Drooping through neglect
We went away for a short break recently, and I neglected to ask someone to water the hanging baskets around Glyndley Manor. When we returned after only two nights away, the flowers were drooping from lack of attention. I had to go into action straight away and apply the watering can!
It made me think of how easy it is to neglect the attention we should give to God and the ‘drooping’ that happens then in our own lives. Deuteronomy 14:27 warns against neglecting the support of the Levites and Nehemiah 10:29 records the assembled people declaring “we will not neglect the house of our God”. Psalm 119:16 has the writer stating “I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word” and Acts 6:2 refers to the recognition by the Apostles that they shouldn’t neglect the ministry of the Word.
Paul urges Timothy not to neglect the gift that was given to him through a prophetic message. In each of these situations, the relationship between God and man would have been affected if people made choices to pursue their own ways rather than God’s.
How sad that Jesus even had to rebuke the Pharisees, those entrusted with spiritually nurturing the Jews, because they were neglecting to love God. ‘Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone’ (Luke 11:42).
No wonder the nation was spiritually drooping when Jesus walked on earth. There was nothing to ‘water’ God’s people with. The spiritual leaders were running dry.
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, help us to keep ourselves from drooping, whatever our role is in the Kingdom of God. Help us not neglect the most important thing in the life of a Christian – loving You. Then we shall have something to refresh others with when they’re running dry. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Scripture
Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.
Luke 11:42, NIV
Links
Follow the Radical Jesus - Teaching CD
Fruitful and Gifted - Teaching CD
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Send to a FriendPlease feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship. Provided full acknowledgement is made to Seeds of the Kingdom as the source, you are also welcome to use it in a non-commercial way and reproduce it in magazines or other Christian websites. The copyright for any commercial use of the material remains with Ellel Ministries International.
John Berry (JB) is Manager of the Modular Schools and part of the Leadership Support Team at Ellel Glyndley Manor. He also leads the Church Liaison Team for Glyndley which includes his wife Jennie, and was in Baptist Ministry for over 30 years before joining Ellel Ministries. His heart is for the equipping of the church for its ministry, and he sees the healing and deliverance ministry of Ellel as an essential part of this. John has travelled widely in the course of his work, and enjoys being a grandfather 6 times over with a seventh one due at Christmas.
Ellel Ministries International is a Christian Mission Organisation with a vision of welcoming people, teaching them about the Kingdom of God and healing those in need. read more...
