Monday, March 06, 2006

Devo V

"Then the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, 'What are you doing here, Elijah?'" 1 Kings 19:9b

DEVOTION: Read 1 Kings 18:16-19:18

After facing down 450 enemy prophets, Elijah was totally cowed by one evil woman (Jezebel). Okay, so Jezebel was one of the worst villains in all of scripture, she was still no match for God. But Elijah forgot God. After his amazing display of faith on Mount Carmel, he ran, he hid, and God called him on it. What are you doing here? Can you imagine how awful it was for the great man of God to hear that question on the heels of such a great victory. Has God asked you the same question recently? I'm sure a lot of us have heard it. What am I doing in this bar, this party, this bedroom, this chat-room? Why am I doing what I know I shouldn't do? Wow. It can be crippling if you aren't careful. But take heart, Elijah was forgiven, and so are we. Take heart, the Apostle Paul struggled with the same issue (Romans 7:14-21). Take heart, you didn't earn salvation in the first place. God gave it to you knowing full well the struggles you would have on the journey of life. Take heart, He loved you then, He loves you now.