harshness, forgiveness or bitterness, respect or disrespect, honor or dishonor toward their parents.
People who honor their parents:
1. Understand God chose their parents (Isaiah 44:24).
2. Trust God to use their parents’ sins and failures for good purposes in their lives (Romans 8:28; 1 Peter 2:19; Genesis 50:20).
3. Let God judge their parents (Romans 12:19; Genesis 50:19-20).
If their parents were bad examples, they choose to return good for bad out of love for God (Romans 12:17-21).
Our parents aren't responsible for our adult attitudes and actions (Ezekiel 18). We can rise above the worst of circumstances like Joseph with his brothers or we can make a mess of our blessings like Absalom with his father.
Those who choose to dishonor their parents don't really believe God means what He says (Exodus 20:12 and Ephesians 6:2-3).
Please reflect on these Scriptures and take God at His Word.
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I write frequently about this subject because there is an epidemic of dishonor for parents despite the fact that all of Scripture emphasizes this command. Please see my Honoring Parents archive of 1-minute devotions if you'd like to improve your attitude toward your parents. God promises well-being for those who seek to honor their parents.
The summer after high school, I lived and worked in the Colorado mountain resort town of Estes Park.
I became familiar with the winding, mountain road of Big Thompson Canyon by driving up and down to my hometown of Ft. Collins on my days off.
Seven years later, "the deadliest flash flood in Colorado’s recorded history" created a powerful wall of water that rushed down Big Thompson carving a completely new terrain.
Because phone and power lines were mangled in the storm, the only way that people heard about the flood was word of mouth and valiant efforts of police and firemen. Many died.
When I think of that wall of water, I think of humanity’s final destiny. Even though I know I’ve been snatched out of that flood and placed on the Rock of safety, many will die.
It's fitting that Isaiah writes: “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation…" (Isaiah 52:7).
Paul quotes this verse from Isaiah and adds "how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?" (Romans 10:14-15).
Let’s pray that we have beautiful feet that share Christ with those who have not yet found the Rock of safety.
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Read more about the Big Thompson flood.
