SUBSTITUTES

Today's reading: 1 Kings 14-18

"In the fifth year of King Rehoboam's reign, King Shishak of Egypt came up and attacked Jerusalem. He ransacked the Temple of the Lord and the royal palace and stole everything, including all the gold shields Solomon had made. Afterward Rehoboam made bronze shields as substitutes..." 1 Kings 14:25-27 NLT

As I think of how sad the grand Temple must have looked after being razed by invading armies, I think it must have been even sadder to see the substitutionary bronze shields.

A dull, brassy tone compared to a glimmering, hurt your eyes shine.

A lower quality compared to top-notch workmanship.

A cheaper product compared to the opulence of the original.

Made me wonder, if in our own churches, if we aren't putting out sad substitutes.

Programs instead of prayer meetings. And by prayer meetings, I mean meetings where people pray. Not give advice. Not spout politics. Not attempt to impress. But pray.

Or ministries instead of messages from God. Words straight from God, not from the latest newspaper headline or social media feed. But from the Word of God.

Entertainment instead of evangelism. Ouch! Are our kids receiving the Gospel or are they just being baby-sat? Are we attempting to impress with the sound systems, the lighting and the bands, or are we reaching the lost souls placed in our sphere of influence?

What substitutions are we making?

Where are we allowing ourselves to fall short of honoring God with our attempts? Where are we letting ease and popularity replace 'thus saith the Word of the Lord?