Have you ever heard of Photine? Well, according to Catholic records, that is the name of the Samaritan woman Jesus spoke to at the well. You remember, right? The woman who had five husbands?
Learn more about her as she is mentioned in the posts listed below.
Recently, I was reading Romans 1 and paid attention to Paul's assessment of wicked people. It's easy not to see oneself as wicked. After all, you don't steal, you've never killed, and you help little old ladies cross the street (we all do that, too, right?). However, there was one tiny mention about the wicked that gave me pause and made me realize many of us Christians might fall into that category unknowingly.
Romans 1:21 - Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Again, Paul was speaking about the wicked, highlighting some of the things they do. Although these people were not believers in God and His Son, do you see anything in that verse that could apply to Christians? People like you and me?
The key is in the first sentence - they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. There are many Christians who readily state that we believe in the Lord, but do we readily give Him our worship and thanksgiving?
Our interactions with God are often brief check-ins where we tell Him what we want, failing to seek His plans for our day or even His purpose for our lives. We idolize and worship celebrities, money, and ourselves, as evidenced by how we allocate our time, attention, and resources. We don't see anything wrong with it, and when we hit a bumpy patch, we blame God, not ignoring that we haven't nurtured a relationship with the One who calls His own to worship Him in Spirit and in truth.
And let's talk about thanksgiving. Many of us withhold our thanks from the Lord because there's one thing or another that we feel He is yet to do for us. We thereby allow the spirits of discontentment and ingratitude to cloud our hearts. Yet, we forget all that He's done and the Jericho Walls He brought down on our behalf. We see little reason to practice what the righteous do, which is to give God unreserved praise.
The saddest part about this is that because we don't realize we are doing what the wicked do, we fail to see that we are wicked when we behave this way. We don't see how our lack of thanks and sincere worship causes us to be ignorant of the warning in Proverbs 17:13 - Evil will never leave the house of one who pays back evil for good.
As Christians, we are told to give thanks in every situation (1 Thessalonians 5:18). That means whether things are good or bad, we will have reason to express gratitude to the Lord. Remember what He's done and the Jericho Walls He brought down on your behalf. Give Him praise for that.
Thank Him that things in your life aren't worse than they are. That seems like a strange thing until you understand that satan wanted to destroy everything about your life, as it was able to with Job. The enemy's plan has always been to kill you, but Jesus advocated, God said, "No," and extended grace. The Lord provided another day to hold His hand and be the child He fashioned who honors Him and walks into the fullness of life.
If you are struggling to give thanks, please write down what you are grateful for. It could be only one thing - the fact that you can wiggle your fingers, or can hear, for instance. These are things many take for granted. But not you. Thank God for that one blessing over and over. You'll notice you have had experiences that others could only dream of. All because God showed you great love and mercy. Your list of things to thank God for will grow.
As you give Him your thanks and worship, you will not be anything like the wicked. And He will reward you all the more. God bless you.
Give your life to Christ with the Altar Call below and learn more about today's topic from the following previous P&P messages:
Many of us do not see ourselves as idolaters, but the word of God testifies against some of us. So, let us look at Jeremiah 32:34 - They set up their vile images in the house that bears my Name and defiled it.
With those few words, the Lord explained why He was upset with the ancient people of Judea. They'd turned to other gods. Even within the very Temple, where He was to dwell. The building created so that He could be in the midst of those He loved. Right in the most holy place was the presence of false gods.
We might think this is an Old Testament issue that doesn't apply to us modern Christians, but that is not the case. In fact, many self-proclaimed believers are idolaters. While they may not bow and burn incense to the Canaanite deity, Molek, they serve its current equivalent and the other false gods of this dispensation.
Our jobs, finances, spouses, and certain desires sit on a pedestal, taking the place God should have in our lives. In that sense, we are no different from the people of ancient Jerusalem who burned incense and erected statues to false gods. When we wake, the first thing on our minds is social media, work emails, the news, our kids, or something else. In the 24 hours that comprise a day, we don't prioritize the God who made us and gave us all we have. We unfortunately don't even consider what concerns the Lord.
A lot of us say we go to church, but can we be honest? For many, church-going is simply a social event. A place to see and be seen, so we check off another box from the weekly calendar. A place to find a potential spouse. And rather than seek out the undiluted word of God as dispersed by His Spirit, we prefer to listen to preachers who teach what our itching ears want to hear (2 Timothy 4:3). It's easier to satisfy our flesh and cosplay Christian than it is to obey Christ's teachings and thus be a Christian.
Because God is good and loves us, He finds ways to get His light to us. A random post about faith that we scroll past while searching for entertainment, for instance. Alas, for some, God's truth doesn't fall into 'good soil,' and roots don't develop in us. We then fail to apply God's word in our lives. Instead, we apply the world's wisdom, wondering why so much is going wrong.
Such behavior stems from forgetting that we are the Temple God chose to dwell within. We are His house here on earth. We don't remember that Jesus died so we could each become a holy residence for the Lord. And when we ignore this fact and erect altars in our hearts to other gods, we effectively reject the sacrifice Jesus made to gain this honor for us.
Our temples must be swept clean of everything that would drive God's presence away. He and He alone must reside within us. Nothing can or should even stand beside Him. This is why the Philistines kept finding their statue of Dagon crushed when they tried to keep it where the Ark of God's Covenant was. And no idol should take His place in your life the way Molek controlled those who bowed to it, demanding their children as sacrifice in the fire (Leviticus 18:21, 2 Kings 3:27).
When everything and everyone else gets our attention and our best efforts, instead of God, we are idolaters. We aren't obeying God, and on some level, we don't care to. In that case, as He isn't someone we revere and take seriously, He is not our God. The things and people we dedicate our time, hearts, minds, and money to have become our gods in this age. And they defile the very Temple that is supposed to be God's house on earth. Lord, have mercy upon us all.
But God is merciful. He loves everyone He created and does not want them to suffer the fate of idolaters. When we return to Him in repentance and seek Him, He will be found (Proverbs 8:17). And all who call on His name will be saved (Joel 2:32). If anything mentioned above applies to you in some way, please know that there is grace available to turn things around. Tell the Lord you want to be closer and live a life that pleases Him. Ask Him for help. He is the only one who is equipped to do so (Hebrews 13:6).
PS: Please look below, there are additional notices about today's gathering. God bless you!
Give your life to Christ with the Altar Call below and learn more about today's topic from the following previous P&P messages:
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