COMPROMISING GPS
1Kings 11:1-11
Vs. 8: “And he did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods.”
1Kings 11:1-11
Vs. 8: “And he did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods.”
We saw how Michael was tempted to crash Julie’s birthday party with an illegal pony keg of beer. (Illegal because they were too young to drink beer, and the boys planned to break into the basement.)
Temptation is another trial that God uses to teach His children. As long as our internal GPS, the Holy Spirit, is in good working order, we’re warned to steer away from danger. But when we ignore our GPS warnings, we are always steered off course. Small compromises of rationalizing to ourselves, ‘Just once won’t hurt’ pile up and corrode our internal GPS. Soon, we’ve compromised too much, and become deaf to the Holy Spirit’s nudging. Before we know it, we’re in trouble way over our heads.
A young, spiritually-fervent Solomon, behaved as though he were invincible. (Sound familiar?)
God had warned him against marrying foreign women from the land they were to live in. But Solomon believed the devil’s lies and compromised his internal GPS. He ended up with a multitude of wives—each who demanded allegiance to their deities. By neglecting God’s laws and principles, Solomon was lured to disaster.
The political advantage of alliance with Egypt by marrying Egyptian women convinced Solomon to compromise his high standards. (1Kings 3:1). God didn’t instantly discipline Solomon for his rebellion. By delaying punishment, God allowed Solomon to mistakenly think there were no consequences for breaking a covenant with the one true God. As more time went by, Solomon thought there was no penalty to his disobedience.
But the penalty was severe—the price was that Solomon forfeited his family’s claim to Israel’s throne.
God’s commands are intended to protect us from sin and heartache. But when we’re tempted to ignore the Holy Spirit’s GPS warnings and disobey God, we’re headed down the wrong path. Advantageous-appearing compromises become damaging in the long run.
Take Home Nugget
Michael did not ignore his “bad feelings” about breaking into Julie’s basement. He did not crash her birthday party with a pony keg of beer—although he was ridiculed by his friends for being such a goodie-goodie. His internal GPS worked perfectly by nudging him away from danger—even when danger sounded so cool.
Julie’s sister did rat the boys out. They had to explain to their parents what they were doing in front of the Police.
What’s the harm Lord, for just one slip?
Life’s too short and I feel so good.
If I do this Lord, others will think me so hip.
Let me go one time, if You could!
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