February 4, 2010 - Obadiah verse 15

A short 21 verses long, Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament. Obadiah predicts that God will punish the land of Edom for siding with Babylon. King Herod, who attempted to kill Jesus as a child, was descended from the Edomites. The Edomites disappeared from history after the destruction of the Temple in A.D. 70.

Here's the verse: "For the day of the Lord is near against all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your deeds shall return on your head."

Sound familiar? "What goes around, comes around," we say. Or we may use the term "karma," but it means the same thing. "We reap what we sow..."

Sometimes we gotta wonder. The child molester wins the lottery. A good man gets cancer. Unscrupulous people seem to prosper while decent people struggle just to put food on the table. Where's the "reward?" If we all got what we deserved, how many of us would be happy with our lot?

If God is "keeping score," sometimes you gotta wonder about what sort of scoring system He uses. I submit that God's "scoring system" has absolutely nothing to do with external circumstances. God sees our hearts. Are we kind because we hope to get something back? Are we generous because it looks good to others? Are we stingy because we're afraid?

Examining our own hearts is risky business. When we start poking around in the deepest recesses, who knows what we may find there? Answer: God knows. God has known all along the motives of our hearts, even (and especially) the ones we hide from ourselves. I've heard it said that "character is what we are when nobody is looking." Well, God is looking. So, I have to ask myself if I am brave enough to look inside my heart today. What will I find when I peel the layers back to reveal the "real" me. Sounds like a lifelong process to me. How about you?