Today's Devotional

 

February 6, 2008

                                                                             

Subject:   Not Appeasement, Surrender

Jeremiah 38:2 - "They heard Jeremiah say, "This is what the LORD says: Those who stay in this city will die in wars, famines, or plagues. But those who surrender to the Babylonians will live. They will escape with their lives."

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With the presidential election running at high speed, there has been much talk about what each candidate will do with regards to the war on terror.  I heard one Muslim leader talking about how the state of Islamic terror will depend on the American presidential election.  He went on to state that many of the terrorists believe that some in America would have a policy of appeasement toward the Islamic extremists and the extremists see that as profitable for them.

I think that is part of the nature of man, a policy of appeasement, in order to prevent the natural outcome of war, which is surrender of one warring faction.  Therefore we try to do that in our spiritual lives also.  We often attempt to appease God with our giving, or our going to church or sometimes even our confessions of sin.  We think that surely this will make God "back off."  It won't.

God uses an excellent illustration in Jeremiah to identify how though we may have our designs on how we should deal with the daily wars we fight, He wants only one thing and that is total and complete surrender.

Today don't promise God what you will or won't begin doing.  Wave the white flag and tell Him you give up.  Appeasement is not likely to work with terrorists and it surely won't work with God.     

Carlen