Looking in the Right Places
Text: Luke 7:24 & 25
When John’s messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: ‘What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who put on fine clothing and live in luxury are in royal palaces. (NRSV)
The United States is becoming less and less centered on the truth that we who consider ourselves Christians find in our Bibles. We who are Christians believe that the One creator God who established the universe and gave humanity life, also inspired the writing of the Bible to instruct us in the ways of living that are consistent with who we were created to be.
But I find that more people these days seek to discover the best way to live their lives from sources that simply are not equipped to answer the questions raised by what we find in a broken world. To me, it is analogous to the fears parents have when they are raising their children. If the parents don’t have the talk about the “Birds and the Bees” with their adolescent children, then the children will simply seek the information, no matter how distorted it is, from their peers.
What we are finding is that even Christians have distorted views of God, moral living, ethics, and appropriate ways of living that are consistent with who God created us to be, because the primary place these discussions are occurring are on the streets and through social media and not in our churches or through biblical studies.
Today’s reading reminds me that if we want to find something specific, we need to go to the best places to find them. If we are looking for someone dressed in soft robes, we look in places where the rich and the famous live. If, however, we are looking for the truth about God and the way God’s creation is supposed to function, we look at God’s inspired handbook for living, the Bible. Searching for the answers to the great questions of life requires that we look in the places where the truth can be found.
Pray with me:
God of love and God of truth forgive me when I seek to learn about life in places that are filled with sin and death. Lead me to life and to truth in your Word as I search the handbook for life you have given us, the Bible. AMEN.
When John’s messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: ‘What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who put on fine clothing and live in luxury are in royal palaces. (NRSV)
The United States is becoming less and less centered on the truth that we who consider ourselves Christians find in our Bibles. We who are Christians believe that the One creator God who established the universe and gave humanity life, also inspired the writing of the Bible to instruct us in the ways of living that are consistent with who we were created to be.
But I find that more people these days seek to discover the best way to live their lives from sources that simply are not equipped to answer the questions raised by what we find in a broken world. To me, it is analogous to the fears parents have when they are raising their children. If the parents don’t have the talk about the “Birds and the Bees” with their adolescent children, then the children will simply seek the information, no matter how distorted it is, from their peers.
What we are finding is that even Christians have distorted views of God, moral living, ethics, and appropriate ways of living that are consistent with who God created us to be, because the primary place these discussions are occurring are on the streets and through social media and not in our churches or through biblical studies.
Today’s reading reminds me that if we want to find something specific, we need to go to the best places to find them. If we are looking for someone dressed in soft robes, we look in places where the rich and the famous live. If, however, we are looking for the truth about God and the way God’s creation is supposed to function, we look at God’s inspired handbook for living, the Bible. Searching for the answers to the great questions of life requires that we look in the places where the truth can be found.
Pray with me:
God of love and God of truth forgive me when I seek to learn about life in places that are filled with sin and death. Lead me to life and to truth in your Word as I search the handbook for life you have given us, the Bible. AMEN.
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