ODB: our moral compass
August 4, 2009
READ: 2 Chronicles 7:1-14
If My people . . . turn from their wicked ways, then I will . . . forgive their sin and heal their land. —2 Chronicles 7:14
When Abraham Lincoln was introduced to author Harriet Beecher Stowe, he reportedly said that she was “the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war.”
Although President Lincoln’s comment wasn’t entirely serious, Stowe’s novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin was instrumental in abolishing slavery in the US. Its graphic depiction of racism and the injustice of slavery helped lead to the start of civil war. Ultimately, Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation declared that all slaves “shall be free.” Thus, Stowe’s novel helped to change a nation’s moral compass.
Centuries earlier, King Solomon was told about what would change the moral compass of God’s people Israel. It was to start with humility and confession. The Lord told Solomon: “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chron. 7:14).
As a Christian community, we should first take an inventory of our own personal lives. As we humbly seek God in prayer and repentance of sin, changes begin in our lives. God may then use us to change a nation’s moral compass. — Dennis Fisher
Nothing is politically right which is morally wrong. —Lincoln
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Loading ...ODJ: being broken
He touched Jacob’s hip and wrenched it out of its socket (v.25).
READ: Genesis 32:23-32
The longing to be heard by God, our friends, our relatives, and our colleagues is a desire that has dwelt within men and women since the beginning of time. As the psalmist wrote, ”Answer me when I call to You, O God who declares me innocent. Free me from my troubles. Have mercy on me and hear my prayer” (Psalm 4:1).
Moses craved a welcoming audience—people who would listen to him. An insecure speaker, Moses protested to God, “What if they [the Israelites] won’t believe me or listen to me?” (Exodus 4:1)
Back to the Psalms, King David repeatedly craved a hearing ear as well. “Listen to my prayer, O God,” David cried out. “Pay attention to my plea” (54:2).
In her book, Conversation Peace, Mary A. Kassian suggests that there are several types of barriers that prevent us from listening and from being heard. These obstacles include:
• Running ahead—thinking about what you are going
to say next; planning a rebuttal.
• Wandering off—being preoccupied, thinking about
personal interests, or daydreaming.
• Jumping in—interrupting the other person’s thoughts
to interject your own.
• Brushing away—mentally categorizing the speaker’s thoughts as unimportant or insignificant without duly considering them, or assuming you already understand his or her perspective.
• Blocking out—refusing to acknowledge the topic the other person is
addressing, selectively filtering the message to block out portions.
As much as we long to be heard and understood, it’s important to avoid the practices on this list and to listen attentively to God and others. As we do, we will not be foolish, but wise (Proverbs 12:15). —Roxanne Robbins
How have you been broken before God? Why must we be broken to be fully prepared for God’s use?
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From onetimeblind.com
God calls us to be people of action. Our mouths might agree, but we quickly get cozy in our comfort zones, too afraid to reach outside and do something that might be a little uncomfortable or out of the norm. God wants us to serve alongside Him. He doesn’t want our excuses; He wants our hearts!
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