A generation whose heart was not loyal and whose spirit was not faithful to God. Psalm 78:8
Ice. Jell-O. Epoxy. Cement. Paint. Broken bones. Faith. What do they share in common? They’re messy, useless, and, in some cases, dangerous if they’re not set. Most of us have stories about paw prints in the new sidewalk cement or soupy Jell-O. Maybe you have a photograph like one of my favorites—eighteen-month-old Luke, who decided to “help” by finger painting with the drywall mud that hadn’t yet set on the walls of the addition we were building.
In Galatians, we’re reminded, “Christ has liberated us to be free. Stand firm then and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1). Standing firm in faith makes all the more sense when we think about how messy, useless, and dangerous our lives can get without that commitment to faithfulness, obedience, and assurance.
During my college days, I had a circle of friends whose faith was like underdone Jell-O. One week, they cried tears of joy as they worshipped Jesus and sang about His love. The next week, one or another in the group wept tears of grief, wondering if Jesus cared at all for their souls. Many of those people would now be in their sixties. I wonder if they ever “set.”
Psalm 78:5–8 says, “He commanded our fathers to teach to their children so that a future generation—children yet to be born—might know… and tell their children so that they might put their confidence in God and not forget God’s works, but keep His commands. Then they would not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not loyal…”
From the moment Jesus breathed His first breath of earth’s air, He was firmly set in Who He was and what He was sent to do. May that ever be true of us too.
Prayer
Lord, I know I am firm in my faith as long as I keep my eyes on You. Amen.
Faith Step
Did you catch the connection that a heart set firm is directly related to knowing and obeying the Bible? It’s not a new concept. Today, when you open the Bible, tell Jesus how grateful you are for the way it “firms up” your faith.
