"Religious substitutes"
Just for your thoughts:
"Religious substitutes"
“We don’t need manna from heaven; what we need is meat.”
This was the desire of the Israelites who were set free after 400 years of slavery. Instead of gratefully remembering the glorious deliverance of God from the cruelties they endured in Egypt, and instead of being satisfied with the manna given by God, they yielded to the instigation of the non-Israelite slaves who were among them and asked for meat.
They wanted flesh as a substitute for heavenly manna. Instead of being satisfied with what God gave, they longed to fulfill worldly desires and cravings. “They craved substitutes from the world instead of desiring the heavenly manna of the Word of God.” – W. W. Wiersbe
Even today, instead of valuing the spiritual blessings, the spiritual benefits, and the salvation that God gives, many churches have emphasized prosperity, comfort, and worldly greatness—the things the crowds crave. Because of this, churches have turned into movie theaters, into places of entertainment.
Churches that should meditate on God’s Word, and fill believers with the Scriptures, have begun to delight in music and performances. Church leaders have set aside the Word of God somewhere in a corner and started to entertain believers.
As Paul says, today many preachers have started to walk in a different way. (Philippians 3:18)
As Paul says, these are enemies of Christ. They are people with a mindset to conform to the crowd.
The present leaders impose “religious substitutes.” They are cowards without courage to boldly uphold the truth.
Therefore, let us be content with the spiritual blessings that God gives, without grumbling, for that is true spiritual growth.
In those days, some grumbled and were destroyed by the destroyer. Likewise, in these last days, let us live without grumbling, be content with the spiritual blessings God has given, and run the spiritual race. May God grant us grace for this.
Please meditate
1 Corinthians 10:10
Ezekiel Shanmugavel