Are you guarding your heart from idolatry?
3 Feb 26
Today's devotional: taken from YouVersion, Devotions on F.I.R.E. Year One
Readings:
Exodus 31
Exodus 32
Exodus 33
Matthew 22:23-46
Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition (1 Corinthians 10:11).
Are you guarding your heart from idolatry?
When the shepherd is away the sheep will play. Moses is receiving the Law from God upon the mountain. “And the LORD said to Moses, ‘Go, get down! For your people whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves’” (Exodus 32:7). Paul quotes from Exodus 32:6 about the people’s immorality: “Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, ‘The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play’” (1 Corinthians 10:6-7). Let’s couple Paul’s warning with John’s: “Little children, keep yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:21).
Employment Point: Keep the Lord God as your only God.
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Reflections
The love of God and loving Him as the only God in our lives is like two out of the ten commandments that was set out for us. One that is you shall have no other gods before me and two you shall not make any idols to worship.
Can you imagine what Moses was feeling when he came down the mountain after talking to God, taking down the written tablets containing the ten commandments and right before His very eyes, his own people were idol worshiping instead worshiping the Lord who brought them out! I would think frustration, anger, disappointment, everything mixed together, sounding like a volcano waiting to erupt 🫠 and we can understand why the tablet was broken. His people broke the commandments literally. He doesn’t know how to face the Lord anymore.
Have you felt times like this? Where you are so sure of God’s calling for example and for once you felt that you are standing on firm ground and nothing can shake you, only to come to see for yourself how the enemy can shake the ground till we start to doubt ourselves or our abilities to do the things God called us to do. One thing we need to recognise, it’s that we are not God. We are not the saviour. Yes we may feel frustrated, angry and disappointed but ultimately it is between them and God. We can continue to love, don’t judge, but support them, especially in terms of prayers. Things that other humans do, we cannot control but we have a Lord who can. And we can control our own reactions too.
If we feel angry or negative emotions, it should subconsciously kick start a suppressant in us, not to react, but to pray and to seek the Lord. May He guide us through our prayers and reveal to us what we can do to support one another. Thanks be to God.
“Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.””Exodus 32:2-4 NIV
- it is important to have discernment and not follow blindly or ask of human what the Lord has done.
- No human has ever fully understood His will, but the obedient ones will do what He asks for. We live in a time where the word is made known to us. And resources are readily available if got stuck. We have our leaders and also pastors to guide us. But be discerning so we don’t blindly follow what was taught. We know of His teachings and should always measure if what was shared are in alignment with God’s word.
“But Moses sought the favor of the Lord his God. “Lord,” he said, “why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand?”
Exodus 32:11 NIV
- the very reason why it is important for us to take a step back when we encounter difficulties or challenges. Because standing from afar helps us to see a much clearer picture. When we are caught in the midst of things, everything seemed to be boxed up and we have no way out. This was Moses before he went down the mountain. Still calm and composed and able to ask the Lord and intercede for his people.
“When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. And he took the calf the people had made and burned it in the fire; then he ground it to powder, scattered it on the water and made the Israelites drink it. He said to Aaron, “What did these people do to you, that you led them into such great sin?””
Exodus 32:19-21 NIV
- However when he went down, he himself could not contain his anger. The Lord had seen what he is seeing now and which was why He was angry. Now that Moses saw it for himself, his anger burned as well. But the Moses backed up the mountain had a discerning mind and heart. He wanted to reconcile and make peace. But facing with the challenges head on, he couldn’t do it either.
- A fine reminder to always step back and pause before we take actions.
““Do not be angry, my Lord,” Aaron answered. “You know how prone these people are to evil. They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.’ So I told them, ‘Whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off.’ Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!””Exodus 32:22-24 NIV
- we saw what Aaron did. Instead of taking responsibility for his actions, he finger point it to the people and blame the “miracle” that happened to be an “act of god”.
- The enemy will make full of any opportunity to make us believe anything but the truth. His main aim is to confuse us. So the best way to counter is to know the truth. If we are sure of it, nothing can shake or move us, which is why having a firm foundation is really important.
- the Lord is not a Lord of confusion. He is super clear. If we are believers and we find ourselves confused, we ought to reflect what went wrong.
“And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.””Exodus 33:17 NIV
- what a great encouragement it must be to hear that from the Lord!! Hope we all get to hear the same things being said by the Lord to us!
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The Demand of the Call
BY OSWALD CHAMBERS
February 03
We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world. —1 Corinthians 4:13
Paul’s words here are not an exaggeration. If they are not true for us, it’s because we refuse to allow ourselves to become garbage. Our preference for the finer things of the world, and for our own place among them, prevents us from being “set apart for the gospel” in the way Paul describes (Romans 1:1). When he writes of using his own flesh to “fill up . . . what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions,” he means being willing to put himself, in person, anywhere Christ’s gospel is needed (Colossians 1:24).
“Do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening” (1 Peter 4:12). If we do find the things we encounter strange, it’s because we’re cowardly and pretentious. We allow our worldly affinities and aspirations to keep us out of the muck: “I won’t stoop,” we say. “I won’t bend.” God won’t force us. If we want, we can refuse to let Jesus count us as one of his servants.
A servant of Jesus is someone who is willing to become a martyr for the gospel. Martyrdom is a calling that lies beyond mere morality. When a merely moral man or woman comes in contact with baseness and immorality and treachery, they instinctively recoil. What they’ve seen is so desperately offensive to their sense of human goodness that their heart shuts up in despair.
But the marvel of the redemptive reality of God is that his love is bottomless: the worst and vilest can never exhaust it. Paul doesn’t say that God set him apart in order to make him a shining example. It was, Paul writes, “to reveal his Son in me” (Galatians 1:16).
WISDOM FROM OSWALD
Am I getting nobler, better, more helpful, more humble, as I get older? Am I exhibiting the life that men take knowledge of as having been with Jesus, or am I getting more self-assertive, more deliberately determined to have my own way? It is a great thing to tell yourself the truth.
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Reflections
I think simply put, the demand of the call is for us to come to realisation that it cannot be done by ourselves. There has to be a sole reliance on Him for various factors, such as strength, wisdom, knowledge, courage, faith, patience, self-control, etc. This list is endless.
If we agree that we are placed in a place because of His call, the best way to move forward or decide next steps, is to follow His commands. No need for second guesses or to plan what now and also be prepared for hardship because it is what it is. To follow Christ means to drink from His cup. We do not follow because we only wanted blessings and not pain. Remember what Job wrote? “He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.”Job 2:10 NIV
We ought to be prepared for what is to come and the best way is still to depend on our Lord Jesus Christ. Somehow this reminds me on my current season of life.
I was being reminded on Isaiah 40:31 three times in a row on the same day and again the following day in a short period of just two days. I reckon this is also not a coincidence but for me to recognise that it is Him speaking to Him. A season of learning to hope in the Lord and learning and taking in one step at a time. It is comforting knowing that He looks after me and cares about me, each and every step of my way and He watches to ensure everything is going fine.
Truly I’m thankful for a caring and loving Father as much as a Lord whose splendour makes me fall on my knees. Thank You Abba Father.
Amen.
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