Over and Over



 "Many times He delivered them; but they rebelled in their counsel, and were brought low for their iniquity." Psalms 106: 43


It is easy to lose count of how many times God's people have turned from Him, to sin, to idolatry, to doing the total opposite of what God asked them - asks us - to do. I am in the middle of a reading plan which is taking me through the entire Bible. It provides suggested reading every day from the Old Testament (OT), the New Testament (NT), and the books of Psalms and Proverbs. In the OT I'm currently a little more than halfway through the book of I Chronicles, the thirteenth book of the Bible. Months ago, I lost count of how many times God's people fell away. In this week's Psalm, I have been reading Kind David's recap of the times he saw or read about the Israelites turning from God. 

It made me sad to think about all the times the Israelites stumbled, fell, and downright turned away from our loving Father. I then thought of a line from a song that I really enjoy, "I get amnesia, I forget that You keep coming around." Over and over we, the people of God, have turned our backs on Him, and on what He calls us to do, by placing things, people, or actions above Him. As Ricky Bobby would say, "if you ain't first, you're last." If we aren't placing God first in our lives then I'm sorry friends we are essentially placing Him last. That is a hard truth to swallow, but that's why it saddens me so much to read about the Israelites failings - because they remind me of my own. 

I am not going to confess all my sins this morning, not even some of them...I do not feel that is what God is calling me to do this morning. I do feel it is important that each of you reading this know that I am not trying to talk at you, rather with you. Today's message is not one of condemnation for you alone, it is a reflection that we all, me included, sin and fall short. I know I am a work in progress, and I will continue to be working on me - on my relationship with God, until the day He calls me away to join the Church Triumphant. I am working on removing the plank from my own eye because how else could I possible help others remove the splinter from theirs? 

There is good news in all of this!! Our God, our Hope and Savior, has delivered His people over and over! Yes, the OT, and NT is filled with stories of troubles that God's people faced over and over. But many of those were brought on by their own sin. Yet, the Bible is filled - from cover to cover - with stories of God's rescues! "Many times He delivered them..." And He still continues to deliver us today! He promises us, through His Word, that He will keep delivering us until that day when Jesus returns, and we witness His final victory over Satan, and we spend the rest of eternity celebrating, praising, and glorifying God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 

Let us seek God, my friends. Let us repent, and ask for His strength to resist the devil. Let us continue to work towards putting God first - because He has already put you first. Over and over He has delivered us all. 

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