January 23, 2012 (Exodus 6-8; Luke 23)
From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:
Scripture: “Herod was delighted at the opportunity to see Jesus, because he had heard about Him and had been hoping for a long time to see Him perform a miracle.” Luke 23:8 NLT
Observation: Herod is a prime example of what pride and arrogance can do to a person. No doubt Herod was a brilliant man, yet he was spiritually blind and so ignorant. He was more concerned about his delights, than the desires of God. To Herod, Jesus was a circus act that could provide him social entertainment and enjoyment. He wanted to see Jesus perform a miracle so his emotions could be excited. Outside of that, he had no real interest in Jesus or concern for His life.
Application: Many people today view Christ as no more than a circus act as well. People flock to beautiful buildings each Sunday to see what Jesus is up to. They have no real desire to know Him, or follow Him, they just long to be entertained. They go through the motions of service on Sunday morning, while forgetting all about Christ by noon. Our senses are ignited by a worship service that resembles a rock concert with smoke filled air and multi colored lights all around. Then, our emotions are fed a feel good gospel message that leaves us empty and without repentance. We leave like we came at best, with the power of God being reduced to nothing more than a common circus act of entertainment.
Prayer: Dear Father, forgive us for what we offer to You as worship. Forgive us for reducing Your Son to nothing more than an entertaining circus act. Help us realize our need for Christ, may we learn what it means to know Him. Cleanse us from all unrighteousness and fill us with Your Spirit. Convict our hearts with the gospel message of repentance and draw us back unto You, in Jesus name, Amen!