Give Me An Undivided Heart

II Kings 17
They honored and worshipped God, but they also kept up their devotions to the old gods of the places they had come from. And they're still doing it......
But they didn't pay any attention. They kept doing what they'd always done. As it turned out, all the time these people were putting on a front of worshipping God, they were at the same time involved with their local idols. And they're still doing it. Like father, like son.

The one thing that my mind goes to from time to time is to check my motives for what I do when it comes to worshipping God. First off I have to define what worship is. To me (and from what I read in Scripture) worship is a lifestyle. A life devoted in service and praise to the one true God. Everything I do is worship unto Him. In my job, I want to do the very best so that I honor God. So that when people see me, when they see the work I do, they will be pointed to God as the source of my strength and my ability. Worship!

SO what we have in these verses from II Kings is a people who have divided hearts. I have always said that a lot of people have what I refer to as "two belief systems." They have one that they talk about and then another that they live. The belief system that they live affects every area of their life, all the way from their thoughts to their actions and behaviors. This belief system reveals the heart. The belief system that they speak about or share with others is more of a front to give the appearance that they are religious or, as the catch word of our day says..., "Spiritual." The two belief systems are always in conflict and when a choice has to be made concerning something that has come up in their life, a person always chooses toward the belief system they live rather than the one they talk about. In this case, the flesh always wins, because they are living and being lead by their sin nature rather than the Spirit of God.

V32 of II Kings 17 reads: They honored and worshiped God, but not exclusively. They also appointed all sorts of priests, regardless of qualification, to conduct a variety of rites at the local fertility shrines. They honored and worshiped God, but they also kept their devotions to the old gods of the places they had come from.   In other words...their worship to the One, True God was a sham. It was for show and had no substance. Behind the scenes, people were still living the old lifestyle, carrying out the customs of the country they were living in. Not a good idea.

Search yourself today and see if you have two belief systems. Does your life reflect a heart devoted unto God, or do you simply play at religion, trying to use God like some cosmic piggy bank to make your life better?
Think on these things....
God on you.....
mb