ODJ: u-turn
November 2, 2009
READ: Jeremiah 6:16-19
Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it (v.16).
If you speak Italian, you know that “Monaco di Baviera” means Munich. If not, it’s easy to see how two women on a road trip confused Monaco with Munich. They started in northern Italy, intending to drive south to Monaco, but followed signs that took them north to Germany instead!
Being “directionally challenged” myself, I can sympathize with these wrongly directed women. Driving the wrong way on a trip is no fun, but it’s much worse to take a detour from God’s will.
The prophet Jeremiah had to guide the nation of Israel back from a place where “their rebellion [was] great, and their sins [were] many” (Jeremiah 5:6). Perhaps, like Israel, you’ve refused God’s direction and need to make a U-turn to conform with His will.
When you don’t know which road to take, Jeremiah advises, “Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old, godly way” (Jeremiah 6:16). In other words, take a breather and get some wise advice from other Christians.
Godly input is only as effective as our willingness to act upon it. That’s why Jeremiah said, “Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it.” Walking God’s way means breaking off our friendship with the world and allowing God to change the way we think. “Then [we] will learn to know God’s will for [us], which is good and pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:2).
Like Israel, our confusion about God’s direction may be the “fruit of [our] own schemes” (Jeremiah 6:19) because we refuse to listen to God and we reject His Word. Fortunately, U-turns are permitted! When we stop and seek His will in all we do, “He will show [us] which path to take” (Proverbs 3:6).
—Jennifer Benson Schuldt
Is there an area in your life where you need to make a U-turn in order to follow God’s will? Why is it sometimes more difficult to discern God’s will when you’re coming from a place of rebellion?
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Loading ...ODB: prisoners of sin
November 2, 2009
READ: Galatians 3:19-29
The Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. —Galatians 3:22
A 2008 report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime said, “At any given time there are more than 10 million people imprisoned worldwide.” Since some prisoners are being released while new ones are being sentenced every day, there are more than 30 million total prisoners worldwide each year. Statistics like these have caused many people to work for prison reform and a reexamination of sentencing laws.
From a spiritual perspective, the Bible offers an even more staggering statistic: “The Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin” (Gal. 3:22 niv). In what is sometimes considered a difficult passage to understand, Paul says that although the Old Testament law could not impart life (v.21), it was an effective teacher in showing us that we need a Savior who can give life (v.24). The bad news is that “the Scripture has confined all under sin,” and the good news is “that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe” (v.22).
When we give our lives to Christ, who has fulfilled the requirements of the law, we are no longer imprisoned by sin. Instead, we enter a fellowship of people from every nationality and social status.
In Christ, we are free indeed! — David C. McCasland
Deliverance from sin is the greatest of all freedoms.
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