August 18

(Posted on behalf of Jon Lanuza)
Saturday, August 18
A message that bears repeating often


A prostitute who pays her customers for the privilege of debauching herself.
How easy to think this only has to do with sexual sin. The context is an
unfaithful people, nurtured by God until it was ready for Him to take as a
bride, to commit to loving and caring for all the bride's life. God blessed
His chosen people, and the people accepted His love but sought satisfaction
elsewhere, taking the gifts from God and using them sinfully, outside the
context of their relationship with God. And in their pursuit of self
gratification, of affirmation and affection, they used the gifts God gave
them as payment for the adoration of others. It is amazing how any
satisfaction derived from such action is empty and fleeting, how any
relationship entered into lasts only as long as the other party is able to
take something.

God has blessed me with so much throughout my life. And yet, so often, it
is when things are good that I find myself seeking fulfillment away from
Him, away from the relationship to which He calls me. When things are going
well, I find I look for greater fulfillment in the security of money, the
satisfaction of material things, the companionship of friends - all to the
detriment of my time, my relationship with God. In doing so, I am just as
guilty as Judah of taking God's blessings and using them sinfully. I take
the time and the resources with which God has blessed me, and use them to
cultivate relationships and build nest eggs on which I find myself
increasingly dependent. I take His gifts and use them to pay for my
sinfulness.

This seems like such a timeless message, often repeated - not just here, but
in the New Testament as well. The prodigal son turned to his father and
said "Listen, pop, you're going to kick the bucket at some point anyway -
why not give me my inheritance now, so I have longer to enjoy it?" And then
he takes his Father's blessings, and uses the money to abandon his Father
and live a life of sinfulness. Like the prostitute, he found out it didn't
last.

I am a persistent and stubborn sinner. When I read this, what do I pray?
That God persist in His love for me, for us, that His love be more
persistent than our sinfulness. And that we learn the lesson of the
prostitute and the prodigal son, and avoid the pain that inevitably results
when we chase things apart from Him.

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