I've glossed over these passages before but as I read them today, I was particularly struck by the tremendous courage of these kings who were devoted to God and led the people back to Him. Certainly it couldn't have been an easy thing to go against the tide of what had become "normal" in that culture and to bring about significant cultural change. It had to have taken a great deal of courage and conviction to stand up against the cultural current and turn things around.
As I mentioned, I've glossed over these passages before, feeling somewhat removed from the cultural context but I wonder how removed we really are. Do we not live in a culture that is full of idolatry, sin and rebellion? Certainly our idolatry, sin and rebellion looks different than it did back then, but is it not still idolatry, sin and rebellion? Doesn't it seem that these things have become the cultural norm for us? We adapt ourselves to less than godly ways of living and become numb to them because that's what's normal.
I wonder, then, where are the leaders, the people fully devoted to God who would follow the example of these courageous kings and rise up with courage and conviction to bring change? It may not be any easy road to walk, but doesn't God deserve for us to take a stand for Him?
May God fill you with passion, devotion, conviction and courage to be all he has created you to be and to stand up for what is right.
During the month of April Element Student Ministries will be taking on another social justice project partnering with Invisible Children. Invisible Children is an organization that seeks to make a difference in the lives of children and families in Central Africa that are being affected every day by the brutality of a rebel army called the LRA. This year marks the 25th year of the LRA’s brutality in Central Africa and the Invisible Children organization and others seek to make it the last. On April 25 we will be participating in an event called 25, in which we will join in as part of a group of 25,000+ people who will go without speaking for 25 hours. The goal is to allow the voices of these silenced children to be heard through our own silence and to raise money for this project. To support us in this project you can place your donations in the Invisible Children basket in the front of the worship room at church, see any of our Element students who are participating and give your donations to them, or visit our fundraising web page at http://ic.stayclassy.org/member/ic-fundraising?fcid=16555 and donate online. You can also find more information about Invisible Children by visiting the their website at invisiblechildren.com. Your support is greatly appreciated!
Check out our 25 Promo Video:
The race went well considering the fact that it was pouring rain all day! I was able to finish in about 5 hours and actually felt pretty good through most of it.
If you'd still like to make donations, it's not too late. You can donate online by clicking on the link below.
http://support.worldvision.org/site/TR/TeamWorldVision/General?px=1119816&pg=personal&fr_id=1290
Thanks again for your gifts!
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"a people of God are arising whose chief goal will be to waste their lives on God."
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