Day 190: One Day A Week

1 Corinthians 11:17-34; 2 Kings 5; Obadiah

Paul tells the Corinthians that they are doing more harm than good with their worship, particularly in the area of the Lord's supper. He is frustrated with them because they can't agree and they are selfish. They weren't truly examining their hearts and so they were condemning themselves. They needed to be honest and let God look into their hearts to find the sin that needed to be removed. I think the church is in the same position today. People go to church once a week and then spend the other 6 days for themselves. People go and "worship" The Lord for an hour and spend the other hours of the week thinking about themselves. We need a serious examination of our hearts by The Lord to reveal how far off from following Christ we sometimes are. The 12 disciples were so sold out to The Lord that they spread the message of Jesus all over the world. There are millions of "Christians" today and still people in our own neighborhoods who have no idea who Jesus is. We need God's keen eye to help us see so that he can help us grow.

Naaman expected a specific sign from God to heal him of his leprosy. He thought that Elisha would do some amazing prayer to heal him. Instead, he told Naaman to take a dip in the nearby river. Naaman was angry because he didn't get the show that he wanted. His servants actually had some sense. They suggested that since what Elisha told him to do was so easy, he might as well. Naaman had wanted something grand, something big, to help heal him, so when God instructed him to do something simple (but unusual), he was frustrated. Sometimes we expect God to do certain things, to give us huge signs and amazing miracles. But it seems that God doesn't always work like that. Sometimes he just asks us to do simple things to help us, but sometimes we can be too stubborn to do the little stuff because we are too busy looking out for the big stuff.

I can't help but read Obadiah and think of America. It says that the Edomites think they live in an impenetrable mountain fortress, that we fly like an eagle, and cannot be destroyed. An eagle? A world superpower? Sounds like America in some ways to me. But, the truth is even though this isn't about America, I think that we need to look at this as a warning. Just like a few days ago when Paul said that what is written in the Old Testament was a warning for us. So God tells the Edomites that they will be tricked by their allies and best friends; that because they stood by in inaction and allowed injustices to happen, that they will be handed over to their enemies; that they will burn like straw. People need to put their trust in God, not seek material security or high positions. We need to stand up for justice and act to protect the needy, not stand by and watch it happen. To not do those things infuriates The Lord and isn't doing what Christ has called us to do.