DEVOTION – DAY 477

Galatians 6:7 “Do Not Mock God”

Galatians 6:7 “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”

Those who have watched the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics in Paris on 26/7/24 would have witnessed the parody made on the Last Supper that offended many Christians around the world. Many thought the Olympic organizing committee while trying to promote an inclusive agenda knowingly included this offensive segment because they thought they could get away with it. They would never have dared to make fun of the Koran or something from Islam because they knew it would anger Muslims worldwide. They risked mocking God because they thought Christians would forgive them. They are not the first to foolishly think so. Galatians 6:7 tells us that God cannot be mocked – there would be repercussions because a man reaps what he sows.

John Lennon once said, “I am bigger than God – meaning that he was more famous than God.” But within weeks of making that statement, he was shot dead whilst walking in the streets of New York City close to where he lived. Today, he is just a footnote in history and God is still known throughout the world. 

In 1 Samuel 5, after the Philistines have captured the ark of God, they moved it to Ashdod. They carried it into Dagon’s temple and set the ark beside the statue of Dagon. When the Philistines rose early the next day, they found the statue of Dagon had fallen face down on the ground beside the ark of God. The Philistines put Dagon back in its place. But the next morning, the same thing had happened to the idol of Dagon, it had fallen to the ground and it’s head and hands had been broken off. This was followed by afflictions that fell upon the Philistines when they developed tumors of various kinds. The Philistines moved the ark to the city of Gath and the people of Gath were similarly afflicted, causing great panic amongst the people. The ark was then moved to the city of Ekron where the inhabitants of that city met the same fate when they developed tumors of various kinds. In the end, after 7 months of suffering, the Philistines sent the ark of God back to Israel with a guilt offering, as a gift for having mocked God.

Logan Paul, a You Tuber, Pro wrestler and actor mocked God on one of his videos that he uploaded on YouTube. Within 3 weeks, he had a series of misfortunes. He suffered the worst food poisoning he had ever experienced that caused him to throw up frequently. This was followed by a bout of alcohol poisoning. He lost all his luggage on a flight from the Middle East. He now stays away from mocking God in all his postings on YouTube. These are just some examples of people mocking God only to regret it. 

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, we worship you, the All-powerful Living God. Nothing escapes you. Please help us to always revere and honor you and never mock you. We humbly pray in the holy name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Questions

  1. What are some examples of people mocking God today? Discuss. 
  2. Why is it wrong for them to mock God? Discuss.
  3. Reaping what we sow can be both positive, and also negative. If we do good deeds to others, we will also receive goods deeds done for us in return. In the same way, if we do bad things to others, we can expect bad things done to us. Share an experience where this was true for you.
  4. How does this verse motivate you to do good instead of bad things to others?