Devotional Guide
For the week of August 10, 2003
No Heaven Without Holiness
Why the meaning of "born again" hasn't changed
To Read: Psalm 127-129
To Know:
"Help, LORD; for there is no longer any that is godly; for the faithful have
vanished from among the sons of men." "Do thou, O LORD, protect us, guard
us ever from this generation. On every side the wicked prowl, as vileness is
exalted among the sons of men." (Psalm 12:1,7,8)
One pollster asked a "born again Christian" to name Noah's wife. The man
answered, "Joan of Arc." Something is profoundly wrong. One out of four
Americans professes to be "born again." My father craved horseradish. He put
it on everything; not least of all Boston baked beans. As much as he loved
the stuff, he did not mix it in at a proportion of one to four. Had he done
so the beans would have tasted like horseradish.
Why have one out of four "born again Christians" not changed the taste of
our society? What is wrong? The Psalmist lived in godless times, but he did
not presume that those days were populated by godly men and women. He
concluded the exact opposite. He presumed that since the times were vile the
godly had departed the scene.
To Do:
Historically, Americans were shamed by vile behavior in our White House.
Warren Hardy's Teapot Dome scandal disgraced him and probably hastened his
death. Richard Nixon's scandal forced his resignation. Once upon a time
public opinion refused to accept villainous behavior by the nation's top
official. What happened to public outrage during the last decade? Have
Christians and non-Christians alike become hardened to evil because society
is fiscally sound, while sex and violence entertain us? Perhaps we should
ask ourselves whether being "born again" still means conforming our thoughts
and ways to the will of God.
To Ask:
Father, help me better understand how to live in this world without letting
the world squeeze me into its mold.
08143$-08143
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