Click this link to hear an audio version of the below text narrated by SOTH member Jerry Rhinehart:
Judges 21:25 (ESV)
25 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
This last and single verse of Judges sums up the entire book. Why did Israel go through so many ups and downs? Because they all did what was right “in their own eyes”. In our country, this is increasingly the name of the game. We blame everyone else for the problems we face, while seeking what is right in our own eyes. The “me” generation is not “someone else”. It is all of us. It is who we are, especially in America where “rugged individualism” is practically tattooed on our foreheads. But the answer is not taking back cultural and political power or moving to group thinking and “communism”. The answer to the problem of “me” is people choosing to live their daily lives devoted to the God who loves them and wants them to be a blessing to others. Today, remember that Jesus gave Himself completely to you because He loves you! You don’t need to put yourself first, because Jesus has already taken care of you! Instead, how can you put God and others first today?