Stop Limping Between Two Opinions

“And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word.”- 1 Kings 18:21

This morning, I was in 2 Kings during my personal Bible Study time. Chapter 17 really stuck out to me: the nation of Israel, after God’s wrath was poured upon it, was wiped off the map, its people exiled, and the Assyrians who had supplanted them were moving new people in to the land (this was often a practice of ancient kings to demoralize a nation and get them to assimilate in to their nations). The people who were moved in to Israel were being ravaged by lions, and the King of Assyria was told “The God of that land doesn’t want their practices of idolatry done there.” So, the King moved a priest of God (supposedly) in to the Land to teach them the ways of the One True God. This didn’t change much, however, as we read:

“They also feared the Lord and appointed from among themselves all sorts of people as priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the shrines of the high places. So they feared the Lord but also served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away.” (2 Kings 17:32-33)

They wanted God, but they went only so far as to, in their mind, abate His wrath. They still built for themselves idols and worshipped them on the High Places, sacrificing their children, burning incense and making other sacrifices to these lifeless carved images. Sadly, things haven’t changed much. Today, Churches will be filled with people who just want to appease God, check off a box, and go back to the lives they were leading once they’ve left the gathering. They will honor God with their lips, but their hearts are far from Him. Is this you? If so, I ask the same question Elijah asked: how long will you limp between opinions? If God is the Lord, then give yourself completely to Him. If not, stop playing games and live the life you want to lead. But good luck with the second option! If God is real, He will not be appeased by petty appeals; He searches hearts and minds, and knows motives! The peoples who came before us who worshipped idols, whether carved images, or their own ideals, have stood before the Lord and He has weighed and measured them according to His perfect Law. Why take that risk? God is not mocked. He will not allow us to bounce between opinions forever. He knows our motivations, and we can’t fool Him with empty platitudes and gestures. Worship is not what you do on Sunday morning, it’s how your life is conformed to Him every day of the week after.

Matthew 6:1-24

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money”