Don’t Cast Off God

I Chronicles 28:9 And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.

This is a beautiful picture of a father teaching his son about God’s life principles.  Men and women, fathers and mothers have a responsibility to teach the younger generations these same principles so that they may lead an honorable and productive life.  David tells Solomon to 1) know God, 2) have a good attitude about serving God, 3) to cast down imaginations, and 4) to pursue God.  But there is also a strong warning issued as well.  “Don’t forsake God”.  We can learn from the children of Israel: 1) After leaving Egypt, Israel forsook God and spent 40 years in the wilderness.  2) Ezekiel was sent to Israel to warn them that punishment was coming because they had begun to worship idol gods again.  As a result, they spent years in captivity.  To forsake God means that you try to do things by yourself, without the counsel of God.  When man listens to the lies Satan is peddling (You can handle this yourself; You don’t need God) and makes the decision to go it alone, he too will have wilderness experiences or be held captive by something or someone.  Those are the times when nothing seems to be working out and there seems to be no grace.  But God is still our very present help in time of trouble.  He promises never to leave nor forsake us.  When he is forsaken, he must cast off sin.  God does not hate the person who sins, he hates the sin.  However, to blaspheme against the Holy Spirit puts you in danger of being eternally cast off by God. Unlike Israel of the Old Testament, the believer has a better covenant.  Under grace, confession, forgiveness, and cleansing are available to us when we ask; and under grace, we have an advocate in heaven, Jesus Christ, who intercedes for us to the Father.

Scripture References:   Numbers 32:13; Ezekiel; Psalms 46:1

Prayer for today:  Father, thank you for a better covenant.  I have come to realize that it is not wise to try to do anything without your guidance.  Please forgive me for trying.  In JESUS name, AMEN.

Whatever you must do today, there is a grace for that.  Accept the grace and make it a sweatless day.

Love

Dianne