"How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame ? How long will you love delusions and seek false gods ? "Selah"." (NIV)
"O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah." (KJV)
Because this is the New Year, I have been reviewing my past year and setting goals for my next. I want this year to find me putting God first, making peace, forgiving when needed, asking forgiveness when needed, fulfilling my God-given purposes, obeying when God speaks to me with instructions, and basically putting God first. I just finished a Bible study about false gods, a study that focuses on how we give first place to things or people besides God Jehovah. So, when I read this verse, it jumped out at me. I am thinking the Lord is trying to tell me something, since this information keeps "coming across my desk." So, let's take a minute to meditate on what this verse is saying.
In the December 18th post, we explored the word "glory." According to Strong's Concordance, it means "weight, splendor, copiousness." In this verse, God asked how long we will turn His "weight, splendor, copiousness" into shame or dishonor, or give Him a bad reputation? Then I started wondering how we do that, and I decided it king it is because we who bear His name do not live as if He is really God, and we do not put Him in His rightful position as our Number One! In so many aspects, we live similarly to the unsaved, and when we pray it is little more than a fulfilled obligation instead of talking personally with our Savior and really expecting answers. If we would really live Christ-like, put Him first, pray in faith believing, and stand back and let God be God, inviting Him to work in all aspects of our lives, and then stand back and "see the salvation of the Lord," (Exodus 14:13, 2 Chronicles, 20:17, and Isaiah 52:10), the world would know Who He is! His reputation would be intact!
The second part really got to me, because I do so many worthless things instead of things that matter to people, matter to God, and have eternal significance. There is nothing wrong with decompressing or doing fun things, unless it takes priority over my God-given responsibilities and callings, and I am so guilty of this.
When I was praying this morning, my mind wandered to a writing exercise in which I have participated so many times, where the leader gives you a plain sentence and asks you to build a story around it. A sentence actually came to mind this morning: "The wagon is there." What came next I believe came from God. The story began with a shiny red wagon sitting under a Christmas tree, waiting for the child to find him. Through the years, he was pulled, pushed, loaded, unloaded, and now he stands, not quite as shiny with several places rusted through, but still waiting for the next child to come along and use him as a baby-doll carriage or bed, or as a loader/carrier, or as a ride down a fun hill on a beautiful summer day, or whatever way he is needed. That is why he was created.
I want to be like the red wagon, fulfilling my purposes for which God created me, and between "gigs," while waiting for my next assignment, praising God, and obeying when the assignment comes without hesitation!
Thanks for going on this little journey of self-examination. Being a New Year, it is definitely a time to "selah," to pause and think about what the Word is saying to me. My prayer is that I will take heed and obey.
May your New Year be blessed beyond measure!
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