35 15 Again and again I sent all my servants the prophets to you. They said, “Each of you must turn from your wicked ways and reform your actions; do not follow other gods to serve them.
I've talked about the series we are going thru on Sunday mornings in the past couple of weeks, and its been a really good one. One of the major points I've taken away, is that you can try and try to be better, and you can involve yourself in all the right things...but, if you don't have the relationship with God, it probably won't stick. In other words, for the people he's talking about above, they probably have no personal connection, and therefore it looks like a list of rules and obligations. If there's a more intimate relationship then the actions come as a secondary response. Not the primary.
So, we turn away from our wicked ways, only when we accept that we really can't do it on our own, and start a relationship with God. In doing that, the natural effect should be less and less of the wicked deeds.
whew! its Friday and I'm rambling.
tp
funny out of all these verses from these two chapters i chose the same one you did. He sounds pretty exasperated, I know the feeling sometimes with my kids its like seriously why won't you listen to my very simple and direct request. Now clearly my kids have a close relationship with me but yet they still ignore me at times until I put the hammer down, its like they don't believe i'm serious.
ReplyDeleteBut I think what you said is really true, if I'm not close to God I don't personalize the fact that my actions are hurting him when I don't obey him. The closer I get to him the less likely I am to make choices that are against his instruction.
Knut