THE BIBLE AND YOU
Have You Really Turned Your Life Over to God? Perhaps you love God, read the Bible, pray and try to be a good person. But have you really yielded control of your life to God, and are you worshipping Him as He commands in Scripture?
W
by John LaBissoniere
hen I grew up attending a long-established church, it never occurred to me to question its teachings. That is, until I was challenged to compare my beliefs to what the Bible actually said. As I began studying the Scriptures I was astonished to learn that much of what I had had been taught previously was incorrect. I also discovered that the way I was living was displeasing to God since I was not fully obeying His commandments. After learning all of this I came to realize that I needed a complete change in the spiritual direction of my life—from following what I thought were God’s ways to actively pursuing His priorities as given in Scripture. In other words, I needed to yield control of my life to my Creator. If you consider yourself a Christian, have you ever asked yourself if you could unknowingly be going in an incorrect spiritual direction? Maybe you feel you have turned your life over to God. But have you really? These are difficult but highly relevant questions we’ll consider. But let’s first briefly examine biblical examples that show similar questions can apply to entire nations. Examples of national repentance Beginning with the story of the prophet Jonah, you may know that he initially balked at God’s command that he go to the great capital city of ancient Assyria to warn them of their need to repent of their wicked conduct (Jonah 1:1-2). When Jonah finally did carry out God’s instruction, he walked through the streets of Nineveh proclaiming God’s critical message (Jonah 3:4). What happened as a result? Led by Nineveh’s king, the people fasted and “turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them” (verse 10, emphasis added throughout). Although the citizens of Nineveh may have thought they were living correctly, God’s prophet told them otherwise, and they responded in a positive manner. In another example, King Solomon of ancient Israel offered a lengthy and earnest prayer at the dedication of the temple in Jerusalem. In it he acknowledged that the Israelite nation likely would fall into sin and be punished. However, he also asked God to forgive the people if they
acknowledged their sinful conduct and turned their lives around (2 Chronicles 6:26-31). Let’s examine another biblical illustration of national repentance. Prior to Hezekiah becoming king in Judah, the nation had descended into idolatry and Sabbathbreaking. In response, when Hezekiah became king, he launched reforms including the worship of the true God, the renewal of sacrificial offerings and the observance of God’s annual festivals, including Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread (2 Chronicles 30:1-27). The result was that many people—who likely had not realized how far they had fallen from God—turned back to Him. As a revival spread throughout the nation, God was pleased and blessed the nation (verse 20; 31:21). And later, when the Assyrian king Sennacherib besieged Jerusalem in an attempt to conquer the entire Judean nation, Hezekiah sought God’s intervention in deep, humble prayer (2 Kings 19:14-19). Responding swiftly to the king’s heartfelt appeal, God sent an angel to destroy 185,000 Assyrian troops in a single night (verses 35-36). These examples show that a nation can indeed repent of its sins, resulting in God’s forgiveness and favor. He confirms this by promising, “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). While the Bible reveals that national forgiveness took place in the past, can it occur in the sinful countries of our world today if they repent of their wrongdoings? Yes. As God further tells us, “The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it” (Jeremiah 18:7-8). So national forgiveness certainly can still happen, and we hope and pray that it will! Our personal obligation to our Creator However, even if nations do not turn from their evil ways, each individual—including you and me—has the personal obligation to do so. B Tm a g a z i n e . o r g
•
January-February 2021
27
