Tuesday 17 Oct 2017

October 17: Isaiah 5:11-12

Key Verse: Isaiah 5:12
They have harps and lyres at their banquets, pipes and timbrels and wine, but they have no regard for the deeds of the Lord, no respect for the work of his hands.

Devotion:
There are so many things which will take us away from a walk with God. The favourite one at the moment seems to be alcohol. We see so much evidence of how people are getting into trouble because of the amount of drink they consume. We even see health warnings about the amount of alcohol which should or should not be consumed. Too many people assume there is a variable limit on the amount of alcohol it is safe to consume, and they seem to think the more they practise the more they can drink! What nobody thinks about is the spiritual effect this is having on people; how it is taking them further and further away from God. The more they relax with their drinks, the more they are suppressing common sense and the more they are willing to bend the rules.

Another favourite which is not talked about is the music we listen to. It pains me to see the amount of people who have earphone permanently plugged in and listen to all manner of ‘music’ as it introduces words and things we thought were not socially acceptable just a few years ago – and I am not thinking about a generation ago, but three or four years ago. It is not just the words, but the attitude to others and to oneself that is disturbed by words. The people writing the songs often find themselves in terrible positions caught up against the law and continue to write songs and music about that. The more people listen to it, the more they think it is normal in society...

So many things take us away from God without us knowing when it happens. Things we take for granted in everyday life. Things we never think about. But if and when we do start to listen and think, we hear the evidence that it may well take us away from God, yet we ignore it because 'everyone else is doing it'. We need to take a stand, a stand for God, a stand for Christianity. We need to stand up for Jesus and stop ignoring Him!

Points to Ponder:
How often do you do something to forget about your worries?

Would God really approve of what you do?