Finding Yourself Spiritually Far From God

[Susan Adair-Shankle]

Acts 7:40-43

"They told Aaron, 'Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who led us out of Egypt--we don't know what has happened to him!' That was the time they made an idol in the form of a calf. They brought sacrifices to it and held a celebration in honor of what their hands had made. But God turned away and gave them over to the worship of the heavenly bodies. This agrees with what is written in the book of the prophets: 'Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the desert, O house of Israel? You have lifted up the shrine of Molech and the star of your god Rephan, the idols you made to worship. Therefore I will send you into exile' beyond Babylon.'"

Thoughts for Today:

Have you ever woken up one day and wondered how you got here ("exile beyond Babylon")? Wondered how your life got so out of control, so far away from being Christ-centered? It can be an embarrassing and humiliating experience; and it can happen to all of us. How did it happen? The answer (the same as for the Israelites) -- one step at a time, one rejection of Jesus after another, until finally -- "God turned away, and gave them over to the worship of heavenly bodies."

What is the "worship of heavenly bodies"? It is the worship of the creation rather than the creator. (An example of this is a friend of mine who revels in the beauty of nature, yet doesn't believe in divine design.) The final stage of this process is when, "they held a celebration in honor of what their hands had made." In our present time, it is explaining the origin of our planet and life through the "big bang" and "evolution" theories, then teaching it in our schools as fact. In other words, it is worshipping our own intellect (wisdom and knowledge).

Do we lose our salvation when we find ourselves spiritually far from God? Did the Israelites stop being God's people because they began to worship other Gods? Did they lose their inheritance? Thankfully the answer is no.
They were still God's people, and their descendants received the inheritance -- because of God's faithfulness, despite their lack of faithfulness. The same is true for us.

Questions to Ponder:

When you find yourself spiritually far from God, how do you get back? The Bible tells us repeatedly -- the answer is to repent (which means to change your mind or thought). It is so easy to slip away. But it is just as easy to return. What will your choice be today?