They shall eat, but not be satisfied; they shall play the whore, but not multiply, because they have forsaken the LORD to cherish whoredom, wine, and new wine, which take away the understanding. My people inquire of a piece of wood, and their walking staff gives them oracles. For a spirit of whoredom has led them astray, and they have left their God to play the whore. – Hosea 4:10-12 (ESV)
In the above passage, the prophet Hosea delivers a scathing indictment of Israel’s unfaithfulness. The northern kingdom has abandoned God, chasing after idols and indulging in sensual pleasures. They’ve traded divine wisdom for drunkenness and idolatry, consulting with lifeless idols – mere sticks! – for guidance instead of the living God. This is what it looks like when God’s people forsakes His truth for false security and worldly pleasures; they become totally blind to their own rebellion.
In our day, believers face a dire threat that is no less than Israel’s back in Hosea’s time. Today’s Christian doesn’t have time for genuine, heartfelt prayer. He’s too busy with work and everything else going on in his family life to open his Bible and meditate on what God has to say to him. Sure – he’s in church Sunday morning, but by Sunday evening his spiritual batteries are already down to 20 percent. But… that’s just the way life is now. “Someday,” he says. “Someday I’ll have more time to devote to God.”
Religion is such an easy game to play. It doesn’t require much sacrifice or inconvenience… it’s safe, there’s no risk. And I can still have fun, I can still be popular, and I can still pursue as money as my bank account will hold. Someday. But not now. I’ve got too much going on in life.
Then…. years pass. His kids are now grown. Yet look at him – he’s still busy. Someday still hasn’t come, and it’s unlikely it ever will. Religion is all he has.
If the enemy can’t make him sin, he’ll make him busy. And that strategy is just as effective. If he’s not a threat, he’s a friend. That’s the devil’s attitude.
These are just some thoughts that have been on my heart lately. And I have been convicted to ask myself: Are you still in love with Jesus more than the things of this world? Are the choices you’re making in life supporting your answer? Or are you just going through the motions and playing religion?
We can’t pursue both God and the pleasures of this world. They’re incompatible. We have to choose one or the other.
Former Blackout Artist 