I've never had an affair, but I'm guessing it's an exciting thing in the moment - otherwise people wouldn't waste their time and risk their families. The problem with a mistress is that there's not really a commitment from either party involved. The fling can end at any moment in time, and the two are left returning to the place from whence they came. The real challenge is when the original spouse rejects them too, and they're left with nothing. That's what Israel was feeling in the book of Lamentations. God had stood by their side even though the nation whored itself to other gods and other peoples. I'm not sure if they simply figured that God would always be willing to take them back or if they suddenly realized the gravity of their choices. Regardless of the reason, they were now mourning all that had taken place. God, the ever-faithful husband, had not completely abandoned them. He had, however, allowed them to experience the consequences of their choices as a lesson that they might not abandon Him in the future. The lesson for us is to be reminded that all of those things we use to fill up our "God" hole never really satisfy, and in a moment of desperation, those things are nowhere to be found. What are your cruel mistresses, and how have you allowed them to take over God's place in your life? Just know that they're not going to stand by your side when life gets hard.
February 1, 2012
January 31, 2012
Shoving God Away (2 Kings 24-25; 2 Chronicles 36)
While it is true that you can never really go so far from God that He refused to forgive (maybe with the exception of what's written in Luke 12:10), it is also true that you can close yourself off so much to the things of God that you aren't able to hear His voice anymore. That seems to have been the issue with the Israelites. They didn't want to listen to the voices of the prophets, and they were so certain that the path they were on would be sufficient for them. Sadly, nothing could have been further from the truth. In their sin, in their rebellion, in their unwillingness to listen - they were forced into exile. Don't close yourself off from the Word of God. Don't dismiss the promptings of the Holy Spirit. God will still be willing to forgive, but it's possible to go so far from Him that your desire for forgiveness disappears.
