Monday, April 7

Scripture: 1 Kings 11-13, Psalm 97

So much is happening in these passages, tales of obedience and disobedience, stories of prophecy and injustice. I am reminded that these ancient people are just like us. I know when I read these old stories, I think to myself “what is wrong with these people? Why are they choosing to do wrong? I would never do that.” But it’s foolish and prideful to think that way. We forget these are humans with emotions, fears, cultural pressures. Do we not suffer from the same? Even now we are quick to have our ears tickled, to throw our lot behind someone in power or follow the crowd. Psalm 97 reminds us that the earth is the Lords. It was His then and it is still His, thousands of years later. We are a people set apart, the Church, similar to the Israelites. And like them, we tend to fight with each other and our neighbors. We need to remember that we know what is right and good and true; God’s word tells us. Through Jesus, we have a way to live that does not need fear, anxiety, peer or cultural pressures to drive us. 

How can we as a churched people break free of the cultural  challenges that grip us? Remember, Jesus calls us to live sacrificially.

~Nathan Hurlbert

Daily Prayer Focus:

All expecting mothers and fathers and unborn children.