Lessons on Abijah (2)â€”Spiritual Life: Appearances and Reality - All The LORD is near Daily Devotionals for 2024

The LORD is near - Thursday, August 27, 2021
by Jacob Redekop, Brian Reynolds, John van Dijk, Eugene P. Vedder Jr

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Lessons on Abijah (2)â€”Spiritual Life: Appearances and Reality

Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim and said, "Hear me, Jeroboam and all Israel Have you not cast out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made for yourselves priests of things that are not gods? But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken Him; and the priests who minister to the Lord are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites attend to their duties."
2 Chronicles 13:4, 9-10

Lessons on Abijah (2)â€”Spiritual Life: Appearances and Reality
As Abijah is about to make war against Israel, he rightly reminds them about Jeroboam's sin: they turned from God to idolatry. Then he mentions how the people of Judah have the Lord as their God and gives details about all the right things they were doing. The priests were the sons of Aaron, and the Levites did their job: "they burn to the Lord every morning and every evening burnt sacrifices and sweet incense; they also set the showbread in order on the pure gold table, and the lampstand of gold with its lamps to burn every evening; for we keep the command of the Lord our God, but you have forsaken Him" . There was great outward appearance, but the heart was not there.

What about my Christian walk? Is it real for me, or only habits with outward appearances? Do I find a gap between my Christian profession and my spiritual life? Should I give up? Well, I certainly should, but not the path of faith in Jesus Christ! I must give up my lukewarmness, give up the thing that keeps my heart away from the love of God, give up that which hinders my happy fellowship with the Father and the Son by the Spirit. This I must give up! Then, having inward reality, our actions will be pleasing to Him.

Abijah only had pretensions concerning the true worship, but his heart was not there. Appearances can be deceptive. It is better to have great faith with piety than great appearances without inward reality. Let us ask the Lord for greater devotedness to Him today!

Alexandre Leclerc

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