Ignoring God - Martin Wiles

I warned you when you were prosperous, but you replied, “Don’t bother me.” You have been that way since childhood—you simply will not obey me! Jeremiah 22:21 NLT

Our challenge seemed simple, but proved more difficult than we imagined.

The final day of school is always a half day. Following breakfast, teachers and students head off to the gym, where eligible students receive various awards. Typically, this had been followed by two hours of dead time. But one year, we teachers decided to show a movie. As a Christian school, we are required to show only G-rated movies unless we have parental approval.

Our lead teacher picked Star Wars, thinking that none of the students would have seen the original and that it would interest them. She was correct on the first count but miserably wrong on the second. What we teachers hoped would be a relaxing time turned into a scene more challenging than the classroom.

Jeremiah, known as the “weeping prophet,” was also given a daunting challenge: deliver a message to God’s people, warning them of coming destruction by a foreign force (Jeremiah 22:21). A destruction they had brought on themselves by ignoring God, just as most of our students ignored the movie.

Most of the students ignored the movie because they had no interest in it. Since it was space-related and showed examples of techy stuff, we assumed they’d love it. The trouble was that our world has advanced so far since the movie’s production that the production itself was now dated. Without God’s intervention, we’ll respond to God the same way the students did to the movie. While we’re born with spiritual interest, we’ll ignore God because of our sinful nature unless we listen to the Spirit of God pulling us in the right direction.

As a believer, I’ve ignored God numerous times because I had my mind on other things. Had we shown the movie earlier in the year, the students might have watched. This was the last day of school, and they were moments away from the final bell and summer vacation. Unless we allow God to keep our minds on spiritual things, we’ll also find ourselves ignoring God.

Initially, a few students were interested in the movie but were eventually distracted by classmates who weren’t. I, too, have been led away from God by others. Going was my choice, but letting them influence me was also my choice.

Don’t let things or people lead you to a place where you are ignoring God. Doing so always has devastating effects.

Father, may I always give you my full attention so I can accomplish Your perfect plan. 

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