Daily Devotions: November 13, 2017

Daily Devotions: November 13, 2017

Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18

“At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the people who rest complacently on their dregs, those who say in their hearts, ‘The Lord will not do good, nor will he do harm.’”

A century earlier Amos had a word of warning for Israel…and the country was destroyed. Now Zephaniah warns the people of Jerusalem, his hometown, that the same fate awaits them on the coming day of the Lord. Prosperity has only served to deepen the rift between the people and their God. The complacent have virtually ceased to believe in the power of the Lord…in their eyes God is simply not a factor. They live as if there is no God. Some wonder if our country might be a candidate for similar judgment. The wealthy flaunt their power even as resentment grows among the least and lowly. Mass shootings have become a way of life…and we lack the will to regulate even the most lethal weapons. Large numbers of people boil with resentments, both real and imagined…and people are staying away from churches in larger and larger numbers. For most, the God they acknowledge is impotent and unrelated to the concerns of their lives. Self-interest has run amok and few people are the least bit worried about looking to the interests of others. So what word might Zephaniah have for us? Of course some are dismissive. In their estimation, words of warning from long dead prophets can safely be ignored. But others wonder…and in their eyes it really does look like the Day of the Lord is at hand.

Thought for the Day: What will the coming Day of the Lord be like?

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