“For my people have committed two evils:
they have forsaken me,
the fountain of living waters,
and hewed out cisterns for themselves,
broken cisterns that can hold no water.”
– Jeremiah 2:13

The two evils the Lord speaks of here sounds awfully familiar…. They turned away from the Lord, Who offers the perfect, pure, ever-flowing water of life to His people. And they chose to utterly rely on themselves, preferring to (metaphorically) build their own, deeply-flawed water storage system. In other words, they chose radical self-reliance over dependence on God. That’s pretty much what our modern Western culture has done as well.

These evils are two sides of the same, very foolish, coin. In our arrogance, we first reject the Lord and His ways. We imagine that we’re smarter, better, and more civilized than the ancient teachings of God and His Word. We reject God’s authority over our lives and decry His standards and expectations as hateful and cruel. In doing this, we turn away from the source of life. We turn down the blessings of peace and reconciliation in the Lord.

Instead, we pursue our own gods of health, wealth, ambition, comfort, and pleasure. We insist on doing everything our way. We define ourselves by our appetites and desires rather than by our Creator. We proudly build elaborate sand castles, imagining they will last forever. And yet, we find no lasting satisfaction in any of these things. We are anxious, despondent, miserable, and afraid. The more we have, the worse off we can become. Because, like a broken cistern, we can’t actually hold onto anything we desperately cling to. We recognize something is missing, but often refuse to turn back to God.

It is good to work hard to provide for ourselves and others. But it is foolish to make our ambitions, accomplishments, possessions, or predilictions the foundation of our lives. Such things cannot sustain us in crisis or satisfy us for the long term. Only a relationship with God can do that. Work hard, but depend on the Lord. Enjoy your blessings, but recognize they come from the Lord. Don’t worship yourself, or anything produced by people. Worship and #FollowJesus

“Her officials within her
are roaring lions;
her judges are evening wolves
that leave nothing till the morning.
Her prophets are fickle, treacherous men;
her priests profane what is holy;
they do violence to the law.
The Lord within her is righteous;
he does no injustice;
every morning he shows forth his justice;
each dawn he does not fail;
but the unjust knows no shame.”
– Zephaniah 3:3-5

Do not grow weary, cynical, or discouraged by the brokenness, ugliness, abuses, hypocrisy, or corruption that so easily and often infect the world’s systems and structures. God is still in control. He will always be Who He is… a God of perfect light, perfect justice, and unfailing presence with His people.

The Spirit of God led the prophet to decry the loud-mouthed, preening, abusive political leaders of his day. To denounce the unjust justice system ruled by greed and avarice. To declare God’s truth about false prophets and corrupt, sinful, self-serving religious leaders.

The institutions of society had fallen far short of God’s standard. However, that cannot change God’s essential nature. He is merciful, gracious, patient, steadfast, faithful, loyal, loving, just, kind, righteous, and holy. He is always with His people. His justice will ultimately and perfectly be done, may that day come quickly. #FollowJesus

“And Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, ‘I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord.’ And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.” – 2 Kings 22:8

It’s nearly impossible for us to imagine God’s Word disappearing completely. We’re blessed to live in an era of mass printing and electronic publishing. Bibles are readily available in print and online in countless languages and formats. It would be difficult to conceive of the kind of global disaster necessary to cause God’s Word to disappear from memory. However, that hasn’t always been true. There was a time when Israel had fallen so far away from God that His Law was completely lost to them. It seems they still knew they were God’s people and understood they should do right and appropriate things for the Lord. But they didn’t actually know what those things were.

During restoration work on the Temple, a long-lost scroll of God’s Law was discovered. The King and all the people were shocked to learn all the ways they had fallen short of God’s standard. They repented, prayed, devoted themselves to the Lord, and were diligent to once again teach and pass on God’s Law. This was a turning point in history, because it doesn’t appear the Law was ever completely lost again.

We certainly hope and pray that we’ll never become so divorced from God that the Bible becomes essentially lost to us or our descendants. Nonetheless, this history is a reminder that even if one or more generations is completely lost, God’s Word will endure. And when the time is right, God will bring re-discovery, renewal, revival, and restoration. God’s will will be done!

So, never lose hope. Never grow too despondent over the spiritual condition of the world. Stay faithful. Be diligent in prayer. Share the Gospel. Make disciples. Trust that God will always make a way for His Word to be taught and obeyed and for people to be raised to new spiritual life in Christ. #FollowJesus

“And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.’” – Acts 26:15

Before Saul (Paul) met Jesus on the road to Damascus, he was 100% certain he was serving the Lord. He was also 100% wrong. He was, in fact, fighting the Lord. Saul knew SO much and yet missed everything. He knew the Old Testament inside and out but completely missed how it all pointed to Jesus. His mind was razor sharp but his heart was hard as a rock and his spirit failed to see God at work all around him. Saul was confident he loved the Lord more than just about anyone, but completely missed the ultimate expression of God’s love in sending His Son into the world.

Can that happen today? Absolutely. We may immediately think of radical adherents of other faiths who wrongly believe they’re honoring God by persecuting Christians. They are a prime example. However the reality is that Christians can also find themselves acting like Saul before he met Jesus. We can know a lot of Scripture and doctrine while completely missing the heart of Jesus. We can know the facts but fail to walk in the Spirit. We can think we’re defending the faith while speaking and acting in ways that utterly dishonor Christ.

Jesus was very clear that a day would come when many people would cry out to Him, presenting their Christian credentials, and explaining all they’d done in His name. But they never knew Him and will forever remain outside His kingdom. Despite their Christian knowledge and impressive accomplishments. Be very careful that you don’t end up merely knowing about Jesus. Know Him! Love Him and keep falling more deeply in love with Him. Take seriously what He taught and commanded. Don’t make excuses for why His hardest teachings don’t apply to you. Instead, prayerfully seek to speak His love, show His grace, practice His mercy, hold firmly to His patience, and value His justice. Care about what and who Jesus cares out: the lost, the least, the outcast, the suffering, the vulnerable, the hopeless. #FollowJesus

“‘Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with him, for there are more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.’ And the people took confidence from the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.” – 2 Chronicles 32:7-8

You’re never outnumbered when you’re on God’s side. That’s a simple biblical, spiritual, and practical truth. God will accomplish His purpose and will. If you’re tightly aligned with His will, then you’re on the right side of any situation, no matter how difficult or overwhelming. So, seek the Lord and always endeavor to keep in step with Him. Draw near to Him and stay close.

Avoid the common practice of asking God to bless your will. Instead, devote yourself to discerning and obeying His will. You will be blessed, that’s a certainty. Study the Scriptures. Devote more time to prayer and meditation than to fear or fretting.. Be intentional to follow Jesus rather than hoping He’ll follow you.

If you discover that you’ve run ahead, fallen behind, or drifted away from God’s will, don’t hesitate to do what you must to get back into it. No matter how embarrassing or costly it may feel in the moment. No matter who might be disappointed, angry, or upset by your move back toward the Lord. Staying out of God’s will because of pride or earthly cost will only prove more costly and embarrassing over time. Be strong and courageous. #FollowJesus