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If we in the church would humble ourselves and repent of our sins, I believe God would lead us out of our spiritual and cultural exile.
What, then, should we repent of? What are the sins of the church?
How have we, as Christians in the twenty-first century, been unfaithful to God?
They are the same sins Israel committed in the Old Testament—sins of spiritual adultery, of unfaithfulness to God and His Word. As the prophet Ezekiel prophesied against Israel, "Then in the nations where they have been carried captive, those who escape will remember me—how I have been grieved by their adulterous hearts, which have turned away from me, and by their eyes, which have lusted after their idols. They will loathe themselves for the evil they have done and for all their detestable practices" (Ezekiel 6:9).
You may say, "But I love God. I go to church faithfully. How am I guilty of spiritual adultery? When have I lusted after idols?"
God told Israel through the prophet Hosea, "The people have broken My covenant and rebelled against My law." But the people cried out in protest, "Our God, we acknowledge You!" God replied, "But Israel has rejected what is good; an enemy will pursue him. They set up kings without my consent; they choose princes without my approval. With their silver and gold they make idols for themselves to their own destruction. . . . They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind" (see Hosea 8:1-7).
The people thought they knew God and acknowledged Him, yet God replied that Israel had rejected God's will, had chased after false gods—and as a result of their unfaithfulness, an enemy would pursue them. So we have to ask ourselves: How have we, as Christians in the twenty-first century, been unfaithful to God? What false gods have we been chasing after?
May the Lord reveal any sin our hearts today, that we might repent and turn to Him.
Prayer: Lord, help me to see the ways I have strayed from Your Word and chosen worldly pursuits instead of wholeheartedly seeking You. Expose the deceptions and sins in my heart, that I may repent and live more fully for You. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile" (Romans 1:16).
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