Monday Reading: Psalm 37:21-24
Key Verse: Psalm 37:23
23 The steps of a good man are ordered by Jehovah; and He delights in his way.
Devotion:
As I have been reading through the history of the kings of Judah and Israel I have been drawn to try and look deeper into the reasons why things got as bad as they did. Could it be just down to the greed of the kings at the time? Could is just be down to them wanting to do things by their own rules? God had seen what was going to happen and yet He allowed man to be totally unruly according to His promises to man in the beginning. He gave us free will to start with and He continues to uphold that value no matter what we get up to. Yes there have been many times when He has tried to persuade us into doing things the right way but we continue to ignore those instructions. I speak as the human race here and not as individuals because it is not a single instance we can put this down to but the continued, recurring idol worshipping and breaking of God’s commandments.
When Josiah came into power he was read the Book of the Law and he realised just how bad things had got. He immediately turned his ways round and tried to do as much as possible to get the people to realise how bad they had got in God’s eyes. Yet all that he did came to nothing because his sons did evil in the sight of Jehovah God. We may look at people and judge them to be evil by the physical things that they do such as stealing and killing but God is the one who is willing to show mercy towards even them. I say even them because that is how man views them in society. Jesus reminded us that there is no sin that is any worse than any other apart from the unforgivable sin; every other sin can be forgiven by Him through what Jesus has done for us. So what is the unforgivable sin? Unbelief!
God shows us how to live through His word. He shows us what is wrong through His word. He shows us how to get straight with Him. He has given us everything on a plate – all we need do is to accept the truth! Believe in Jesus Christ and you shall be saved!
Points to Ponder:
What evil do you see around you?
Do you see yourself as good in God’s eyes?
