On September 11, 2001, our nation was attacked by a group of terrorists. Many lost their lives and many firefighters, police officers, and other rescue workers sacrificed their lives to save that of another. Memorials have been made in honor of those who gave their lives “lest we forget” them and the sacrifices that were made.
How easy it is for us to forget. We forget promises that were made and never kept. We forget those who made sacrifices for the freedoms that we enjoy today. We have forgotten the Christian heritage of our nation and the fight that was made so that we could have the freedom to serve God as we choose.
The Israelites were also a forgetful people. Exodus 32 tells the story of the Israelites and the Golden calf. The people grew weary of waiting for Moses to come down, so they had Aaron make them a golden calf for them to worship. Just several chapters before, they had promised to be obedient and follow the Lord’s commands, “And he took the book of the covenant, and read it in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient” (24:7). Numerous times, the Nation of Israel repented and promised to follow the Lord, but they soon forgot and fell back into their old sins.
I wonder how many times we are guilty of this same thing. Sometimes it seems so easy to make a commitment and then to forget about it. Many times during a camp, youth rally, or revival we get all stirred up and make great commitments, but then we come home and forget all about them. Part of our problem is that we are so caught up in our daily lives and busyness that we fail to keep the Lord the focus of our lives.
Numerous times in the Old Testament, God reminded the Israelites to love and serve Him with their whole hearts. When we are serving and loving God with all our hearts, then our thoughts will be constantly on Him and our lives will have the right focus. Let me challenge you with this: if you have made a commitment to Lord and have not kept it, why do you not take this moment right now and renew this commitment. Perhaps, you have been caught up with the “cares of this world”, then let me challenge you to ask the Lord to help you keep your relationship with Christ the first priority of your life.
“And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul” (Duet. 10:12).
1 comment:
very thought provoking, thanks for that.
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