Living in the Spirit
October 10, 2023
Scripture Reading:
Both we and our ancestors have sinned;
we have committed iniquity, have done wickedly.
They made a calf at Horeb
and worshipped a cast image.
They exchanged the glory of God
for the image of an ox that eats grass.
They forgot God, their Savior,
who had done great things in Egypt,
Wondrous works in the land of Ham,
and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.
Therefore he said he would destroy them—
had not Moses, his chosen one,
stood in the breach before him,
to turn away his wrath from destroying them.—Psalm 106:6, 19-23
This scripture gives hope, hope that for all our mistakes and misjudgments, God is still present and willing to help us if we turn away from our self-righteous ways and return to following God’s ways. God outlined for the Israelites how they were to live to be successful as they left the wilderness and established themselves in a new environment. Even while Moses received these Ten Commandments, the people had given up on God and built a golden calf to worship instead of God. Their behavior angered God and Moses, but Moses begged God to give the Israelites a second chance, and God did.
God is still doing that for us today. We, however, must recognize God’s presence and help. We must commit ourselves to changing whatever ways we live that are neither good for ourselves nor the world in which we live. God expects us to dedicate ourselves to being a part of the answer to wholeness in a broken world.
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for the consistency of your love. Open our hearts and lives to serve you more nearly. Amen.
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.