WE NEED GOD BACK!

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“Let us examine our ways and test them,
and let us return to the Lord.”
(Lamentations 3:40)

MEDITATION:
Our society continues to try
to fix every problem through tolerance.
If we will just agree to allow others to express themselves
in whatever way they please, we will become a well-blended
and perfect society where nobody’s individuality is suppressed.

Consequently, believers are expected to be tolerant
of things that conflict with their beliefs.
It seems that everyone and every idea
is to be tolerated, except for Christian principles.

How has our Christian nation gotten to this point?
It could be that the modern day philosophy
of self-reliance and self-sufficiency has caused the
masses to believe that we can do okay without God.

As a result of this line of thinking, our society is
bent on excluding God from EVERYTHING.
Many feel that “religion” is okay for a select
group of emotional people, but we are better
off with people who believe in themselves.

We have heard phrases like,
“If it feels good, do it” and later, “Just do it”.
In other words,
there should be no restrictions placed on anyone.

No biblical principles should be considered of any
value, because after all we have left God behind in
our pursuit of happiness and a utopian society.
The question we need to ask is,
“How is this new philosophy working for the world?”

We can see that this self-confident generation
has produced more alcoholics, more dope addicts,
more criminals, more wars, more broken homes,
more assaults, more embezzlements, more murders, and
more suicides than any other generation that ever existed.

Our society has steered us into believing that we
have no faults, and all of our mistakes are a result
of the actions of others, and not ourselves.

As a result of this type of thinking,
there are record numbers of people seeking
psychological and psychiatric counseling
to try and figure out ‘what went wrong’.

We have been guided into believing that
we should be in total control of our lives,
and that we should not accept responsibility
for anything we do that is considered wrong
(by the standards of a Godless world).

So, what is the remedy for a society on a slippery
slope toward anarchy (a state of disorder due to the
absence of, or non-recognition of, authority)?
We need to follow the advice
of the Bible – “Return to the Lord”.

We need to have confidence in our abilities
and we need to have pride in doing a good job,
but neither of these should be a replacement
for our dependence on God.

Our world NEEDS God and needs to understand
that He wants our dependence and not our independence.
It is the same way we feel toward
our own children – we want them to need us.

We enjoy providing for their needs and giving
them pleasant surprises for no particular reason.
Would God be any different toward His children?
According to the scriptures, the answer is “No”.

He loves everyone (even those who want to
remove His visibility) and He developed a plan
of salvation so that we can ultimately
be with Him one day.

He also blesses us in many ways,
but yet we may still take them for granted.
One of the blessings He provides
on a daily basis is the beat of our heart.

If He removed that ONE blessing,
we would KNOW without a doubt
that we are NOT self-sufficient.

When we ‘examine our ways’, we find that
they are not working out very well.
When we ‘test them’ (our ways),
we can see how they have failed us.

The world doesn’t have solutions
to the rise of problems we face, but God does.
We need to return to Him
and have more trust and faith that He
is the One who can solve the worldly problems.
Instead of pushing God into the background, He
should be brought to the forefront in everything.

You may be saying,
“I agree with the content of this devotional,
but it will never happen in the world we live in”.

It may seem like an impossibility,
but what do the scriptures tell us?
“If my people, who are called by my name,
will humble themselves and pray and seek my face
and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear
from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will
heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

We have been discussing the world
as a whole, but getting more personal,
do you need to ‘return to the Lord’?
Have you excluded Him
from certain areas of your own life?

Are there things you know you should be doing (or not doing)
but you have allowed your selfishness to be in control?
Do you humble yourself and pray for our world?
Have you turned from the things that displease God?

The scriptures remind us to worship together
(because this pleases God).
“And let us consider how we may spur one another on
toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together,
as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one
another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
(Hebrews 10:24-25)

This is not a suggestion
but a command from God through His Word.
Yet, there are many who have decided
to push this ‘act of faith’ into the background.

We are not given the freedom of picking and choosing
which of His commands we will obey.
Yet, church attendance continues to drop as Christians
find other things to do instead of meeting with God
(and other believers) in His house on a regular basis.
Only 17% of believers surveyed
say they attend church on a regular basis.

God can change the direction of our society,
but as believers, we need to make sure that
we are personally including Him
in every facet of our own lives.

Pray,
“God, when I examine my heart, I see too much of self there.
I ask You for Your forgiveness and I pray that you would help
me to place my confidence, trust, and faith in You. Help me to
develop humility as I pray that our world will return to You.”

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