Good morning everyone! I have not had a chance to blog much this week because I have been super busy doing many different things to prepare for this upcoming mission trip to the Philippines I am scheduled to go on- God willing! So without further ado,
Here’s the question of the day; in your daily walk with the Lord, are you truly walking after the glory of God? Or have you been walking after things that do no profit spirituality?
Let’s look at an example of this in the bible. In Jeremiah chapter 2, God speaks to Jeremiah about the people of Israel. When this happens I picture God, the Father, talking about Israel, His chosen children, as just that- a Father talking about his children in an endearing way. You can hear the longing in His words as He tells Jeremiah in an almost reminiscent fashion, about how the people of Israel used to love Him, seek Him and even follow Him through the wilderness “in a land that was not sown (2).” He recalls like a sweet dream, that they were holiness unto Him and that they put Him first in their lives (3). The Lord was on their side and they were protected from evil; nothing could touch them (3).
So they used to have great faith and trust in the Lord. They used to seek Him and want to spend time with Him. Their relationship with God used to be joyous and beneficial; God was on their side.
But listen to how things change in verse 5: “Thus saith the Lord, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain?”
This question really struck me because God is asking His people why they have rejected Him after He loved and protected them and gave them everything that is good. Can you imagine pouring out all of your love on your children, providing for them everyday and every moment, raising them in a manner where they never had to want for anything? Can you imagine being completely blameless in your ways toward them and spending all your time fostering a loving realtionship with them that was fufilling and just? Now imagine your children, one day out of the blue, decide to no longer love you anymore. (?!) They not only reject you, but they forget you. This is exactly the scenario that took place between God and Israel. God is perfect, there is no darkness in Him, yet His children had forsaken Him and all that He had done for them, and for what?
Vanity /ˈvanədē/ noun:
1. excessive pride in or admiration of one’s own appearance or achievements. synonyms: conceit, narcissism, self-love, self-admiration, self-absorption, self-regard, egotism
2. the quality of being worthless or futile. synonyms: futility, uselessness, pointlessness, worthlessness, fruitlessness “the vanity of all desires of the will”
Their own worthless endeavors. The things in their life they did out of their own selfish motives. Wow. Does this still go on today? Unfortunately it does. God doesn’t want us to waste our time walking after things that do not profit. Just as the children of Israel got caught up in making their own statues of false gods and worshipping them (Jeremiah 2:8), in turn, today we can get caught up in the things of this present day in time that can take the place of God in our lives.
Our common enemies these days seem to be always weilding a screen, whether it be the television, computer, cell phones or iPods. However there are less obvious things we put copious amounts of our energy into that are not profitible to our lives or spirituality either. Whether it be going to various events and activities or focusing on things like worrying or complaining.
I ask you to search your lives and become aware of how you invest your time here, because time is something that cannot be replaced and you can never get it back once you’ve invested it. Really think about the activities you fill your day with. Are they edifying? Are they getting you closer to God? Are they bringing glory to His name?
Is God speaking to you today? Is He crying out, calling you to return and be His child once again so that the loving father-child bond can be restored once and for all? He is indeed.
Jeremiah 2:9 (KJV)
“Wherefore I will yet plead with you, saith the Lord, and with your children’s children I will plead.”
Do not turn you heart away from God today. You will be missing out on so much. The vanities of this present day are worthless, fleeting, and quite temporary. They do not compare to the glory and righteous that God has planned for you today. Give your attention to the one who deserves it most; the one who brought you into this world; to the one that loves you beyond compare. God the Father. Hallelujah.
Lifted Vision Ministry 