RESPOND TO GOD
This has happened because my people have abandoned my instructions; they have refused to obey what I said. (Jeremiah 9:13 NLT) "Now go and learn the meaning of this scripture. I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices. For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners. (Matthew 9:13 NLT)
Everybody could. Everybody should. Praise the Lord! This was a song that was going through my head as I considered the scriptures above. What should be our response to God? We who have come to know God are certain how people should respond to God. As I have said, when I finally realized the truth of who He was, I was certain that the same light must be shining for everyone to see. I thought everyone should be just as happy about it as I was. It was looking at the sky and pointing out the Big Dipper to someone who had not yet seen it. Well, I soon found out that not everyone was interested. No doubt, you have discovered this same thing the same way I did.
Well, even though everybody could and everybody should praise the Lord, but they do not; what everybody does should not affect what we do. God is not looking at everybody’s response. He is looking at ours. How will we respond to Him?
Reading Jeremiah and Matthew at the same time reveals an amazing contrast. It is no wonder that Jeremiah is referred to as the weeping prophet. We could easily spend all of our time weeping over the state of things around us. The thing we need to remember is that Jeremiah was not concerned so much with the people outside of the kingdom of God. He was weeping over what God’s own people were doing. All of their problems were self inflicted. Still, God did not desire to punish them. He just wanted them to pay attention.
Throughout the New Testament God reveals what He really wanted for us and from us. Jesus teaches and teaches us what the proper response to God is. He also shows us clearly how sincere God was and is about loving and blessing anyone who would hear Him and respond to Him. The Father and the Son held nothing back in their attempt to draw people into the Kingdom of God. They even sent the Holy Spirit to make sure we would have a guide and a teacher above all teachers. Jesus said that He would lead us into all truth. He can teach everyone at once! Everyone who has ears can hear what the Spirit of the Lord says.
Yes everybody could and everybody should know and love God and this is God’s deepest desire. We each have the opportunity to fulfill this desire. We can know Him and show Him how much we love and appreciate Him. We all know how much we like to be loved and appreciated.
Should we respond to God daily or once in awhile when someone reminds us? Should He have to tell us to love and praise Him? We should respond at the very thought of God. We do in one way or another. We praise Him or ignore Him. Both are a response. What will our response be?