Graffiti

Still plodding along with reading one chapter per day in the Bible, I am in the Book of Ezekial. Going one chapter at a time has caused me to spend more time in the Old Testament, at one span, than ever before. After spending that much time, it’s hard not to draw comparisons of God of the Old Testament Bible and the perception commonly found today. While God is exacting about what is right and wrong, today’s view is full of tolerance. In areas where God’s word is hard, we teach broadmindedness. But, in areas where God pours out His love, we quickly lather ourselves all up in that. It’s kind of one-sided. So, we clutch to God’s love while we dismiss God’s hard calls of obedience. Remember, our love of God is supposed to inspire obedience in us; it’s how we determine if our love for God is real. There is another misconception that is prevalent. People seem to think that Jesus is the new and improved version of the Old Testament God: much more accepting, tolerant, and loving of our own ways. Well, the Bible teaches us that God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. The new and improved version of God that we seemingly teach today is nothing more than us “whitewashing” God’s truth… and then writing our own graffiti over it.