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Have you noticed that I seem to use a lot of pictures of hearts? It is not because I like them so much. It is because my message always seems to involve the heart! And today is no different.
You also often will read in my blog the comparison between our Christian lives today and the lives of the Israelites of the Old Testament. That is because we are not very different in that area as well. Today we will look at yet another glimpse of ourselves.
Israel had gone through many kings. They had all been evil kings who followed in the ways of wickedness. None of them walked in the commandments that God had given them to follow. And they led their people astray--from King Rehoboam to King Hoshea. When God had had enough of their idolatry, He set in motion His plan for Assyria to capture Israel and take them into captivity. God's list of reasons for allowing Israel to be taken out of their country into bondage is listed in 2 Kings 17: 7-18. It is a lengthy list, and when read carefully we can see how Israel clearly hurt the heart of God.
But God would not be content to leave His land empty. He might remove the people, but He would never allow HIMSELF to be removed from the Promised Land. After the land had been filled with Assyrian people, God caused the king of Assyria to send in one priest to teach them of the "god" of that land--yes, the One True God! So one priest was allowed to move back to Bethel to teach the people now living in the land.
But here was the problem, and it is our problem today. The people, while they had learned to fear God, also made gods of their own! And there were many different gods represented! (2 Kings 17: 29-31)
Verse 29 says, "But every nation still made gods of its own," and verse 32 says, "They also feared the LORD." Now what is wrong with this picture? Their hearts were DIVIDED!
And that is precisely our problem today. While we have believed in Jesus, been baptized, serve in our churches, bring our tithes, pray, and read our Bibles, we still follow after the other gods of our hearts. Our hearts are just as DIVIDED! We look to, bow down before, serve unashamedly, and make sacrifices to those things that have a greater priority in our lives.
God is asking for your whole heart, undivided and unable to be divided from here after. He jealously seeks it all! When He looks into your heart today, what will He see? Will it be your humble submission to Him in all things, or just those areas that you are willing to surrender to Him? Will you listen and follow God to an undivided heart or will you continue to close your ears and live as you wish? Verse 41 says, "So while these nations feared the LORD, they also served their idols; their children likewise and their grandchildren, as their fathers did, so they do to this day."
We fear the LORD, but who do we serve? |
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