July 6 – Reading 187

july 6 – Reading 187

by Tim Satryan | July 6

“BUT EVERYONE IS DOING IT”
(2 Kings 16:1-20; 2 Chronicles 28:1-27)

“And he did not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD…” – 2 Kings 16:2 and 2 Chronicles 28:1

The early days of our modern Pentecostal movement were culturally identified by separation from the world, and avoiding anything that would look like “worldliness.” Early Pentecostals rightly emphasized salvation by Christ alone, the baptism in the Holy Spirit, and sanctified living. But, there was also a huge amount of what we typically call “legalism” – a sometimes unwritten code of what activities, dress codes, even language we could use. If you need examples, I remember when ladies were not allowed to cut their hair, and men had to have short hair. Ladies were never allowed to wear pants. And, you never played sports on a Sunday! Now, more than a century later, much of the legalism is gone. Thank God!

But, unfortunately, along with the departure of legalism, many in the church today have seemingly adopted many of the “ways of the world.” All too often, the lifestyle of many church-goers seems almost identical to all of society. The attitude seems to be “but everyone else is doing it!”

That is exactly what we see in King Ahaz. He became king when he was 20 years old, and reigned until he was 36. He adapted many of the horrific practices of ungodly people. In fact, he compromised the very altar of the Lord. 

When the people of God attempt to imitate the people of the world, God is not pleased. In his “Keys to the Deeper Life,” A.W. Tozer writes, “…the sins of the unregenerated world are now approved by a shocking number of professedly ‘born-again’ Christians, and copied eagerly. Young Christians take as their models the rankest kind of worldlings and try to be as much like them as possible. Religious leaders have adopted the techniques of the advertisers: boasting, baiting, and shameless exaggeration are now carried on as a normal procedure in church work. The moral climate is not that of the New Testament but that of Hollywood and Broadway.”  

We must be on guard! Our goal is to be like Christ, not like the world around us!

Simple Truth:
In Romans 12:2 we read “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.” 

Reflections and Application: 

• How do you make your daily decisions of where to go, what to say, and what to do? (1 Peter 2:21)
• We may live in America, but we are citizens of a higher location – heaven! (Philippians 3:20)
• We must choose to live according to the Spirit, not to satisfy our earthly desires (Galatians 5:24)

Closing Prayer…
Lord, help me this day to make choices and live my life in a way that pleases You, and brings glory to Christ. Let others see in me the change that You have made in my life. In Jesus’ name, amen.