Have you ever wondered at the
type of news we hear on almost daily basis? If its not accidents, its
murders, immorality or some act of depravity. Because ‘bad news sells’,
we are bombarded on every hand by such bad news that it can make even a
saint give up on humanity! What a relief when we hear something good
that restores our faith in people again.Sometimes its not news, but people’s behaviours.We live in a very free society which encourages us to live according to how we feel. Morality is replaced with feelings: I feel, I want, I get. This drives us to indulge in acts that end up being detrimental to us and sometimes others. We are encouraged by others who tell us to live in the 21st century and stop being outdated or ‘old school’. Any attempts to disregard such views is often met with jeers and sneers from friends.
What do we do in such a dilemma? Give in and offend your conscience or be the only one who goes against the flow?
Prophet Elijah faced this same issue in 1 Kings chapter 19. He was the fiery and confrontational prophet who regularly lambasted King Ahab for his sins of idolatry and leading Israel astray. For this, he was hated by the King and his wife Jezebel and a bounty placed on his head.
This
made him sad and depressed especially since he felt he was the only one
left in the land who feared God. But God told him,there were seven
thousand people who had not bowed to idols. That a remnant still
existed, though living quietly, who still lived right. Imagine how
relived Elijah was when he heard that! And it has always been the case throughout the Bible: there is always a small remnant left. When the world was destroyed by flood, Noah and his family were the remnant spared, when Sodom and Gomorrah was destroyed, Lot and his daughters were spared, when Judah was invaded by the Babylonians, a remnant was left, …etc. The Bible over and over again shows us that God rarely deals with the majority. We are told in Matthew 7:13-14, that the path that leads to hell and destruction is very wide, and many people are on it. Whereas the one that leads to life is very narrow and only few find it.
There is always a remnant, you are not alone. So for us today, please be encouraged to know that no matter how depraved our society gets, no matter how many temptations try to get us, we can choose to live right because we are not alone. There is a remnant like us who will serve God alone and do the right things no matter how difficult. I pray our faith is renewed and strengthened to honour God in all things daily, amen.
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Image1 courtesy:http://sabbathsermons.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/0809042.jpg
Image2 courtesy:http://www.ignite4christ.com/images/narrow.jpg
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