RELIGION: Have we forgotten our Maker?

Weekly Devotion

"O come, let us sing to the LORD. Let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving and make a joyful noise to him with psalms. For the LORD is a great God and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the deep places of the earth. The strength of the hills is his also. The sea is his, and he made it. And his hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the LORD our maker. For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand." Psalm 95:1-7a

In Hosea 8:14, we read that "Israel has forgotten his Maker and builds temples." They were still a religious people but they had forgotten who the LORD God was and how to worship and serve Him.

These words are not only true of Old Testament Israel at the time of Hosea the prophet; they are true of us today. As a nation and people, we still build churches but we have forgotten our Maker and we neglect to give Him the glory and praise due unto His name.

We need to remember that "the LORD himself is God. It is he who has made us, and not we ourselves. We are his people and the sheep of his pasture" (Psalm 100:3).

In spite of man's attempts to escape this fact, the truth still remains that the LORD (Yahweh) God of the Bible (the Triune God -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) has created us and all things by His almighty word (Genesis 1-2; Nehemiah 9:6). It is He who formed us in our mothers' wombs and gave us life (Psalm 139:13-16), and it is He who sustains our lives (cf. Psalm 145:15-16).

And not only is the LORD God the Creator and Sustainer of all things, He gave His only begotten Son and redeemed us through the innocent sufferings and death of Christ Jesus that we might have forgiveness for all our sins and again be alive to Him and worship His name (cf. Psalm 130:7-8; John 3:16; 1 John 4:9-10; Romans 5:8-11).

Isn't it about time we remember our Creator, look to Him to forgive our sins for the sake of the holy life and bitter sufferings and death of God the Son, Christ Jesus, and then worship and serve Him with our lives?

If we do not humbly kneel before Him now, we shall be humbled and kneel before Him on the Last Day when He executes His judgment upon all people (cf. Philippians 2:5-11; Psalm 2).

O Almighty God, our Maker and Redeemer, for the sake of Christ Jesus, our Savior, forgive us for our many sins against You, and grant that we might kneel before You and worship You both now and forevermore in heaven! Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the Revised Common Version of the Bible. Devotion is by Randy Moll. He may be contacted by email at [email protected]. More of Moll's devotional writings are freely available at https://goodsheperdonline.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author.]