LEARNING DAILY

 

Judges 2:10-11, When all the generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel. Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals;

 

Here is my question regarding the generations of Israel and the days we live in today. Why does it seem easier to serve the Baals and do evil in God’s sight than serve the Creator of all things? Isn’t it really a choice between serving Satan and God? Isn’t your and my life about the choice of wanting to do what I want to do and doing what God wants? That is the choices each of us must make. First, we chose to accept the Lord Jesus Christ, the cross He chose to be nailed to in each of our place, and His resurrection.  Then, we must choose to walk on a wide road that leads to destruction or a narrow way that leads to eternal life in the kingdom of God. Let’s be sure to understand the way we choose to walk on depends on the choice to accept or reject Christ. Sure, you and I step off the narrow way when we give in to temptation; grace puts us back on the narrow way when we confess what we have said, thought or done (1 John 1:9).

 

Jesus said in order to follow Him we must deny ourselves, and take up His cross, and follow Him (Matthew 16:24). He also asked this question, “For what would it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and lose his own life?”  (Mark 8:36). Let’s put this another way. What would you consider so important that you would trade eternal life in God’s kingdom for eternal separation from Him in hell? Is gaining all the wealth you can more important? Is a place of importance in your career more important? Is a sexual encounter of some kind more important? Is serving false gods that lead to bondage more important than serving Jesus Christ who sets you free from the bondage of sin? Each person must decide for himself!

 

I got the following from a commentary by Chuck Smith. “The general trend is the first-generation experiences. The second generation hears of the experiences. The third generation does not even hear.” You and I cannot fail to tell the next and even the third generation about the gospel of Christ and help them experience what walking on the narrow way is about! Lives are at stake.

 

God cannot allow the evil of this day to continue. There is evil, great evil being done in His sight in the world, in the United States. People are calling evil good and good evil and God is not pleased! Go back to yesterday’s blog and reread the pattern of Israel’s history. He eventually disrupts the evil being done, the conforming to and lifestyle of the culture around them and the worship of false gods. His judgment came to His people in the form of oppression and bondage by their enemies. We are seeing the attempt to remove God from every aspect of life today. We are seeing detestable things out in the open and flaunted everywhere we look. We are not going to be kept from His judgment in our present day.  

 

So, again I ask what is more important to you that would cause you not be on the narrow way to eternal life in God’s kingdom? What is keeping you from serving God with all of your heart? And, are we teaching the “the second and third generation to be like the first generation (Chuck Smith Commentary)? God help us to serve you as you desire and teach the next generation to do so as well!