March 5 (Deuteronomy 13:1-3)
If a prophet or a
dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the
sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, “Let us go
after other gods,” which you have not known, “and let us serve them,” you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that
dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your
Godis testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your
God with all your heart and with all your soul.
(ESV)
You
have a flat tire. What do you do? You could call roadside assistance for a
tow. You could put on your spare. You could use a patch kit you keep with
you. You could run across the highway,
sneak into a neighborhood, steal a tire from someone else, return to your
vehicle, hold up another motorist at gunpoint, force him to put the stolen tire
on your car, and go on your merry way.
There is nearly an infinite number of ways to do anything, but which one
is right?
A
method that leads to success may not be one that honors God. A popular, tried and true way of doing something,
one that everyone else thinks is a good idea, may not be what God wants. We live in an increasingly godless age. Strategies and programs in our schools, our
businesses, and our governments may indeed produce results and get success, yet
do they honor God in the process? Worse
still, is there some aspect of them that actually leads people away from God?
Hopefully
we try to make decisions for our lives based on scriptural principles. But what about out in the world? Will we follow the plan that the board or
committee comes up with, even if it stands opposed to His word? What if it is our supervisor’s idea? What if it is the way they have always done
things in our child’s school or sports team?
Will we love God more than a successful idea?
