This application column is a companion piece for this week’s Lookout Bible lesson, “Warning for Temple Worshippers” (Jeremiah 7:1-15, 21-23), by Mark Scott.
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By David Faust
Visitors commented about the rustic beauty of the farm where I grew up, but I was so accustomed to the ponds, woods, and fields, I didn’t consider them anything special.
On an April afternoon in 1974, I proposed marriage to Candy at Niagara Falls and she said yes. She and I were attending college then in upstate New York, and it was only a short drive to Niagara Falls. Because we lived nearby, we took for granted the falls’ natural wonder.
Later, we ministered for 10 years with a church on Long Island. Visitors came from miles away to see the New York City skyline and the Statue of Liberty, but we didn’t give those attractions much thought because we saw them so often.
TAKING BLESSINGS FOR GRANTED
Do you ever take God’s blessings for granted? At times, your daily work may be frustrating and monotonous, but are you thankful to have a job? Are you glad your family members are around even with their irritating quirks? Despite your aches and pains, do you appreciate the health God has given you? Do you notice and thank the medical professionals who care for you . . . the janitors who clean up after you . . . the restaurant workers who serve you . . . and the neighbors who are kind to you?
Emmanuel Musinga came to the United States as a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where his tribe faced violent persecution. He planted a church to serve the many Congolese refugees finding their way to Indianapolis. Emmanuel serves the church without pay and does other jobs to support his family, and he frequently mentions his deep gratitude for the opportunities our country provides for work, education, and housing. Talking with him increases my own appreciation for the freedoms we enjoy in America.
TAKING GOD FOR GRANTED
Ingratitude diminishes our love for God. We can become so accustomed to holy things—so familiar with religious routines—that we lose the wonder of worship. Do we appreciate the privilege of praying to the heavenly Father who invites us to cast all our cares on him? Have we lost the joy of our salvation and forgotten how he called us from darkness to light and from death to life? My friend’s Congolese congregation rents a church building on Sunday afternoons and members contribute money to the church’s savings account, hoping someday they can have a meeting place of their own. When is the last time you thanked the Lord for the building where your church meets, and for the freedom to gather there without interference?
The Jews took their relationship with God for granted, assuming it was enough simply to show up for worship. The Lord told Jeremiah to stand by the temple gate and greet those who arrived with a solemn warning: “Do not trust in deceptive words and say, ‘This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!’” (Jeremiah 7:4). Casual, occasional lip service cannot replace an authentic daily walk with God. These half-hearted worshippers needed to treat others justly, care for the vulnerable, and quit relying on fake gods. They needed to reform their conduct and appreciate their blessings.
By the end of the book of Jeremiah, they learned the hard way that those blessings could be taken away.
Personal Challenge: Make a list of physical and spiritual blessings your heavenly Father has given you. Offer him a prayer of thanks.
I understand all of this. The Faust family are no strangers to us here in New Jersey. I ministered to Parsippany Christian Church for more than 50 years and during that time we gave birth to a congregation in Hunterdon County and one in Western N.J. — Western Hills Christian Church. This all began earlier in East Orange where I had my 1st N.J. Church. Before that I graduated from C.B.S. and ministered first as a youth minister and then to a church in Southern Kentucky named Green River Christian/Church in Yosemite, Ky. After being away from the Northeast we moved to East Orange. During that period of time we also found opportunity to hold revivals in Mexico and preach for months at a time to a little church in the town or Buckie, Scotland. Being of Scottish heritage it was wonderful to be in the land of my ancestors, though I never did learn to speak in Broad Scots, an English dialect. One final note: I no longer fill the pulpit — too old the family says, but my sermons (more than 600 of them) are being preached in churches here and abroad. So never say that you can’t serve the Lord in one way or the other!