Friday, July 25, 2008

 

The Heavens Are Shocked

Over twenty-six hundred years ago a great preacher passionately counseled his countrymen that they were drifting into perilous waters. He predicted their political demise should they refuse to make drastic corrections. His words came to pass with amazing accuracy. It seems that his congregation had committed the most devastating and most common offense known to man -- they traded the real God for fake gods. This is a bad habit of mankind, driven by their desire to be religious without really having to obey the living God.

While pleading with his contemporaries to return to the true God, Jeremiah employed some curious language. He said, “the heavens are shocked.” God was shocked that mankind would trade a relationship with the real God for a relationship with powerless, temporal substitutes. Here’s the crux of Jeremiah’s message:

“Has any nation ever traded its gods for new ones, even though they are not gods at all? Yet my people have exchanged their glorious God for worthless idols! The heavens are shocked at such a thing and shrink back in horror and dismay,” says the Lord. “For my people have done two evil things: They have abandoned me — the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all!” (Jeremiah 2:11-13 NLT)

One gets the feeling that God couldn’t believe His eyes. Both then and now, in spite of God’s consistent demonstration of power and love, mankind inevitably drifts into idolatry. Our American culture is on a strikingly similar course. We used to declare God in our pledges, honor His Word, lead children in prayer at school, and gather faithfully to worship Him in our churches. Today it seems that many prefer other gods, such as: materialism, human idols, sports, food, addictions, sex, nature, intellectualism, science and mysticism. I am afraid the heavens are still shocked!

Jeremiah warned his contemporaries that their moral choices were as foolish as choosing cracked cisterns rather than a real well of water. Are we making the same choice? Do we want true worship, intact families, real peace…? If so, we need to shift back to the real God who provides spiritual water for our souls.

Jesus picked up the theme of living water while witnessing to a woman of questionable character as he sat by a well. He explained to her that He could offer her living water. He further promised that, “Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:13,14 KJV)

Shortly thereafter he made a speech at a major religious event explaining what he meant by living water: “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)” (John 7: 37-39 KJV)

The good news is: God is still real and waiting, like a gentleman, for people to choose Him. He still offers living water. Millions of people throughout the world have received this living water (the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit) just as the disciples did in Acts chapter two. More and more people are choosing to let go of rituals, traditions and other pursuits in order to chase after the real God. You should too!

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