Day 170: Being Sucked In

Mark 13:1-13; 1 Kings 6; Hosea 8

Jesus teaches about coming trouble. He says that many will come and claim to be Jesus, that they will use his name and fool many people. I truly believe that this has already begun to happen. People think they are believing in Jesus, but really, who they say Jesus is is not scriptural. What if we think we are following the real deal, but they turn out to be preaching something different from what God really says? We have got to be a generation that investigates the claims of Christ ourselves; we need to be reading scripture (Old and New Testament) and believe according to God's word, not according to a church. And yet, Jesus promises that many will still be fooled. I'm so afraid that people out there are getting sucked into to "Christian" religions that aren't truly Christian. How do we make sure that we aren't getting sucked in? Read the Word.

Then Jesus goes on to say that followers of him are going to suffer, and not just suffer, but experience judgment, betrayal, and death. How about that for some uplifting news. However, there is hope: Jesus says that when these things happen, if we stay faithful, we WILL be saved. This also means that Jesus is about to return and set up his kingdom here on earth!

Israel is not in a very good position in Hosea. They have rejected The Lord and he is ticked. It says that they chose leaders without consulting The Lord, made idols, and turned altars for sin sacrifices into places of sin. God wants people to call on him for making decisions, for guidance. He deserves our devotion and our worship--more than I am sometimes remember to or am willing to give. The spiritual practices meant for redemption need to remain pure and not be destroyed by selfishness or worldly practices. What does this mean for me? For us? We need to pray for anything and everything. That doesn't always mean asking for stuff, but simply lifting up our thoughts and heart to The Lord. We also need to put him first and worship him only, not money, not success, not family--sometimes difficult to do and to recognize. We need to worship just him. And finally, we need to stay true to his word, not making up religious practices that distract from God's true purpose. God can completely destroy a nation in his anger, and if Israel was in danger of this, how much more so are we and our generation? May we learn to truly worship and devote our lives to The Lord God.