April 23, 2024
Pastor Darin Youngberg
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Daily Bread
Posted on Monday, September 18, 2017 by Bro_D
Daily Bread Sept. 18. 2017
Zephaniah 3:1-2 Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled, the oppressing city! (2) She listens to no voice; she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the LORD; she does not draw near to her God.
WOWZER! This city is Jerusalem. If you keep on reading in chapter 3, you will see that these folks just truly don’t want anything to do with God. If I were God, I would just turn my back on them for eternity! GO read chapter 1, He has done just about everything to get their attention, yet they continue to ignore and reject Him. Yep, if I were god….
But I’m not! He is! And the rest of chapter 3 is all about His work of conversion and restoration. I have seen God convert the vilest of men and I have seen Him restore that which had no hope. I’ve seen it more than once! Each time I see it, it causes me to draw closer to Him. It is the most awesome-est thing to experience.
Yet, I also see those who have seen the LORD convert and restore, but aren’t drawn to Him. There even seems to be a disconnect between them and the LORD. Even though they see Him as God, they don’t honor Him as LORD of their life (Rom.1:21). If one were to continue reading in Romans 1, especially just finishing verse 21, one would see that those who are like this end up with darkened hearts and empty minds. Which in turn leads to greater destruction in their lives. The Bible says that we are to draw near to God and He too will draw near to us (James 4:8). Sometimes it is hard to draw near to Him, that’s why I so thankful He works in ways that draws me, even when I don’t draw near on my own. I have studied Romans 1 in great detail over the years – it burdens me. Three times in that chapter it says God withdraws His hand --- each time the snowball grows greater in size and speed as it rolls down the hill to destruction. To DESTRUCTION! Sadly, there are too many who sit in church pews week after week that ignore the warning from God’s Word. It ain’t new – Zephaniah saw the same thing. Paul saw it in Corinth, Ephesus, and Rome. John saw it as he sat on an island and was given the Revelation of Jesus Christ.
Go read Zephaniah --- it’s short – a small bathroom break should cover it! But then, go read Romans 1 and ask the LORD, “Do I honor You as LORD of my life? Of, do I just see You as God?” Cuz it really is a life or death question.