Obadiah, a 21-verse prophecy against Edom, is the shortest book in the Old Testament.
The people of Edom and the people of Israel were blood relatives, but instead of coming to Israel’s rescue, Edom gloated when Israel was attacked. They even plundered Israel and betrayed them to their enemies.
In the spiritual realm, Christians are experiencing something similar. Even though we’re supposed to be “blood relatives,” united by the blood of Christ, an increasing number of professing Christians have turned against fellow believers.
These “Edomite brothers,” who should be supporting us, are often our harshest critics when we take a stand for unpopular biblical principles.(1)
Dear Christians, we must not let this discourage us. The conclusion of Obadiah is our comfort. A day is coming when the Lord will judge the unfaithful and rescue His true followers: “And the LORD himself will be king!”
Let’s stand firm!
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(1) We most often experience this ridicule when we speak up in defense of God's view of sexual behavior or God’s expectations that His true followers turn from sin and live godly lifestyles. From my experience writing devotions, these professing Christians can be some of my rudest critics. Compromised Christianity is a growing religion. Calling themselves “loving,” they ignore God’s moral laws and use God’s forgiveness to excuse worldly lifestyles (Romans 6; 1 John 2:15-17). They cut and paste Scripture to support their beliefs. We need to be on our guard as never before, dear Christ-followers.
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AMEN and again I say AMEN
ReplyDeleteBeing true to God's word is so important. I remember when I was little I had some friends who lived along the road from me whose parents would, for the most part, let their children do whatever they wanted to do, As a child I thought those friends were so lucky, until we all grew up that is. Those children had not been loved or cared for enough to be disciplined, so they grew up not even knowing the basic rules of how to live right or how to interact well with other people.
ReplyDeleteThanks be to God, our heavenly Father, He is not like that. We are to walk in His ways, obey Him, this one true God and then spread the light of His truth, not water it down.
Thanks for the reminder. I really enjoy your posts.
I've been reading through the Bible in chronological order. Today is the day we read Obaiah. What you have said is so true. God is judging and will continue to judge our nation. I pray that evil will be truly exposed for what it is and Christians who have been deceived will wake up and cling to God's Word as it was intended to be understood.
ReplyDeleteThank you for that!
ReplyDeleteWhen I read this post it resonated well with me. We have been studying the minor and major prophets during the midweek service at my church. Pray for me as I struggle with God's expectation to turn from sin and live a godly life. Life in America may be looked at as having one of the best standards of living in the world but the culture and social values have become blurred, distorted, undermined and fixed into the collective consciousness of its people. We have been deceived and put to sleep for the most part. Thank God for the church who continues to spread the word of God and make known the truth.
ReplyDeleteHi Manny,
DeleteI pray that you will be wholeheartedly committed to God's purposes and purity in your life.
Yes, American values are definitely distorted. I pray that God's people will live as lights in our culture.
God bless you.
Amen!
ReplyDeleteAmen. Thank you for your encouragement, Gail!
ReplyDelete