More than Lip Service?

March 1st, 2010

Monday

My Daily Scripture Readings: Judges 7:1-8:17; Luke 23:13-43; Psalms 78:32-55; Proverbs 12:21-23

SCRIPTURE: Psalms 78:35-37

"They remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer. But then they would flatter Him with their mouths, lying to Him with their tongues; their hearts were not loyal to Him, they were not faithful to His covenant."(Psalms 78:35-37)

OBSERVATION: I have always made the connection between the people of Israel in the Old Testament and myself. Statements that continue to be repeated in the Old Testament focus on the continued turning away of the Israelites. Statements such as "Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord," and "He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father(s) before him had done," are repeated over and over again. When I was younger, I used to be amazed at the stupidity of God's People to continue to turn away from Him. The older I get, the more I can relate to their on-again-off-again behavior/walk with God, because I find myself hitting similar bumps along the path of my own Walk with Him.

No one wants to admit that he or she has a type of faith consistent with the Israelites that wandered in the desert year after year because of their own disobedience, however, at least I can take solace in one thing. The Israelites, even in the midst of their worst moments before God, were still considered His People. He still loved them, protected them, and kept His promise to them. Yes, it is true that He disciplined them and rebuked them for their unfaithfulness, but He never left them. Whenever they cried out to Him, He answered their call.

The solace I take from this is that God had a compassion for His People even before sacrificing His Son on the Cross for our sins. How much more compassion will He have for me now that Jesus died to pay for my sins? While this does not grant me a free pass to do whatever I want and sin in every way imaginable, such a reflection reminds me that God is, indeed, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Just as I feel like the Israelites sometimes when I fall away from God, I also feel like them when they return to Him and "remember that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer."(v.35) It goes without saying then that I would join them when "they would flatter him with their mouths..."(v.36) Before long, without truly meaning to, I end up "...lying to him with [my] tongue. [My] heart was not loyal to him..."(v.36-37) It is this path of disobedience that I have decided to write about and reflect on this morning.

APPLICATION: The past two mornings have been a Wake Up Call for my soul. I liken it to an icy cold bucket of water being thrown on my apathetic and drowsy self. While the process initially is hard to begin, ultimately it refreshes the Spirit. This morning I feel refreshed, renewed, and re-energized. My wife has commented on the difference she has seen in me in just the short while since returning to Scripture. She has even made the comment, "I have my husband back." Like the Israelites, I have cried out to You and You have heard me. I have turned back to You and You have opened up Your arms and drawn me back into Your shelter once again. Today I "remembered that God was [My] Rock, that God Most High was [My] Redeemer."(v.35)

My thought, or concern, this morning is this patter of "On Again-Off Again" behavior with regards to my Walk with God. Since I follow in the Israelites footsteps so often, how do I prevent the inevitable from occurring? How do I keep my words of Praise to Him from becoming empty flattery or lip service? How do I keep my heart loyal to Him? How do I prevent my tongue from lying to Him?

I believe that the answer to those questions might be very simple, while the carrying out of the solution may be next to impossible. The answer is to guard my heart and mine at all time; to constantly be praying to Him for protection and guidance; to constantly meditate on His Word throughout the day. And, after doing that, pray some more.

I have been down this road MANY times before and it ALWAYS starts out great. I'm happy, I have my mind right, and I carry myself like any good Christian should. Yet, inevitably, somewhere down the line I trip, I stumble, I lose my way, and my praise becomes little more than lip service. If I were to say that this same thing will happen again, how can I justify taking this moment to "get right" before God?

I have wrestled with the question of "Why?" these past three months. Why do I always try so hard when I'm just going to fall on my face again anyway? I guess a similar question would be, "Why take a shower when I'm just going to get dirty again?" Perhaps that is oversimplifying it, but it is my response to my pragmatic mindset, as of late.

Something needs to change within me, starting this morning, that takes me beyond the feel good feeling I get when I first turn back to Him. I need to understand that I am still a sinner and will continue to sin REGARDLESS of how hard I try not to. This does not mean to give up and refuse to try, but it does mean to allow myself that limitation of human ability. After all, it is this limitation that reminds me of my need for a Savior. Verse 38 follows up the statements about the Israelites' lying tongues and disloyal hearts with this: "Yet he was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them." If God could have that much compassion for His People, who experienced His miracles with their very eyes, in a time before the ultimate sacrifice was paid at the Cross, how much more compassion and grace will He afford to give to me?

Ultimately, my point this morning is that I need to accept the fact that I will slip up. In that moment, I need to accept the Jesus' forgiveness immediately instead of thinking I need to first give it some time before returning. That may seem obvious, but so often my mindset tells me that if I screw up, I need to wait AT LEAST 24 hours before journalling. I want to be on fire for God, like a candle that is lit, bringing light to the darkness. Yet, even a candle can be blown out temporarily without losing its ability to be relit. I can use that analogy for my own life. My flame may get snuffed out momentarily by a string of frustrations that distract me from His Power, yet the moment I return to Him, my soul is still able to be relit and catch flame. The more consistent I return, the longer my flame will burn. It is when I attempt to fan the flame myself that I usually fall short, extinguishing any flicker of hope that my words and actions are anything more than lip service.


PRAYER: Father, I thank You for another morning spent in Your presence. You know that I very easily could have used the time to better prepare myself for today at work. Granted, we also know that I would not have used my time as wisely in that endeavor as I should. Regardless of that, the point is that I have much on my mind at the moment. My To-Do List continues to grow exponentially and I am helpless to slow it down. The weight on my shoulders is heavy and I need to unload this burden and lay it at Your feet. I don't know that You will magically make it all go away, or complete all the tasks for me, but I do know that You will give a new mindset-a new focus- that will allow me to live a life full of joy, full of peace, in the midst of the storm that surrounds me. Thank You this morning for reminding me that You are my Rock and Redeemer. Show me how to maintain my Walk with You without my talk becoming nothing more than lip service. Show me how to keep this flame in my soul lit and burning bright for You. I love You and am basking in the warmth of Your embrace!