Day 71, or March the 12th. Homemade Religion.
Our thought today is rooted in Judges chapter
17, verse 5. Now this man Micah had a shrine,
and he made an ephod and some household gods,
and installed one of his sons as his priest.
First the big picture surrounding this verse.
The final chapters of the book of Judges are
not specifically about judges at all. It tells
us a lot about a man called Micah who was not
a judge and who lived in the middle of Israel.
As he lived and worshipped in the days when the
judges ruled, there was no temple for national
sacrifice and worship. The temple, of course,
was built after the period of judges, when kings
ruled the land. And now, our action step for
today. Micah, in the book of Judges, would have
slotted into 21st century life very easily indeed.
He knew what he believed, he built his own religion,
and worshipped at home. I would guess there are
millions of Micahs in the world today who stumble
through life with homemade religion. I'm sure
you know folk who drift from church to church
looking for one that suits them exactly and doesn't
have any of the hassles we all get if we are
members of an active fellowship. Sometimes when
you discuss spirituality with a friend, the response
can be very predictable. Well, this is how I
see it. Based on what? Based on what I think
is right. Even professing unbelievers will say
things like, I'm sure he or she will be in heaven
looking down on me today. These may be comforting
thoughts, but they are based on wishful thinking
alone. The least puff of wind will knock them
over, because they are foundationless. For a
belief system to work, it has to be based on
a firm foundation, into which faith can be woven.
Nebulous faith cannot stand alone. Be sure that
your faith is based on sure and steadfast biblical
principles, and it will enrich you daily. When
trials come, as they inevitably will, you'll
have more than human support. You will have the
inspired written word of God to rely on.