So Sad...

It causes my heart to sink when I read verses like 2 Chronicles 24:18-19. “They abandoned the temple of the LORD, the God of their fathers, and worshiped Asherah poles and idols…19 Although the LORD sent prophets to the people to bring them back to him, and though they testified against them, they would not listen.” Perhaps I feel the way I do about these verses because I see this all too often in the ministry of today as well. People who abandon their faith, the church, and God, to worship the things of this world. I recently encountered this with someone I know from college who was, at one time, extremely faithful in his walk with the Lord. He was active in church, in fact he was a leader in the Christian community on our college campus and in our local church. He and his wife have decided that success, earthly pleasures, and careers are more important then their faith. They have quit going to church and have no plans to return until “later in life, when they have done all they want to do.” Another, once strong Christian couple, have recently become atheist and completely abandoned their faith. I see it time and time again even in our own church and it breaks my heart! God never gives up on these people, however. Verse 19 says that God sent prophets to them to bring them back. We can be thankful that God never gives up on us when we abandon him. But the question is will they listen? Here in our verses for this day, they did not, instead they killed the one God had sent. Have you ever felt like that? Have you ever felt called to deliver a word to someone who had fallen away from the faith only to be pushed away yourself? Many times they will not listen, but it is not our job to make them listen. As God’s messenger it is our job to deliver the message! We all know someone who has abandoned their faith in one way or another, let’s pray for them, and if called, boldly deliver the message of grace, acceptance, forgiveness, and God’s unending love and patience, to those who have fallen away.