Are you Worshiping The Lord or serving the gods of our culture?
In my devotional time a few days ago I came across a powerful verse that spoke to that generation of God followers and I believe speaks to us today. Read this...
They worshiped the Lord, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought. - 2 Kings 17:33 NIV
What a sad and revealing verse for them and I think a warning and challenging verse for us. It says they worshiped The Lord....BUT (and that is a big but) they also served the gods of the nation they were in according to those customs.I believe the challenge for us today is to ask this question of ourselves, "Is there anything that the culture we live in worships or gets distracted by that I have also allowed to consume me?"You see, part of the challenge with this verse is that you really can't worship The Lord AND serve other gods. God calls us to a fully devoted life of following Him. See a few other verses later in this same chapter.
When the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites, he commanded them: “Do not worship any other gods or bow down to them, serve them or sacrifice to them. But the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt with mighty power and outstretched arm, is the one you must worship. To him you shall bow down and to him offer sacrifices. - 2 Kings 17:35-36 NIV
Today I am challenged to evaluate my heart and ask God to show me if I've got caught up in serving what my culture serves? Things we can all fall into like: Over focus on getting rich, looking to others for my approval, fame and popularity, and needing to indulge my every physical or sexual impulse.The only truly fulfilling life is when we worship and serve God whole-heartedly! Let's continue to throw of those "other gods" that our culture serves and passionately run after the heart of God!
