Judges 3:5-7

Mornin', y'all! :)

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Judges 3:5-7

Thus the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons; and they served their gods. So the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD. They forgot the LORD their God, and served the Baals and Asherahs.

 

The backslide of the nation of Israel begins when they start developing close relationships with the world around them. As they intermarried with the other nations, they were drawn away from the LORD. Next thing they know, they're in captivity, slaves to a foreign king because they would not walk the high road God had called them to walk.

We are supposed to be different, separate, set apart! But so many times, we buy into the world's philosophies, or their value system, or their culture or traditions. We are drawn away from the one true God because we get too close and cozy with the world. It may be tough to find the balance between being "in the world" but not "of the world", yet it is crucial that we do find it and start carrying ourselves and living as people set apart for God.

And before anybody points out to me that Jesus kept company with sinners...yes, He ate with the tax collectors and the outcasts and the sinners, but He did not form close relationships with unrepentant sinners. And that is the big difference.

 

Father, help me to stay as close as possible to You, not seeing how close I can get to the line between Your way and the world's way.

 

May the Lord richly bless you as You seek to stay close to Him!

 

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website