1Kings 11:4 - As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been.
We get wiser as we get older, right? Maybe not.
Being younger often means inexperience, mistakes, even foolishness. For most of us, there are many decisions of our youth that we have become wiser about. Years and experience have taught us wisdom.
But with years come other temptations. Things like comfort, convenience, complacency... personal agendas start affecting our focus. And with them comes compromise---that demon of destruction. Soon, people find themselves drifting in a direction they never meant to go, simply because they were unwilling to take the narrow road.
Compromise is deceptive. On the surface, it looks wise, but the results are devastating. Compromise is what drove Adam & Eve to eat the fruit, it prompted David to sin with Bathsheba, and it encouraged Judas to sell out Jesus. And compromise comes from many well-meaning sources---with logical arguments. Jesus warned us about compromise, calling it thorns of distraction in our lives. Common to every compromise is one question---what is the Biblically wise thing to do?
While some decisions are worth another examination based on experience, other decisions should never change. No matter how old we get, compromise and complacency should never trump our commitment to God and His mission.
Its time to face this risk head on. No relationship or possession is worth compromising our relationship with God. Choose today to set a hard deck on your priorities, never falling below the line of First Love Commitment to God. Make His Mission your first priority in your daily schedule. Make His Kingdom the first check you write. Make worshipping/serving His family the first part of your family's schedule. Don't let the detour of compromise take your life down the wrong path.
What temptations to compromise your path are you facing these days?
Addendum: One of the challenges of compromise always comes with family. Satan likes to create a line between the church and our home relationships. But God sees them as the same family. He designed both to be a part of our life with Him.
ReplyDeleteMany of the compromises in the Bible related to family were motivated by selfish agendas. Satan tried to get people to choose sides---and leaving one for the other was all he wanted. Don't let Satan draw the line...choose to find a solution that honors both parts of your family.