Keep your eyes on the prize!
God’s promises are sure.
June 30
This disaster came upon the nation of Israel because the people worshipped other gods, sinning against the LORD their God, who had brought them safely out of their slavery in Egypt.
2 Kings 17:7
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Keep your eyes on the prize!
For almost three hundred years God has been speaking to the people of Israel trying to get them to return to Him and turn away from the worthless idols they have been worshipping. God has sent numerous prophets and judges to lead them and guide them, but they resolutely refused to acknowledge them and turn from their wicked ways. God promised them that if they would follow Him and Him alone they would be secure in the land forever. He also promised them that if they turned away from Him and worshipped the pagan gods of the nations around them He would expel them from the good land that He had given them and hand them over to their enemies.
God’s promises are sure; both the ones that promise blessing and the ones that promise disaster. God’s promise of disaster was fulfilled when Assyria came and overthrew Samaria and took away the people of Israel. The Assyrian king also took people from other lands and moved them into Israel to live there. God used the Assyrian king to accomplish His plans in the nation of Israel.
God does the same things in our lives. God has promised to bless us with an abundant life, ministry, and church. All we have to do to experience that life is to simply worship and obey God and Him alone. The moment that we turn away from God, even if it is only to share our affection with something else, He then begins a process of warning and exhorting us to return to Him. God is patient and He will not punish us the moment that we turn away from Him. But there will come a time when God will send someone or something into our lives to remind us that He is God and that He deserves every bit of our worship.
The nation of Israel looked around at the nations around them and took their eyes off the LORD. The longer they did this the harder it became for them to see Him and to follow Him. It is so critical that we don’t take our eyes off Jesus, even for a moment, because it can result in the loss of the blessings that God desired to give to us and we might see others getting the blessing instead.
If we will just let God be God in our lives He has promised to protect us and provide for us. He has promised to lead us and guide us to the abundant, victorious life. He has promised us a sweet communion and fellowship that this world cannot understand nor can it duplicate. And all we need to do to have this is to keep our eyes on Jesus and do what He tells us to. Jesus, teach us to humble ourselves and obey You so that we can experience all of the life that You promised to give us.
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