Each week around the world, 10 million Girl Guides (or Girl Scouts) learn how to cook, knit, survive in the wilderness, and generally become good citizens. A girl becomes a Guide by making the Guide Promise—a pledge of duty to God, country, and the Guide Law.
In recent years, there’s been discussion over the wording of the Promise, as a Canadian case illustrates. A Canadian Guide once pledged to “do my duty to God, the Queen, and my country.” In 1994, this was changed to “be true to myself, my God/faith, and Canada,” and in 2010 it was revised to “be true to myself, my beliefs, and Canada.” The changes reflect an understandable desire to be inclusive in a pluralistic society. But one can’t escape the obvious: a promise to self has replaced a promise to God. I often wonder how God feels about such headlines.
“What did your ancestors find wrong with Me?” God once said through the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 2:5). In her youth, Israel had been devoted to God—eager to keep her bridal promise; valiantly following Him through the wilderness (Jeremiah 2:2-3). Then the love cooled. Israel no longer cared for God, nor did her priests, scribes, and prophets (Jeremiah 2:6-8). In fact, she replaced Him with human engineered replicas (Jeremiah 2:11-12). Her promise to God was transferred to an idol.
“They have abandoned me—the fountain of living water,” God cried out in poetic fashion. “And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all!” (Jeremiah 2:13). Here’s the tragic irony: Self-made replacements for the Source of life can only leave us dry and empty.
The change in the Canadian Guides’ Promise is symptomatic of a broader trend. When spiritual thirst overwhelms us, may we pledge ourselves again to the God of our youth.
More:
Read Jeremiah 31:9 for a picture of a thirsty people returning to God. Read John 4:10-14 for a fresh vision of Jesus as living water.
Next:
When have you thirsted for God? How are you seeking Him today?
lindagma on February 3, 2011 at 6:56 am
This brings home how important it is to let our light shine. Not being abrasive…but simply living close to the Father and the Father’s reflection in how we live. I don’t shout back, “It’s Christmas). I simply reply Merry Christmas to their “happy holidays.” I usually get a smile and a “merry Christmas” back. We can bring that attitude to everything we do…it will be noticed. Non-Christians expect to be condemned and corrected by Christians. It makes an impression when we live by our principles without correcting them. It goes without saying that we do not conform to the world but we are still in the world and we win it to the Lord one soul at a time. We make our voices heard when our freedoms as believers are challenged…but we do everything as Jesus did…in love.
An observation of the things going on in our world right now. Israel’s focus is not one of their faith but rather their politics. It will always be a “religious” war, but it is quite obvious that Israel has done much the same as the ancient Israel and are making their own cisterns. Although only the Father knows when he will send His Son, we can certainly see Revelation playing out.
eppistle on February 3, 2011 at 10:41 am
Self-worship is a poor substitute for the worship of God and yet so many of us have bought into Whitney Houston’s philosophy that “Learning to love yourself…It is the greatest love of all.” Oh really? Even greater than loving God? Or even greater than denying yourself and serving “the least of these”?
Professor Jorgen Moltmann writes: “Why have people in our modern world become so distorted? I think because both consciously and unconsciously they are dominated by the fear of death. For a person’s greed for life is really his fear of death; and their fear of death finds expression in an unbridled hunger for power. ‘You only live once!’ we are told. ‘You might miss out on something!’ The hunger for pleasure, for possessions, for power; the thirst for recognition through success and admiration – this is the sin of modern men and women. This is their godlessness and their god-forsakenness. Because the person who loses God makes a god out himself. And in this way a human being becomes a proud and unhappy mini-god.”
sheridan voysey on February 6, 2011 at 7:05 pm
What a great quote from Moltmann, eppistle! Greed for life is motivated by a fear of death. The person who loses God makes a god out of himself. Spot on. And we’re the ones who lose.
daisymarygoldr on February 3, 2011 at 5:53 pm
Good post and comments, guiding us to God! In (2 Tim 3: 1-5, The Msg), Paul reminds us that as the end approaches, people are going to be self-absorbed. Often, we are quick to shake our heads and click our tongues at Israel’s idolatry. But we seldom look into our own hearts to find the same evil things existing within us.
In a society where self has replaced God, Christians should not repeat the mistakes of Israel—to draw water from broken cisterns of secular humanism. In the quest to quench our thirst if we are lapping up secular literature, music, movies, mindless TV shows, sports or any other pleasure-filled forms of entertainment, they will not only ruin our appetites for God and His Word—in the end it will leave us thirsty and unsatisfied.
There are times when I am guilty of bowing down before those idols in an attempt to appease my thirst. They do seem to satisfy me for a short period of time but eventually they leave me dry and empty.
If the Church depends on cracked cisterns of human strength and wisdom to preach the Gospel of Christ, then we will remain dry and dead. Those waterless wells are not evil in themselves but when we look to them for fulfillment it will lead to spiritual disillusionment.
When we return to God- the fountain of living water and accept the water which Christ offers, rivers of living water will flow out from us. Then and only then, the supernatural power of God’s Spirit will restore, revive, and refresh us—to bring healing and life to other weary souls. “Living water,” refers to the Holy Spirit (Jn 7:38-39).
What is your source of life?
Buzz on February 7, 2011 at 11:17 pm
I respect all the opinions expressed here. But I see this a little differently.
My son was a scout. He’s a youth leader in a church, and I have Christian leadership responsibilities too. I see the pledge saying three things quite separately, 1,”be true to myself”, 2, “my beliefs”, and 3, “Canada” (my nation)”.
We all have, as Christians, multiple responsibilities. Our first responsibility is, of course, to our God. A ‘pledge’ is a statement that ‘holds’ individuals to the core values and responsibilities similar to those values as prized by an organisation. It is in our evangelical hearts to profess at all times our desire to see all peoples come to Christ, but I do not see the pledge obliterating an individuals responsibility to God from their organisational values. This is important.
I agree that society has all but replaced God with ‘self’, but it is vitally important that we encourage welfare organisations like Scouts and Guides to recognise responsibility to our faith, ourselves AND community. Don’t underestimate these organisations’ ability to spark secular kids, looking for fun and adventure, into exploring faith.
trittle on February 3, 2011 at 7:04 am
The insertion of myself in the pledge shows more about society than the dropping of God out of the pledge. you are right, It is a telling statement about who we are worshiping.