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Isaiah 5:11-17
Listen to today's devotional

In Acts 2, the Holy Spirit had just rested on each of the disciples and they began to speak in tongues. While this astonished some people, others ridiculed them. Their observation was "they have had too much wine." Peter, though, assured them it was only 9am and they were not drunk. From there, the now-apostle began to explain God's acts in Jesus Christ.

Had there been no explanation, maybe the accusation could have stood. But Peter reframed the moment. Yes, they were under the influence, but it was God's. They weren't chasing an early morning thrill. They were caught up in God's story.

Now, let's rewind part of that story to Isaiah 5. There the prophet offers several judgment woes upon God's people. One of them Isaiah directs to "those who rise early in the morning in pursuit of strong drink." He doesn't have a problem with enjoying life. Instead, he sees their obsession for, what we might call, the party life. Their pursuit is parallel to a hunter after his prey. Think of all the preparation that goes into a hunter's pursuit. That kind of dedication to the party life is what Isaiah laments.

Their pursuit became an addiction and so had no room to "regard the deeds of the Lord or see the work of his hands!" What's more, these people are the rich who can afford such a pursuit, and their riches came at the expense of the poor--no good life for them.




So, let's fast forward to us. What pursuits keep us from seeing God's work? What are we going after that takes our eyes off what the Lord desires for us? Maybe it's not the party life. Maybe it's the good life, the busy life or the easy life. It could be your image or your influence. Even ministry can take on a life of its own apart from God's holiness. Whatever it is, it takes the main stage and God, maybe, gets our leftovers.

Let the world choose the party life or the pursuit of power. Let us choose God's purpose.

Stay blessed...john

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